The former Nintendo of America President recently revealed why Nintendo doesn’t do game discounts. According to Reggie Fils-Aimé, first-party Switch 2 titles aren’t likely to go on sale because the company views their games as highly-crafted pieces of art.
Former Nintendo President Says Nintendo Treats Its Games Like “Kyoto Craftsmanship”
Retired Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé recently did a lecture at NYU Game Centre, where he opened up about a variety of topics. However, the former executive gave an interesting answer when he explained why Nintendo rarely discounts first-party titles. According to Fils-Aimé, Nintendo views their games similar to high-quality artisan products sold in Kyoto, Japan.
“The Nintendo mentality is we’re shipping a game complete. It’s ready to play. There’s no day one update that is going to take three hours. I’d liken it to this idea of Kyoto craftsmanship. Kyoto is a city known for its fine craftsmanship. I’m convinced that Nintendo as a company has that same mentality. We are going to build the best games. We are going to send them out feature-complete. And as a result, we don’t discount our games.”
Reggie then said that while some players often push back on the lack of discounts for Nintendo first-party titles, he explained why it was justified. “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild never received a price discount. From the day it was launched, it was never discounted. We’re going to sell our games feature-complete. We are gonna charge a fair price. And that price is never gonna change.”
Reggie Fils-Aimé Acknowledges Game Prices May Have to Change for Modern Times
While Reggie Fils-Aimé defended Nintendo’s pricing practices, he also acknowledged that game prices in general have to adapt to modern economic times. In particular, the former NOA President seemed to suggest that not all games need to launch at a set price, and that a title’s cost should be adjusted based on the game’s value.
“Not that I’m saying any company should be discounting their games. But I do think there’s a thoughtfulness that has to happen out in the marketplace where you need to think about what you’re offering, and what that fair price is vs being beholden to a particular price point.”
Nintendo Switch 2 Game Prices Are Already Becoming More Flexible
This is interesting, because Nintendo recently adjusted their game pricing with two major titles. The Splatoon Raiders price, for example, was recently revealed to be $49.99. The single-player Splatoon project has a much lower price point than Nintendo Switch 2’s launch games.
Nintendo also recently announced a price cut for digital Switch 2 games. They are now going to be $10 cheaper than physical. So, for example, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has a suggested $69 price tag, but will only be $59 if bought digitally on the Nintendo eShop.
So while Switch 2 games won’t get a discount or sale anytime soon, their retail price seems to be more flexible. Considering that Mario Kart World launched at a staggering $79, anything is an improvement!
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