Nintendo recently unveiled a bunch of details surrounding the Switch 2 during their latest Nintendo Direct presentation. It was during the livestream where we learned that the Switch 2 was set to be launched on June 5, 2025. The hybrid device was originally to become available for preorder starting on April 9, 2025.
Of course, it turned out to be an interesting decision on Nintendo’s part for them to not reveal the price for the Switch 2 or any of its game library during the showcase. Fans had to do some sleuthing, but it was soon established that the Switch 2 was being set at the retail price of $449.99 while certain games, such as Mario Kart World, were to be sold at $79.99.
Needless to say, this caused quite the backlash from the gaming community. During the Nintendo Treehouse events that showcased the many revealed games and features of the Switch 2, fans spent hours upon hours spamming phrases such as “Drop The Price” and “#DropThePrice” into the chat.
“Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”
As one might have expected, Nintendo chose not to make a direct statement concerning the controversy. Former Nintendo employees Kit and Krysta speculated that the public relations team was probably scrambling to figure out a way to turn the situation around.
Fortune was not favoring Nintendo as United States President Donald J. Trump announced tariffs on other countries, including Vietnam which is where Nintendo has been transitioning the manufacturing of their Switch and Switch 2 units for a number of years now.
Due to this, Nintendo was forced to announce a delay on the Switch 2 preorder date as they needed time to “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” Despite this, the Switch 2 is still currently set to be launched on June 5, 2025.
This presented a particularly problematic implication for consumers. The $449.99 figure for the Switch 2 did not previously take into account the potential for tariffs despite many believing already that this was a factor.
Put simply, there’s a possibility that the price for the Switch 2 could rise even higher, which could prove to be catastrophic for the public perception of Nintendo. Indeed, this puts Nintendo in a tough spot.
In one of their recent podcasts, Kit and Krysta, based on their own experiences and knowledge accrued from working at Nintendo, outlined a number of scenarios that could play out from here.
A certain scenario sees Nintendo passing part of the costs associated with the tariffs on to the consumer. Of course, Nintendo probably won’t want to pass 100% of the cost to the consumer like this, especially considering their current predicament, but this would ultimately result in a price increase for the Switch 2.
On the other hand, Nintendo does actually have options that most other companies don’t have access to due to their deep pockets. As outlined in the podcast, Nintendo is currently sitting on somewhere between 10 to 15 billion dollars.
Notably, the Switch 2’s predecessor, the Switch, is known to be the third best-selling gaming device as it has thus far pushed 150.86 million units worldwide since its release back in 2017. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have sold 67.35 million, 47.44 million, and 35.88 million units respectively, all while maintaining their full price tags.
Indeed, Nintendo is noted as being the richest company in Japan. Technically speaking, they can maintain the current price of the Switch 2, essentially selling the console at a loss, while potentially regaining some goodwill back with the gaming community.
By announcing that they are prepared to sell the Switch 2 at a loss, Nintendo could essentially kill two birds with one stone. All of a sudden, that $449.99 price tag could be perceived with a little less bitterness from the consumers.
There’s a disastrous scenario that Kit and Krysta also talk about that could see the Switch 2 getting delayed specifically in the United States (or maybe even all of North America) while Nintendo considers potential strategies and get a better feel of what could happen in the future.
However, this strategy could prove to be especially risky since North America tends to be Nintendo’s biggest market. Doing this could really damper the Switch 2’s early sales figures.
Just recently, Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on most new “reciprocal tariffs.” Still, Nintendo has not yet revealed the new date in which the Switch 2 will become available for preorder after the initial delay.
We’ll just have to keep an eye out to find out what Nintendo ultimately decides. Although there are plenty that would like for Nintendo to “drop the price” before the launch of their new hybrid console, I think it’s fair to say that possibility feels especially unlikely at the moment.
Check out Kit and Krysta’s podcast below:
Source: Event Hubs
