Former Nintendo employees react to the backlash over the Nintendo Switch 2’s price: “a true moment of crisis”
Kit & Krysta have their own analysis of the recent protests over the new pricing, which have been flooding Nintendo’s events.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s unveiling has ignited some intense backlash over its pricing, with the console set at $449.99 and flagship game Mario Kart World priced at $79.99 for digital and $89.99 for physical copies. Former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang described this moment as “a true crisis” for Nintendo during a discussion on their YouTube channel. The controversial rollout has left fans frustrated, and according to Ellis, Nintendo may have underestimated its audience. “They have lost control of this,” Ellis added, pointing to the growing uproar online.
Part of the issue lies in how Nintendo revealed the prices, or rather, didn’t. During its Direct presentation, Nintendo omitted pricing details for both the Switch 2 and its games. This deliberate move, Yang said, caused confusion as fans scrambled to find pricing confirmations from external sources. “It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer,” Yang remarked, criticizing Nintendo for expecting excitement to override questions about affordability.
The pricing concerns don’t end with Mario Kart World. Other Switch 2 titles, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition, also carry the $79.99 price tag, alongside paid add-ons like the $6 Welcome Tour, a tech demo for the console. Fans have expressed frustration, comparing this with Astro’s Playroom, pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 for free as both a tutorial and a demonstration of the DualSense controller. Even Nintendo Treehouse livestream chats have been flooded with “DROP THE PRICE” protests.
Ellis and Yang suggested this backlash may stem from changes within Nintendo’s leadership. The absence of former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé and the late Satoru Iwata has left a gap in consumer-focused decision-making. Additionally, Nintendo’s silence on these concerns has fueled speculation, with rampant misinformation filling the void. Yang noted, “They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control.”
As fans prepare for Switch 2 hands-on sessions, concern is growing for demo staff facing questions about pricing. Ellis and Yang fear that impromptu answers could be misconstrued as official responses, further complicating the situation. What happens next remains unclear, but neither expect Nintendo to lower its prices before launch. This turbulent rollout marks one of the company’s toughest moments since the 3DS price debacle in 2011.
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