Mario Kart World costs $80… Will GTA 6?
Blog Andrew Joseph 04 Apr , 2025 0
With Mario Kart World Parade store shelves for $80otherwise Nintendo fans of the promise of Nintendo Switch 2 have spent a lot of time in the past 24 hours as they radiate the prospect of many coins, even for the game they feel they think is essential.
us Written earlier today Regarding why the Mario Kart world and the Nintendo Switch 2 itself and many of its accessories are so expensive. But knowing its “why” doesn’t really relieve the pain of the wallet. besides, We've learned this morning The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, including The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom and Kirby's Tears and Forgotten Land, will also be $80. Games with AAA Prices rose from $60 to $70, but remained firm in recent memoryfans are now worried that more and more games will start to grow, and More Expensive.
So what will happen in the future? Is the $80 game normal for the new Nintendo?
As usual, we went to ourselves, but to some expert analysts tell us what they thought would happen.
New Nintendo is normal
Professor Stern of New York University Super Joost playlist, Joost van Dreunen believes Nintendo uses Mario Kart World as a “test case for advanced pricing” and will evaluate consumer responses before it is applied more widely. Spoiler: The response so far is not greatBut, emotion is different from sales, Nintendo may measure success by the actual sales of the Mario Kart world.
“If the $80 price point succeeds, Nintendo may have the option to expand it to its most valuable franchise instead of standardizing it in its first-party lineup. Franchises that may prove reasonable in premium pricing include:
- The Legend of Zelda – Given the prestige of the series and the vast scope these games usually offer, the next mainline entry after the Kingdom's Tears might order $80.
- New 3D Mario Adventures – For the main release of Nintendo Super Mario Odyssey, it can be positioned as a premium product.
- Super Smash Bros. – Thanks to its extensive lineup and competitive staying power, the next part of the series will be a strong candidate for premium pricing.
“Games that may not prove reasonable in premium prices include smaller entries, remakes and more niche-attractive series. Nintendo may maintain a layered pricing strategy with its Tent Spiral franchise of $80, an interim release of $60-70, and a smaller title at the traditional price point.”
Rhys Elliott, a gaming analyst at Alinea Analytics, has a similar view Top 10 Best Selling Nintendo Switch Games As a guide, we may see a price tag of $80 in the future. “I can see Nintendo priced Mainline Pokémon games, Mainline Zelda Games, and the inevitable upcoming 3D Mario and Animal Crossing Games for $80 (but there is still a $70 figure).
OMDIA analyst James McWhirter added a suggested hypothetical splatoon 4 to the list of possibilities, and another idea for future monetization:
“For titles that don’t adopt the $80 benchmark price, Nintendo could be more inclined to alternative forms of monetization, including monetization that has not been used so far, such as paying for paid early access to a higher value version of its game.”
Big theft, huge price?
Covered by Nintendo, but what about other games? Earlier this year We specifically introduced a series of speculations: Big Theft Automatic 6. At the time, we were responding to rumors and discussions that Take-Two might set the sequel to over $200 million, and sell for $80, $90, or even $100. Analysts think this is unlikely, but what about now? Will Grand Theft Auto 6 cost $80…and even more?
Newzoo's market analyst Tiago Reis is certainly the case. “To be sure. Highly anticipated big hits (e.g., GTA 6, New Cod) can escape it due to the franchise’s endorsement. Most people won’t stop buying these games because they are expensive $10. If consumers are willing to wait, they can get it at a discount for a few months after the release, but these companies have raised prices from the highest value/price.
Lauren Universe, a colleague at Newzoo's customer service manager, added: “Frankly, I want Base GTA at least $80, multiple options (such as CIV 7) with multiple options (such as CIV 7), which include extensions, DLC and “early access.”
Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, agreed, even expanding the interest of who might be interested in raising prices is more than just two people. “I do believe that companies like Microsoft or Sony may feel encouraged to raise prices now. If Take-Two thinks about itself now, you’d be shocked: ‘If Nintendo could charge $80 for Mario Kart games, we could do the same for GTA 6, then thousands of champions have been working for 12 years?”
Newzoo market analyst Nuno Domingues Marques also proposed the price increase for Sony and Microsoft. “I’m not sure if Sony/Xbox will wait for the next generation to push, or if they’ll adjust the post-switch release, but of course, that seems like the way forward. Once third-party publishers think it’s reasonable, it’s likely to be as soon as possible. Not all exclusive games will cost $80, and I think I think prices are low in the likes of Ratchet & Clanket and other smaller Niche niche nichee’s.
But Elliott delayed the idea that the Mario Kart world could have opened up a more expensive floodgate. He noted that at least in the UK and Europe (the price difference in the US remains unproven), Nintendo charges more than the digital Mario Kart world to push more consumers to the digital version. But he suspects that because the other two console platforms are more digital than Nintendo (he discussed this in more detail in other articles on the Switch 2 price), it will be a tougher sale for other publishers.
“While I believe the GTA 6 may cost more than $70, I insist that it is a bad idea.
“(two,) rock stars need to move players from GTA 5, and higher conversion costs will limit the acquisition of GTA 5 to GTA 6 players. Players who don't start from GTA 5 are probably one of the biggest threats to GTA 6, one of the biggest threats to GTA 6, and one of the biggest threats to GTA, a GTA doesn't really face. Tiktok, Netflix, and even its predecessor.
“(Three, Rockstar can easily charge $100 or more for the GTA 6 version and with an early access for a week, maybe thrown into the Shark Card. Players with disposable income will pay for you. These are two of the best in the world for Take Take-Two. It's almost the standard for AAA games.”
Elliott concluded that even with all this in mind, the GTA 6 still has a better chance than any other game. So ultimately, the pricing question for GTA 6 is still impossible to answer until Take-Two finally announced this.
Living in an interesting era
I will end up with a hope, though, which I got from Mat Piscatella, Circana analysts and several Newzoo analysts. These people told me that while we may continue to see games become more expensive (as Piscatella points out, it has been around for some time through collector versions and similar versions), we may also see them become cheaper in some ways.
“Other Nintendo games will certainly follow suit,” said Brett Hunt, a market analyst at Newzoo. “But it can open the door to Nintendo's tweaked discount strategy for Switch 2.”
Max agreed. “Perhaps we'll see a larger price window, as can be seen in the Donkey Games. Create space for multiple games of different sizes; games with a price of $49.99, $59.99, etc., with unique content depth and breadth expectations. I agree, I agree with the new discount strategy that might come from Nintendo.”
As Piscatella says, Nintendo may not be the only company that believes it is necessary to break with a $70 convention rather than just one way. “We can certainly see other publishers trying to build higher base prices for some of their new games. However, we can also see bigger price promotions and discounts.
“Due to all the uncertainty in the market, we all have to figure out what both publishers and consumers have to figure out what’s next. After all, these are interesting times.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior journalist at IGN. You can find her post on bluesky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Is there a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
