Will £75 be the new normal for video games after Switch 2's Mario Kart?

This week, Nintendo has been making headlines in the gaming community after revealing exciting details about the Nintendo Switch 2, the successor to the highly successful original Switch console. The anticipation for its launch in June is palpable, but discussions among fans have largely centered around one significant issue - the pricing of its games. While the console itself is priced comparably to its competitors, such as Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X, the cost of the games has raised eyebrows. The highly anticipated Mario Kart World, which will be released alongside the Switch 2, is priced at a staggering £74. 99. Chloe Crossan, a gamer from Glasgow, expressed her concerns to the BBC, stating, 'It makes it inaccessible, it's a lot to drop on one game. ' Although she is excited about the new console and its game offerings, she worries about the financial burden. She noted, 'I guess you could argue you're paying for a game that four people could play, but it is £75 for a game which is a lot. ' While not all titles for the Switch 2 are expected to carry such high price tags, the pricing strategy for a flagship game like Mario Kart World indicates a shift in Nintendo's approach. This could lead to confusion among consumers, as the same games may be available at different prices depending on whether they are purchased as physical copies or digital downloads. For instance, Mario Kart World is priced at £74. 99 for the physical edition, £66. 99 for the digital version, and £34. 99 as part of a console bundle. Another title, Donkey Kong Bananza, is priced at £66. 99 for the physical edition and £58. 99 for the digital edition. Experts in the gaming industry believe that the high price of Mario Kart World may not be an isolated incident. Christopher Dring, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Game Business, predicts that other games will also see price increases, particularly for highly anticipated releases like the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series. He explained that there are several factors contributing to rising prices, including the increasing complexity and time required to develop modern games. 'These games are taking longer to make, they require more people to make them,' he stated. Additionally, he pointed out that video game prices have not kept pace with inflation. He recalled purchasing N64 games for £50 at the turn of the century, which would equate to around £80 today. Developers have previously compensated for stagnant prices by monetizing in-game transactions and focusing on cheaper digital downloads, but Mr. Dring believes that this strategy is reaching its limits. 'That growth has started to slow, so they're now relying on price increases,' he noted. However, it seems that high prices will not deter all gamers. Kathryn Brown, another gamer interviewed by the BBC, expressed her excitement for the Switch 2, even if it comes with a higher price tag. 'If it gets good reviews, and I wait until people have bought it first, then we'll think about it,' she said. Kathryn has two daughters who are also eager to get their hands on the new console. Lewis Tocher, who has owned the original Switch since its launch, stated that he would purchase the new console as soon as he could afford it, despite the expensive games. He expressed surprise that game prices had not increased sooner, given the rising costs of game development. Retailers are also watching the situation closely. Mr. Dring explained that this is the first time a console's physical and digital games are being priced differently, which could negatively impact retailers who sell physical copies. '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,' he said. By charging more for physical copies, Nintendo may encourage more consumers to opt for digital downloads, which would benefit their profits but hurt retailers who miss out on those sales. Nintendo is keen to avoid a repeat of the disastrous launch of the 3DS in 2011, which faced backlash due to its high price of over £200. Within six months, Nintendo had to slash the price by nearly half. The 3DS also suffered from a lack of appealing launch titles, whereas the Switch 2 is set to debut with the first new Mario Kart game in a decade. Nintendo has a history of making pricing missteps; for example, the N64 launched at £250 in 1997 but saw its price drop to £99 within a year. In 2002, the company also reduced the price of the GameCube by £21. With the Switch 2, Nintendo is bringing back beloved characters like Mario and Donkey Kong, hoping to attract fans while carefully navigating their pricing strategy.