Gamers slam Nintendo over pricey games after Switch 2 Direct: "Maybe Game Pass isn't a bad deal at all"

Nintendo managed to unite the gaming community after the latest Direct announced that upcoming games for the newest hybrid console would cost them a fortune. There is no denying that the Switch successor will be much more powerful and pricey than its predecessor; however, the fan base was caught off guard, and they had to cough up a few extra bucks to play the latest games on day one.

Now that the dust has settled, let's look at how the gaming community reacted to the news.

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The gaming community is not fond of the price increase for Nintendo Switch 2 games

The gaming community wasn't happy that the latest Mario Kart is priced at $79.99 (Image via Nintendo)

Gaming is an expensive hobby, but the cost of developing games seems to be a different conversation entirely. Nintendo kicked off the Switch 2 Direct with a quick teaser of Mario Kart World, the latest installment in the long-running series and while it was great and exciting, the price tag was a massive eyesore.

Players have struggled to adapt to the digital age of streaming services like Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now, but it seems like it is not a bad deal, considering the hikes for full-price games are becoming too expensive.

There was a time when video games had a modest price tag; however, times are changing, and prices continue to skyrocket throughout the console generation. Many have complained about PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S games with $60 and $70 price tags, but Nintendo took it a step further and established its prices around $80 for digital games and an extra $10 for the physical cartridge.

Comment byu/conk-creet from discussion inNintendoSwitch2

While the hardware features are exciting, the smiles quickly turned to frowns once the Direct revealed the prices of Switch 2 games.

Perhaps Nintendo will have a change of heart at the last minute and cave in to decrease the premium price tag.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is already facing a problem before release

The price increase will become a massive headache for physical media collectors, especially since physical editions are slightly more expensive than digital versions. Video game prices are meant to reflect the quality of a specific product, but some fans are having trouble grasping the concept of a game around the $80 and $90 range.

Nintendo's reputation won't be enough to convince gamers to support this new pricing strategy, and this could be a problem in the early days of the Switch 2. A Reddit user named TheFakeLance shared their two cents regarding the subject and said:

Why get used to it when you can just not support it? Us as the consumers are just as responsible for Nintendo’s greed. No one holds them accountable, instead we feed into it and continue buying.

70 dollar games were already pushing it. 80 digital and 90 physical? It’s ridiculous. Nintendo shouldn’t be able to get away with this.

Gamers are already encouraging fellow gamers to let them be and ignore the price increase by not supporting it. Perhaps publishers will see the ripple effect and rethink their pricing strategy. There is a strong likelihood that this movement will not cause any major problems for the Switch 2 if others are willing to spend that much on launch day and have come to terms with the current pricing strategy.

It is only a matter of time before the company sees how the general player base feels and considers making changes or remaining firm about the prices.

The Nintendo Switch 2 generation will usher the gaming community into a new era of pricey video games. Video game prices will continue to increase, especially if game developers continue to achieve new groundbreaking technology and give the player base a new experience.