Former PlayStation boss predicted the Switch 2 would be $100 cheaper than it is, but isn't irked by $80 for games like Mario Kart World as publishers shouldn't be "limited to a fixed price"

Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida was somewhat shocked to see that the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 costs $100 more than he was expecting, but thinks 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mario Kart World's surprise $80 price tag makes sense in ✱theജ grand scheme of things.

Shuhei Yoshida is no stranger to pricing scandals, having been a top PlayStation executive during the PS3's infamous (and infamously expensive) launch, but he was still caught off guard by N𝕴intendo's bullish pricing in an interview with the 💟 podcast.

"I was anticipating $399, like everybody else," Yoshida said of the Switch 2, "but they went for $499 [with the Mario Kart World bundle.] Maybe [that's because] of the cost of goods going up these days." He even had to do a double-take after: "And I realized🔥 later, '𝄹wait, is that the price of the PS5 in the US?'"

Yoshida was perhaps even more surprised by the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Japan-exclus♑ive, region-lock🌟ed Switch 2 that's essentially being sold for the same price as the OG Switch, mainly because the country's shaky exchange rates would've meant the Switch 2 would be d𒐪ouble the price of the original console in yen if Nintendo was going to convert its US🎐 pricing.

"The price of software was a surprise I wasn't anticipating," he continued, referring to games like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Donkey Kong Bananza, which is adopting the now-industry standard $70 price point for big-budget games, and Mওario Kart World, which has leapfrogged the standard entirely and is bein꧃g priced at $80.

Shuhei Yoshida on Switch 2, Blue Prince, and More - Easy Allies Podcast - Apr 11, 20🐬25 - YouTube Shuhei Yoshida on Switch 2, Blue Prince, and More - Easy Allies Podcast - Apr 11, 2025 - YouTube

Even though it came as a surprise, Yoshida said it makes sense since publishers have been struggling with ballooning budgets and infinitely expanding games for a while, but players still expect a base $70 price tag. The solution, he says, is for publishers not to be "limited to the fixed price on the shelf from the physical media days." He's not necessarily advocating for every game to be $70/$80 or more, but rather, each game should be priced "based on the value the publisher believes." I could definitely live with more $70 Nintendo games if some other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Switch 2 games came out at half that price, for example.

Elsewhere, Yoshida was only "a bit disappointed that they [Nintendo] didn't disappoint everyone" by doing something totally unexpected. Though the Switch 2's directors previously said the console doesn't rock the boat w🎀ith a gimmick like the DS and Wii because developers have changed in the generations since.

For now, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games of 2025 and beyond.

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly꧂. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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