"Won't buy at this price": Gamers spam Nintendo Treehouse live chat to protest Switch 2 game price hikes

The eagerly awaited Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, 2025, at a retail price of $449. Despite the Nintendo Treehouse event presenting exclusive new gameplay for various titles on the forthcoming handheld device, gamers were left dissatisfied.

The live chat on YouTube during the event was filled with complaints about the price of the upcoming Switch. Most fans didn't expect the significant jump in pricing, especially compared to the handheld's previous iteration.

The recent revelation of the handheld's game prices was another important catalyst that further enraged fans during the live event, with numerous viewers demanding lower prices. One user, Mott Dropsie, simply wrote:

"Won't buy at this price"

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Nintendo Treehouse event's live chat was flooded with gamers demanding a price drop for the Switch 2 and its games

After the announcement of Switch 2's release on June 5, 2025, the Nintendo Treehouse live event presented various new gameplay footage featuring the device. While the new Switch will include major features and support third-party titles, fans are still concerned about its high price and the cost of games.

The base device with 256GB storage will cost $449.99. If you want to purchase it as the Mario Kart World bundle, it will cost $499.99.

During the event showcasing various games, the live chat section was inundated with a recurring plea — "Drop the price." Additionally, some have expressed their intention to refrain from purchasing the new device if the current price persists.

The game prices were criticized by many users during the Nintendo Treehouse event (Image via Youtube/Nintendo)

As the price of the upcoming handheld faces disapproval, dissatisfaction within the community extends to the pricing of games as well.

Nintendo previously confirmed that the new Mario Kart World will cost $79.99, while Donkey Kong Bananza will be priced at $69.99. These numbers are considerably higher than most recently-released AAA games on PC and consoles.

While companies usually do raise game prices upon the launch of next-generation consoles, the price increase for Switch 2 titles is fairly drastic. Coupled with the elevated cost of the handheld itself, this situation has not been received favorably by gamers.

As the event hosts have either neglected or refused to react to the live chat, it'd be intriguing to see how the company will deal with this issue in the future. Considering the large volume of protests, the recent dissatisfaction regarding the prices is expected to remain for a long time.

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