Technology reporter
NintendoNintendo has been the talk of the gaming world this week after it finally unveiled details of the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, the sequel to the third-best selling console ever made.
Despite excitement over its upcoming launch in June, fan conversations have been dominated by one topic – the price of its games.
The console itself is priced similarly to its rivals – Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X.
But the games are a different story: Mario Kart World, which is being launched alongside the Switch 2, comes in at £74.99.
“It makes it inaccessible, it’s a lot to drop on one game,” said Chloe Crossan, one of several gamers the BBC spoke to at a gaming store in Glasgow.
She told the BBC she was excited about the console and its various games, but was concerned about the cost involved.
“I guess you could argue you’re paying for a game that four people could play,” she said.
“So there is that element – but it is £75 for a game which is a lot.”
It’s not expected that all of the Switch 2’s titles will be so expensive – but charging so much for its best-known game still represents a big change in Nintendo’s pricing strategy.
It also risks confusing customers, as the same games can be purchased for different amounts depending on whether they are buying the physical game or the digital-only version.
Experts don’t think Mario Kart World will be a one off.
Christopher Dring, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Game Business, said he expected to see price rises elsewhere too – particularly for the most anticipated titles, such as the latest edition of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
“I think if you’re going see a game that’s going to be able to charge more, look out for when GTA 6 gets a release date later in the year,” he said.
He says there are lots of reasons prices might go up, part of which is that modern games are a lot of work.
“These games are taking longer to make, they require more people to make them,” he said.
But there’s also the fact, he says, that video game prices have not kept up with inflation.
“I bought N64 games for £50 in the turn of the century and that’s £80 today,” he pointed out.
For some time developers have got round that by monetising transactions in games and relying more on cheaper digital downloads.
But that process, Mr Dring says, is running out of road.
“That growth has started to slow, so they’re now relying on price increases.”
But it’s clear those kinds of prices won’t put everyone off.
Another gamer the BBC spoke to, Kathryn Brown, said she and her family were excited about the Switch 2 – even if it was “more expensive than usual”.
“If it gets good reviews, and I wait until people have bought it first, then we’ll think about it,” she said.
And Lewis Tocher – who’s had the original Switch since the day it launched – said he would get the console as soon as he could afford it, despite the cost of the games.
But he said considering the cost of game development nowadays, he was “surprised” it hadn’t gone up in price sooner.
But what will retailers make of it?
Mr Dring told the BBC this was the first time a console’s physical and digital games were being priced differently.
He said that could be a real blow for the people who sell the physical games.
“When a Nintendo Switch game releases, around 80% of its sales are in a box – if you compare that to Xbox, around 80% of new game sales are digital.
“By charging more for the physical copy it’s going to encourage people to download more, which will be good for Nintendo’s bottom line.”
But of course it will be worse for the retailers who miss out on sales of the physical game.
The price of failure
One thing Nintendo will be hoping to avoid replicating is the disastrous launch of its handheld 3DS in 2011.
It came hot off the heels of the DS, the best-selling handheld in history, with fans seemingly desperate for an upgrade.
But the price tag of over £200 – more than double that of the original handheld – sparked consternation amongst fans who weren’t willing to shell out so much for it.
Within six months, Nintendo had slashed the price by almost half, and over time it picked up traction.
It is fair to say the 3DS faced other problems such as a lacklustre list of launch games, whereas the Switch 2 is launching with the first Mario Kart game in a decade.
Nonetheless Nintendo has form with price decisions backfiring.
The N64 launched at £250 back in 1997, and within a year it had tumbled down to £99.
And in 2002 the firm cut £21 off it widely-expected £150 price for the GameCube just two weeks before its launch.
By bringing back the likes of Mario and Donkey Kong for the Switch 2, Nintendo has consciously looked to the past with its new console.
It will be hoping it won’t be forced to do the same with its decisions around prices.
