There has been all sorts of commentary about Nintendo’s $80 price tag on Mario Kart World and how this could potentially impact the industry and consumers going forward, and now the former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has shared his thoughts.
Appearing on the ‘PlayerDriven’ YouTube channel and podcast recently, Layden linked Nintendo’s game price increase back to the relevance of “exclusives” and how “the only place you can play Mario” and other Nintendo IP is on a Nintendo platform. He also thinks fans often “want that content so bad” it effectively “mitigates the sticker shock”.
Shawn Layden: “Right here you see, ‘wow, that’s kind of a hefty price hike from Switch 1 to Switch 2 and, wow, 80 bucks for a game?’ But if it’s the only place where you can play Mario, then you get your wallet out and you buy into it… and Donkey Kong and Zelda. That first-party exclusivity kind of mitigates the sticker shock, if you will, of these price hikes, because you want that content so bad”
Layden has previously mentioned how exclusives can still play an important role from a marketing perspective – creating a ‘FOMO’ effect (aka the fear of missing out).
Nintendo has justified its Switch 2 price hikes with claims the new entry in the Mario Kart series will offer more than ever before thanks to its new open-world design. It will also be hosting a dedicated Mario Kart Direct broadcast on 17th April, where it plans to share new details about the game.
There has been all sorts of commentary about Nintendo's $80 price tag on Mario Kart World and how this could potentially impact the industry and consumers going forward, and now the former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has shared his thoughts.
Appearing on the 'PlayerDriven' YouTube channel and podcast recently, Layden linked Nintendo's game price increase back to the relevance of "exclusives" and how "the only place you can play Mario" and other Nintendo IP is on a Nintendo platform. He also thinks fans often "want that content so bad" it effectively "mitigates the sticker shock".
Shawn Layden: "Right here you see, ‘wow, that’s kind of a hefty price hike from Switch 1 to Switch 2 and, wow, 80 bucks for a game?’ But if it’s the only place where you can play Mario, then you get your wallet out and you buy into it… and Donkey Kong and Zelda. That first-party exclusivity kind of mitigates the sticker shock, if you will, of these price hikes, because you want that content so bad"
Layden has previously mentioned how exclusives can still play an important role from a marketing perspective - creating a 'FOMO' effect (aka the fear of missing out).
Nintendo has justified its Switch 2 price hikes with claims the new entry in the Mario Kart series will offer more than ever before thanks to its new open-world design. It will also be hosting a dedicated Mario Kart Direct broadcast on 17th April, where it plans to share new details about the game.
