Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser has explained the $80 RRP slapped onto Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World is an example of the “variable pricing” philosophy the company will lean on when deciding how much its first-party software should cost.
Nintendo notably chose to omit pricing details from its Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct, but subsequently confirmed the console will retail for $449. It also revealed that Mario Kart World—positioned as the must-have launch title—will set consumers back $80.
Those figures caused sticker shock within some corners of game industry, even pushing some vocal Nintendo fans to voice their disdain by repeatedly calling for Nintendo to “drop the price” during a Nintendo Treehouse livestream last week (thanks, Nintendo Life).
Now, speaking to The Washington Post, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has indicated that $80 isn’t a universal or fixed price tag—but rather a number that could shift based on the scale and scope of individual releases.
“What you see right there is variable pricing,” Bowser told The Washington Post. “We’ll look at each game, really look at the development that’s gone into the game, the breadth and depth of the gameplay, if you will, the durability over time and the repeatability of gameplay experiences.
“Those are all factors, and there’s many more that go into consideration of what is the right price point for the game. So I think you can anticipate that there will be variable pricing, and we haven’t set a benchmark.”
It’s a statement that suggests some Switch 2 titles could retail for less (or perhaps even more) than $80 in the long term.
When pressed what drove the increase, Bowser said it’s about the company “deciding the right thing to do for its products or what the pricing should be for its products overall.”
He explained there was some “variability” throughout the Switch’s lifecycle, pointing to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor Breath of the Wild—which retailed for $70 and $60, respectively—as examples of that fluctuation.
“I think for us, that’s really how we want to proceed and go forward,” added Bowser. “I can’t speak for other games that might be released by other publishers or other platforms. It’s more about what we think is right for our content, what is the right value for the consumers as they come into our platform.”
It remains to be seen when consumers in America will be able to drop cash on the Switch 2.
Last week, Nintendo delayed Switch 2 pre-orders in the region in response to sweeping tariffs issued by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Japanese company said it must “assess the potential impact” of those tariffs and pledged to update pre-order timeframes in the future.
The console is still expected to launch on June 5, 2025, in the United States.
