‘Mario Kart World’ Direct Bombarded By Fans Demanding Nintendo Drop the Switch 2 Price

The Mario Kart World Direct was derailed by angry fans who demanded that Nintendo lower the game’s price. Viewers constantly flooded the livestream’s chat to criticize the Japanese developer’s pricing for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch title and console. The backlash got so intense that players are still spamming the chat even after the Nintendo Direct has ended.

Players Are Still Not Happy About ‘Mario Kart World’s’ Pricing

During the Mario Kart World Direct on April 17, players continuously spammed ‘DROP THE PRICE’ in the event’s chat room. And when I say continuously, I mean literally every second of the livestream from start to finish. The final reveal of the Switch 2 launch title quickly turned ugly as viewers turned against Nintendo.

It’s hard to say how much of this is a meme; however, the general sentiment I’ve seen online is that most gamers are genuinely unhappy with Nintendo breaking the $70 price barrier that was established during the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S era.

It wasn’t just live viewers voicing their rage—YouTube comments on Nintendo’s page echoed a similar sentiment. One user exclaimed, “People yelling DROP THE PRICE together in chat is the fifth closest thing we’ll get to world peace,” while another said, “DROP that ridiculous price.”

Even on popular gaming enthusiast forum ResetEra, some users were less than thrilled with the Direct. One poster wrote, “This should have been a $60 title.” Another user explained, “The game looks fantastic, but I didn’t see anything that justified the $20 increase in price. Definitely a $10 increase but not $20.”

Interestingly, this isn’t even the first time fans have protested Mario Kart World‘s price tag. A day after the Switch 2 Direct debuted on April 2, Nintendo hosted a special Treehouse Live stream to show off Donkey Kong Bananza. During the gameplay showcase, players flooded the chat with “DROP THE PRICE.” So, it seems that Nintendo fans are still angry even weeks later.

Players Who Miss Out on the Switch 2 Bundle Will Suffer

Let’s get this out of the way: Mario Kart World looks incredible. While it’s undeniable that the Direct was spoiled by angry consumers, what they showed off from the game looks great! However, I think one of the biggest problems is how Nintendo is handling the launch of the console itself.

When the Nintendo Switch 2 releases on June 5, players will have two options: the base console at $450 or the Mario Kart World bundle for $499. This means Nintendo is essentially giving away Mario Kart World for $50 to those who manage to snag the bundle. The problem is, I think this only further highlights just how insane the $80 price tag is.

If you think Nintendo fans are angry now, imagine a scenario where half of them have to pay $80, while everyone else gets it for $30 less. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. Regardless of how good Mario Kart World looks, it seems many are still struggling to swallow the bitter pill of its price tag. Not even a colorful Nintendo Direct can sway people from their rage.