Nintendo Switch 2 price is a 'crisis moment', say ex-employees

(Credit: The Shortcut)

• 😡 The Nintendo Switch 2's price of $449.99, with games costing $80, has sparked significant backlash from fans

• 🚨 Ex-Nintendo employees Kit and Krysta view the reaction as a "crisis moment" for Nintendo, criticizing the company for not disclosing prices during the Direct

• 😬 Nintendo anticipated some contention over pricing but appears surprised by the severity of the backlash

• 🤔 The company is expected to address the issue officially, as it risks losing control of the narrative ahead of the console's June 5 launch

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch 2 price has caused heated discussion online. It's not just the most expensive console Nintendo has ever made at $449.99, but Nintendo Switch 2 launch games like Mario Kart World are also set to cost $80.

That led to a huge outcry among fans, which was impossible to ignore during yesterday's Nintendo Treehouse Live presentation. Almost every comment throughout the four-hour livestream demanded Nintendo "Drop the price", completely ignoring the games on show.

According to Kit and Krysta, who both previously worked on the communications team at Nintendo of America, the reaction is a "crisis moment for Nintendo".

"It felt like this conversation [about the price] was sort of bubbling up and people were starting to understand the full pricing plan – because it was confusing – and it just exploded today with people being really unhappy about this," said Kit. "I don't want to try and blow this out of proportion, but this feels like a true crisis moment for Nintendo."

Krysta also believes Nintendo Switch 2's pricing – or at least the reaction to it – is worrying.

"It's the thing you don't want to happen when you reveal new hardware and new games. You want people to focus on the cool things that you're showing about Switch 2, the cool things you're showing about these games," Krysta said. "It becomes a crisis when everyone's attention is on this whole other thing and it's giving it a very negative spin."

Kit and Krysta also criticized Nintendo for not sharing the price of the hardware and games during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.

"It just shows some disrespect to the consumer," said Kit. "Oh, you just saw the [Nintendo] Direct, you're so excited. You're just going to throw your money at us blindly. You're not gonna even ask the question about how much it costs because you're so excited, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it's a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer," Krysta added.

Interestingly, Kit and Krysta shared how they think Nintendo will be dealing with the reaction to the Switch 2 price internally.

"They absolutely have a down to the minute read on what people are saying, what people like, what people don't like, what are opportunities for them," Kit said." They have to make a decision about what do we do know. We understand that people are unhappy with the pricing structure – and confused – so we have an opportunity to do something, but what do we do?"

(Credit: Adam Vjestica/The Shortcut)

"I do think they are a bit surprised by how severe this reaction is. Now, I will say that they knew very well going into this that this will be a point of contention," Krysta explained. "They omitted it from the Direct for a reason because they knew this may distract people from the things they were announcing. I think that they thought that they could sort of steamroll through that."

Krysta believes that Nintendo will, at some point, address the issue of the Switch 2's price.

"They're likely working on something. There's gonna be a recommendation about putting out something official about this. They have lost control of the narrative. The problem is, they haven't had a need to do a lot of crisis communication for eight years."

Crucially, both Kit and Krysta don’t believe Nintendo will lower the price of the console or games, despite the backlash.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch 2's price is the most contentious aspect of Nintendo's new console – especially the cost of games. The way Nintendo has left it to consumers to discover the price, and let misinformation spread, isn't ideal, and it may need to step in soon to address the discourse ahead of the Switch 2's launch on June 5. Don’t forget Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date is Wednesday, April 9, if you’re interested in picking up the console. Check out our Nintendo Switch 2 guide for more.

• Up next: Nintendo has a genius plan to deal with Switch 2 scalpers

Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.