Summary
Nintendoaired aMario Kart WorldDirect to show off some of the new game modes, tricks and items coming to the eleventh mainline entry to the series. However, if one were to glance at the live chat happening alongside the Direct, one wouldn’t see much hype or excitement, but rather a steady stream of viewers demanding Nintendo “drop the price.”
Mario Kart World has been embroiled in controversy regarding its price since its reveal at the dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Although most players will likely pick the game up as part of a bundle with the Switch 2 console for $499.99 (without Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 costs $449.99), purchasing Mario Kart World as a standalone product will set players back $79.99.
The Elephant Mario in the Room
Since the reveal of the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World’s respective prices, every Nintendo-related social media account has beeninundated with people demanding that Nintendo drop its prices. For comparative purposes, at launch, the original Switch cost $299.99 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe cost $59.99.
The Mario Kart World Direct was no different. As soon as the stream began, the chat was filled with comments such as “DROP THE PRICE” and sarcastic comments about whatever was happening on the screen, “My favourite character is drop the price,” “Cow, drop the price,” and so on. If you watch the chat replay onthe YouTube stream, you can see how persistent these comments were.
Nintendo has been stalwart in its response to these demands, saying Mario Kart World justifies its price tag.
“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,” Nintendo’s Bill Trinen toldIGNin an interview, when questioned about the price.
The Mario Kart World Direct showed off the game’s new game modes, characters, items and the impressive verticality of the game’s courses. There’s no doubt Mario Kart World has more features than we’ve ever seen in the series, but people only looking for the core gameplay are still likely to be disappointed by the game’s price.
