Does ‘Mario Kart World’ justify the $80 price?

On Thursday morning, Nintendo kicked the week after the week, with a juicy small Nintendo flowing live. Mario Cart World. It was nice to get some interesting new details about the flagship launch title for Switch 2, but directly didn’t really answer the biggest question on the minds of many gamers: why does Mario Cart World Cost $ 80?

Compared to a standard video game price of $ 60, which remained stable for about 15 years – and even considering a recent collision at $ 70 with some major titles – the price is grossly disturbing at first glance. When the price of $ 80 was first revealed, the gamers immediately. Raise questions. Since, Nintendo’s party line has been to tell the gamers Just wait straight. This means that once fans see the game in a practical form, they will understand the rise in prices.

Now that the direct series is over, I don’t feel that Nintendo has really revealed anything to explain it. (And I am actually played played Mario Cart World.

But after giving some thoughts, and wanting to scold Nintendo so badly for Nickel and Deming consumers, I realized that the price may not even justify. And with the ongoing tariff chaos, Nintendo is likely to face major problems. Finally you cannot order Switch 2 in the United States in advance.

Mario Cart WorldIts price game can be nothing to do with the game

The charging ‘Chuck’s involvement is honestly raising the price.
Credit: Nintendo

In an interview with the media after the Big Switch 2 Direct two weeks ago, Nintendo employees usually took this position Mario Cart WorldThe price makes sense because of how much content is in the game. Thursday Mario Cart-The Central Direct shed some light on it, and to make sure, games Does It seems that there are many cool things.

It is a huge open world to discover with friends, full of hundreds of optional challenges. Here dozens of non -locking costumes, new tracks load, both local and online multi -player, and even social properties such as webcam support. This is clear Mario Cart World There is a huge game that also has a lot of games to enjoy dozens (or perhaps hundreds) hours. From this point of view, no one can easily argue that the cost is $ 80 (Nintendo clearly thinks so), even if no one really does not really enjoy spending $ 80 on a video game.

But there is more in the game. The biggest: video game prices have been flat for a long time, even as other tech products become more expensive. Generally, prices go up over time. It’s useless, and no one likes it, but it’s life. You could get a week’s worth of food for $ 20 on the taco bull, and you can’t do it anymore. It is actually a strange barrier that game companies have maintained a tag of $ 60 for so long.

I will argue that for the past decade, concerts have been making good bargains on big budget sports. It is even easier to argue when you see How much does it cost to make a big video game 4k in the period

Unfortunately, there are game companies Duration The budget is less than the film studios, so the best information we have comes from data violations. In 2023 such a violation revealed this The spider of miracle 2 For the PS5 cost million 300 million To make progress. Blockbuster games also take a long time, which increases labor costs.

When you think about real -world economics, my face.
Credit: Nintendo

It is also noteworthy that the PlayStation (of many other video game companies) has left in its internal studios. Ever since it has come out. While Nintendo Cut off the contractor’s positions From its testing department last year, the company does not have a large history of getting rid of full -time employees for full -time employees. Most of this is undoubtedly The rights of friendly employees In Japan compared to the United States, but it is clear that Nintendo has actively worked in the past, against the holidays.

For example, former CEO Saturo Avata once Cut his salary in half Ensure that jobs will not be wasted. And if the cost of behaving fairly fair to employees is a slightly pressed video game for Switch 2, I’m fine with it.

Mario Cart Worlds The cost of $ 80 can be a harking of things coming …

I have gone to a great extent to explain this Mario Cart World Perhaps its price is so high, but it does not affect your wallet. It’s a Lot Like a video game, luxury good. To consider, especially at stressful economic hours. Fans can also imagine why this game, And just this gameCosts a lot, especially when some families struggle to afford basic things like grocery and fare.

The original element of the last and extreme madness comes in the game at the same place: your wages. In the United States, wages have not been intact in the past several decades with inflation or productivity. In 2022, Economic Policy Institute It has been found that the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 per hour was cost at any point in about 70 70 years. Even Found in 2015 In the last 40 years, the production of workers per hour increased by 74 %, while the wages of workers per hour increased by only 9 % in the same timeframe. Compare it for 30 years of World War II, when wages and productivity grow at about 1: 1 level.

Recently. , Luggage costs are high, but you do not have to get more compensation.

This is a more political issue than anything, and any possible solution is better than my salary grade. But over the past two weeks, I have gone thinking that for $ 80 Mario Cart World Hesitation is irrational for acceptance.

You are allowed to be angry at a video game that costs $ 80 (I’m still), but this is not the last game that we will see at the price at this level. And deciding whether the price is legitimate or not, the switch gamers will eventually vote with their wallets.

This story is a piece of an opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of Micabel or his publisher Zeif Davis.