Danica Davidson
April 8, 2025 
Mario Kart World for Switch 2 is going to cost $79.99, a price that’s caused some controversy among fans. Other games with the same price tag include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Kirby and The Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World, and Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. Bill Trinen, the Vice President of Product and Player Experience at Nintendo of America, spoke to IGN about the reasons for the price.
Explaining the situation, Trinen said, “I would say it’s less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it’s more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what’s the content, and what’s the value?”
He continued, “But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”
As for the prices of some of the other games, he remarked, “What I would probably counter to some of that is that really what you’re looking at is for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, that’s the physical price for somebody that has not bought the base game. For somebody who has bought Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild, the upgrade packs for those are $9.99. And if you happen to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, both of the Zelda upgrade packs are inclusive within that membership. So there’s no additional charge for those.”
While the IGN interview went live today, the interview itself was done on April 3, before President Trump’s tariffs were announced and Nintendo pulled its original U.S. pre-order date as a result. Odds are Nintendo is either going to have to take a financial hit because of the tariffs, or it will have to raise the price of the Switch 2, which was already priced at $449.99.
Nintendo will have a limited-time offer where people can bundle Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2, priced at $499.99. That price may change because of the tariffs.
Nintendo gave this description for Mario Kart World:
Mario Kart World Summary
Zip around courses in a vast world where everything is connected. Race along grassy plains, bustling cities, wide-open waters, big ol’ volcanos, and more—plus everything in between. Exclusively for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system!
Source: IGN
____
Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
Related Posts
