Amidst the ongoing backlash to Nintendo's surprising pricing for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have described the situation as "a true crisis moment for Nintendo." In a video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang expressed their concerns over the way Nintendo revealed the $449.99 price of the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price of Mario Kart World.

"I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo," Ellis remarked. Mario Kart World isn’t the only Nintendo Switch 2 game priced at $79.99; other titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also carry this price tag. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial video game experience, Welcome Tour, which fans argue should be a free pack-in, much like Astro's Playroom, which comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 console and serves as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The outrage over the pricing has even affected Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, where viewers have flooded the chat with "DROP THE PRICE" messages. Ellis and Yang were particularly critical of the way Nintendo handled the price reveal, pointing out that the lack of pricing information in the Direct itself was a "deliberate" omission that led to confusion and misinformation as fans searched for pricing details elsewhere.

Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery

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"The Switch 2 and Mario Kart World pricing was intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason," Yang claimed, "but handled poorly in terms of the information being scattered across different platforms, leaving fans and consumers to piece it all together."

Ellis added, "It just shows some disrespect to the consumer, where, 'oh, you just saw the Direct, you’re so excited, you’re just gonna throw your money at us blindly, you’re not going to even ask the question of how much it costs because you’re so excited, aren’t you?'" Yang echoed this sentiment, stating, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer."

The former NOA communications staff further discussed Nintendo’s failure to address the pricing concerns, either through a public statement or in press interviews. This lack of communication, they said, has allowed rampant speculation and misinformation to take over.

"They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," Yang stated. "They have lost control of this," Ellis added. They suggested that Nintendo may have lost the consumer mindfulness it once had, especially following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata.

Nintendo’s communications team is now expected to recommend the company release an official statement, but Yang noted that the approval process will be complex, involving many people before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa. Moreover, the team is out of practice, as it hasn't engaged with the community or press in this manner since the Nintendo 3DS price debacle in 2011.

There are also concerns for staff managing demo stations at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions. Fans may have reasonable questions, and any responses from staff could end up online and be misconstrued as Nintendo’s official stance.

What happens next remains uncertain, but neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price drop for either the Switch 2 or its games before launch.

For more information, explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and see what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.