Though the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct proved to be exciting, what wasn’t was the revelation that the base console will cost $450, and its headliner title, Mario Kart World, is going to be $80. Fans are understandably upset, as this is the first time a non-deluxe version of a game will retail for that price on release day. Nintendo appears to be standing firm on the price, and though they can make the argument that $80 is fair to pay for the game, it will be an uphill battle for them.
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Mario Kart World needs an enormous amount of content at launch
Nintendo representatives stress the base game contains enough content to vindicate the price
Source: Nintendo
With gaming becoming a more expensive hobby as of late, many of us have to be selective about which games we’re going to buy. Nintendo’s primary reasoning for Mario Kart World costing $80 is the content it provides.
Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, spoke to IGN about the game’s inherent value. According to him, the sheer amount of content and scale of the game are enough to warrant the price.
But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.
Trinen also noted an article IGN published about there not being a lot to discover in Mario Kart World’s roaming mode. He didn’t provide a specific response to that concern, but he did say to tune in to the Mario Kart Direct on April 17th and suggested those fears would be addressed. Although the Direct did showcase unrevealed content, the general consensus online is it still doesn’t have enough to justify an $80 price tag.
Variable pricing is a term that has become more common in the gaming industry and refers to not setting a baseline price for a product. Nintendo has only experimented with the higher end of this concept on the Switch with Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which cost $70 at release as opposed to the usual $60. Despite people being unhappy with the increased price point, it has sold more than 21 million copies and is one of the Switch’s best-selling games, proving fans may in fact be willing to pay more if they feel the value is there.
Long-term support and consistent updates can make the game a worthy investment
Nintendo wants fans to have and play the game
Something else to consider is the fact that Nintendo clearly wants fans to play Mario Kart World. It has effectively become the Switch 2’s marquee title and the game that is supposed to get you to invest in the console. The marketing has focused on it the most, it is the only game to be included in a console bundle, and it’s the game they used when they revealed the Switch 2. Nintendo wouldn’t be putting so many eggs into that basket unless they were confident the product could deliver at launch and a long time afterward.
Mario Kart 8’s DLC and support serves as precedent
Source: Nintendo
Mario Kart 8 launched in May 2014 for the Wii U and was the first game in the series to have DLC. This included the Mercedes Benz (which was free) content, as well as The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 packs (which were paid). The Animal Crossing content was the last to be released, presumably because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was on the horizon.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came to the Switch not even two months after the console launched and is still supported to this day. Five years after it launched, from March 2022 until November 2023, we received 48 tracks and eight characters through the Booster Course Pass DLC. Even now, the game has a huge playerbase, and it is effortless to find full lobbies of people to play with.
Players will have a much easier time with the $80 price tag if they know the game they’re buying has a long, healthy life ahead of it.
Though we don’t have any official statements from Nintendo, it’s fair to say this history of support will persist with Mario Kart World. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ended with 96 courses, and with such a huge library of retro tracks to add, along with new ones, there is a goldmine of future content available.
However, a sizable amount of content at launch and regular DLC is the ideal scenario for Nintendo. That isn’t necessarily the road they will take, and there are a number of reasons people will not accept paying $80 for a video game.
The barrier to entry is steep
Being a Switch 2 exclusive means you have to buy more than just the game
Although Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s sales numbers gives credence to the statement that fans will pay more if they need to, there are a few caveats. The first is the sheer brand power of The Legend of Zelda and the second is the fact that a lot of people already had a Switch to begin with.
Source: YouTube
Nobody can deny Mario Kart’s brand recognition, but because Mario Kart World is a Switch 2 exclusive, you’re paying much more than $80 for the chance to play it. If you want to have the game when it launches, at the very least you need to spend $500, and that’s only if you manage to snag a bundle that is apparently limited in quantity. You’ll also need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play online, adding another cost layer. This isn’t taking optional peripherals into consideration either, such as extra controllers, a carrying case, or the camera.
The future is unclear regarding DLC
We have no idea what will be free or paid
Image credit: Nintendo
Nintendo supporting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for years suggests this will similarly hold true for Mario Kart World. If future DLC and updates are provided free of charge, that makes it much easier for players to accept the game’s higher price. However, something that important to the consumer would have been mentioned early on. Nintendo must have known the game costing $80 would be met with incredible backlash. It stands to reason they would have coupled the pricing announcement with another saying all future content wouldn’t cost anything extra, but they didn’t.
Notably, Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLC were not free, with the exception of the Mercedez Benz pack. Those with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion pack could access the extra tracks, but the Expansion Pack costs more than the standard online subscription. For reference, the Booster Course Pass is $25, so we could be seeing similar pricing for Mario Kart World updates.
Other publishers could follow suit regarding game pricing
A successful $80 game could result in more selling at the same price point
Source: Rockstar
For some time now, rumors suggested that Grand Theft Auto VI could cost anywhere from $80 to $100. While most have shrugged it off, Nintendo selling Mario Kart World for $80 could set the wheels in motion for other publishers to do the same. Games used to regularly retail for $60, but now it’s commonplace to pay $70 for AAA games on release. Though consumers obviously weren’t happy about the price increase, we’ve come to tolerate it.
Many are starting to wonder if buying Mario Kart World sends the message that $80 for a new game is acceptable. Something to also keep in mind is that when Nintendo mentioned variable pricing, they never said $80 was the upper limit for games. By no means does this guarantee games will cost more, but Nintendo hasn’t denied it as a possibility for the future.
Nintendo needs to tread carefully for people to be willing to pay $80
Nintendo has faced overwhelming negative feedback since announcing Mario Kart World would cost $80. Having to buy a console just to play it doesn’t help, nor does the ambiguity of future support/DLC and the possibility of $80 becoming the standard for games. Though it is a tall ask, if the game is truly as rich with content as Nintendo claims, and it continues to receive support through extra tracks, characters, outfits, etc., I think people will pay the asking price.
