Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa believes the pricing of Switch 2 is appropriate for all ages, and that younger children should engage with Nintendo characters elsewhere.
During a recent investor call, one investor was concerned about the higher price point of the new console compared with previous platforms like the (appropriately named) Famicom (NES), raising concerns it would reduce opportunities for young children.
“We believe the pricing of Nintendo Switch 2 is appropriate for the gaming experience it offers, and what is most important is to provide entertaining experiences that demonstrate the value to consumers,” responded Furukawa. “To achieve this goal, we have incorporated various features into Nintendo Switch 2.”
He continued: “It is true that Nintendo Switch 2 has a higher price point than our past gaming systems. We are creating various opportunities outside of our gaming systems for young children to engage with Nintendo characters and game worlds, with one of the ultimate goals being that they will eventually play on our gaming systems. We are closely monitoring to what degree the price of the system might become a barrier.”
Nintendo has increasingly broadened out of video games specifically in recent years, with the opening of its multiple theme parks, the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (as well as its forthcoming sequel and The Legend of Zelda film), and even the Nintendo Museum in Japan.
Indeed, considering both Mario Kart and Donkey Kong play a big part in the films and theme parks, it’s no wonder these franchises have formed the basis of the Switch 2’s launch period.
Of course, there’s also the original Switch console, which Furukawa stated will still receive new games playable across both consoles.
“We are still developing new titles for Nintendo Switch, and a vast library of software is already available, so we believe there will be opportunities for consumers to experience Nintendo Switch titles for the first time on Nintendo Switch 2,” said Furukawa, discussing the lifecycle of the two consoles.
“Indeed, if you consider Nintendo Switch, a child who was in the first grade at its launch is now in intermediate school. The longer a platform remains active, the more opportunities there are for consumers to pick up software. We will continue to develop each Nintendo Switch 2 title with care and strive to have it played by as many people as possible.”
Despite its price, Switch 2 is Nintendo’s fastest-selling piece of hardware ever, selling 3.5m units worldwide in its first four days on sale.
Full sales data for Switch 2 seemingly leaked earlier this week, though David Gibson, senior analyst at MST Financial, was told by Nintendo “test data prepared for a website update was unintentionally made publicly accessible” and that the data was “for testing purposes only”, as shared on social media.
Still, third-party sales are reportedly “very low” despite the record-breaking console launch.