Amid the ongoing backlash to Nintendo’s shock pricing for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have described the situation as “a true crisis moment for Nintendo.”

Speaking in a video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang criticized Nintendo for the way it revealed the $449.99 price of the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price of Mario Kart World. “I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo,” Ellis remarked.

Mario Kart World isn't the only Nintendo Switch 2 game priced at $79.99. Some Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, also come with this higher price tag. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial video game experience, Welcome Tour, which fans believe should be a free pack-in, similar to Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5, which serves as a complimentary tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The discontent over pricing has even affected Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, where viewers have flooded the chat with messages demanding "DROP THE PRICE."

Ellis and Yang were particularly vocal about the way Nintendo disclosed the price of the Switch 2 and its games. They highlighted the absence of pricing information in the Direct itself as a "deliberate" omission that led to confusion and misinformation, as fans were forced to seek pricing details from various sources.

Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery

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Yang claimed that the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World pricing was “intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason,” but criticized the poor handling of the information, which left consumers piecing together details from different places.

Ellis added, “It just shows some disrespect to the consumer, where, ‘oh, you just saw the Direct you’re so excited, you’re just gonna throw your money at us blindly, you’re not going to even ask the question of how much it costs because you’re so excited, aren’t you?’”

Yang further stated, “It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer.”

The former NOA communications staff then discussed Nintendo’s failure to address the pricing concern through a public statement or in press interviews. This lack of communication, they noted, has led to rampant speculation and misinformation filling the void.

“They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control,” Yang said. “They have lost control of this,” Ellis added.

Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo may have lost its consumer mindfulness following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata.

Yang mentioned that Nintendo’s communications team will likely recommend the company release an official statement, but the approval process will be challenging, involving many people before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.

The pair also noted that Nintendo is out of practice in communicating with its community and press, having not dealt with such negativity since the Nintendo 3DS price debacle of 2011.

There is now concern for staff at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions, as fans may pose reasonable questions about pricing. Any response from staff could be misconstrued as Nintendo’s official stance and spread online.

What happens next remains uncertain, but neither Ellis nor Yang expect a price drop for the Switch 2 or its games before launch.

For more information, check out everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.