Amidst the ongoing backlash to Nintendo’s surprising pricing strategy for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have labeled the situation as “a true crisis moment for Nintendo.”
In a video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang expressed their concerns about Nintendo's approach to announcing the $449.99 price for the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price for Mario Kart World.
“I don’t want to overstate it, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo,” Ellis remarked.
Mario Kart World isn’t the only game for the Switch 2 priced at $79.99. Other titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also carry the same price tag. Nintendo has also faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial game, Welcome Tour, which fans argue should be a free pack-in similar to Astro's Playroom, which comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 and serves as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.
The frustration over pricing has even affected Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, with viewers flooding the chat with messages demanding “DROP THE PRICE.”
Ellis and Yang were particularly critical of how Nintendo disclosed the prices of the Switch 2 and its games. They highlighted the absence of pricing information in the Direct presentation as a "deliberate" omission, leading to confusion and misinformation as fans sought pricing details elsewhere.
Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery
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Yang suggested that the pricing was “intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason,” but criticized the execution, noting that it left fans to piece together information from various sources.
Ellis added, “It just shows some disrespect to the consumer, where, ‘oh, you just saw the Direct you’re so excited, you’re just gonna throw your money at us blindly, you’re not going to even ask the question of how much it cost because you’re so excited, aren’t you?’”
Yang echoed this sentiment, stating, “It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer.”
The former NOA communications staff further discussed Nintendo’s failure to address the pricing concerns through a public statement or in press interviews, which they believe has led to rampant speculation and misinformation.
“They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control,” Yang said. “They have lost control of this,” Ellis added.
Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo may have lost the consumer mindfulness it once had, following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata.
Yang mentioned that Nintendo’s communications team would likely recommend an official statement, but the approval process would be challenging, involving many people before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.
The pair also noted that Nintendo is out of practice in communicating with its community and press, having not dealt with such negativity since the Nintendo 3DS price debacle in 2011.
Concerns were raised about staff at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions, where fans might ask reasonable questions about pricing. Any responses from staff could be misconstrued as Nintendo’s official stance if shared online.
What happens next remains uncertain, but neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price reduction for the Switch 2 or its games before launch.
For more information, explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and see what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.
