A former Nintendo sales executive believes the current economic climate will eventually force a price increase for the Nintendo Switch 2, even if the company is still trying to hold the line for now.
In a market where console prices are creeping dangerously close to four-digit territory – just look at the PS5 Pro – many eyes are now turning toward Japan, and more specifically toward Nintendo’s headquarters. PlayStation has already gone through three price increases, while Xbox has raised prices twice, and because Nintendo only recently launched its new generation, many fear that the bad news could soon reach the Switch 2 as well. Now, a former Nintendo employee has suggested that this outcome is unavoidable.
As the industry has already seen, the RAM and storage crisis has forced other major companies to act. Sony and Microsoft have both implemented multiple hardware price increases over the past two years, with the most controversial recent case involving the PlayStation 5. It is not only that Sony made the most aggressive adjustments, but also that the PS5 Pro, currently the flagship system in the PlayStation family, now sits at 899 euros, while the standard model costs 649.99 euros, which is 150 euros above its launch price.
Nintendo, meanwhile, has tried to ride out this period without increasing the price of its new console during its first year, even if that meant absorbing potential losses. Sean, the company’s former head of sales, sees the situation differently. Speaking on the Kit & Krysta podcast, which is hosted by former Nintendo employees, the ex-executive said that while the company will do everything it can to preserve the current price, the global economic situation will make that increasingly difficult to maintain over the medium term.
“Unfortunately, I believe that sooner or later the price of hardware will have to rise,” Sean said, pointing to the ongoing component crisis, persistent inflation across international markets, and newer trade-related pressures, especially those affecting the United States. According to him, Nintendo could try to soften the blow by keeping digital games priced lower than physical releases, which would help balance the total cost for consumers.
Even so, that probably will not be enough in the long run, and all signs suggest that a hardware price increase will eventually become part of the conversation. Sean did not commit to a specific date, but he suggested Nintendo may wait until after the Switch 2 reaches its first anniversary before making such a move, in order to avoid the worst of the public backlash.
Source: 3DJuegos
