{"id":1935154,"date":"2026-05-14T16:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1935154"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:11:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:11:36","slug":"nintendo-explains-why-it-raised-the-price-of-switch-2-and-says-the-issues-responsible-could-have-an-impact-not-only-this-year-but-next-year-as-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1935154","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo explains why it raised the price of Switch 2, and says the issues responsible &#8220;could have an impact not only this year but next year as well&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Nintendo explains why it raised the price of Switch 2, and says the issues responsible &#8220;could have an impact not only this year but next year as well&#8221;<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;The profitability of our hardware would suffer significantly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Switch-2-console-docked-with-an-image-of-Wario-holding-a-stack-of-coins-to-the-left.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Switch 2 console docked with an image of Wario holding a stack of coins to the left\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Switch-2-console-docked-with-an-image-of-Wario-holding-a-stack-of-coins-to-the-left.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Nintendo\/Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-14T16:11:36+00:00\">May 14, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-explains-switch-2-price-rise?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          1 comment<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"44d09ea0-9809-44fa-bc67-e4a736f41f13\" data-name=\"Fire Emblem: Fortuneu0027s Weave\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Fire Emblem: Fortuneu0026#39;s Weave\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Fire Emblem: Fortuneu0026#39;s Weave\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Fire Emblem: Fortuneu0027s Weave\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Fire Emblem: Fortuneu0027s Weave\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave\" title=\"Follow Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave\"><br \/>\n  Follow Fire Emblem: Fortune&#8217;s Weave<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Nintendo has offered a more detailed explanation about why it raised the price of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a>, revealing that, unfortunately, it doesn&#8217;t expect the inflated price of computer memory and components to fall any time soon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If the increase in costs were seen as something temporary that would subside relatively soon, then we could have pursued other options, such as working to improve productivity and expand the installed base while maintaining hardware prices,&#8221; said Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in an earnings call that followed the recent full-year results (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.co.jp\/ir\/pdf\/2026\/260511e.pdf\">transcript translated by Nintendo<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, the recent surge in memory and other component prices, and the changes in the market environment, including trends in the foreign exchange market and the price of oil, are all factors that we anticipate will continue over the medium to long term. As a result, we felt that the profitability of our hardware would suffer significantly if we maintained our existing pricing, potentially impacting our business operations over this timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For the sustained growth of our dedicated video game platform business, it is important to maintain a healthy earnings structure for our overall business. For this reason, we made the difficult decision to reflect a portion of our costs in the selling price.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Star Fox \u2013 Prologue \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VPdobtLUa2Y?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/VPdobtLUa2Y\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Star Fox \u2013 Prologue \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>The newly announced Star Fox remake for Switch 2. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VPdobtLUa2Y\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nintendo announced in its full-year earnings results that it would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-price-increase-may-2025\">raising the price of Nintendo Switch 2<\/a> from \u20ac470 to \u20ac500 in Europe ($450 to $500 in the US) effective 1st September. Prices in the UK are determined by retailers, hence the lack of a local price, so we&#8217;ll have to wait and see what they settle at here.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Switch 2 is the last of the currently available consoles to undergo a price hike. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S\/X have risen in price more than once during this generation, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-announces-major-price-hikes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-portal\">the base PS5 leaping to \u00a3570\/\u20ac650\/$650 at the end of March<\/a>. This is the first console generation, as far as I&#8217;m aware, where the base consoles have seen a price increase after release, rather than being lowered. This is a contributing factor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/the-role-of-the-console-is-shifting-are-rising-prices-the-end-for-games-consoles-as-we-know-them\">expert observers believing the role of consoles in gaming is shifting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo&#8217;s Switch 2, which was released in June 2025 ahead of the major eruption in memory prices &#8211; driven in part by the insatiable hunger of gen-AI computing needs &#8211; had until this point remained resilient against the current cocktail of challenging economic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>But perhaps Nintendo held off making any pricing changes to ensure Switch 2 recorded a solid first year in terms of sales. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-sales-forecast-fy2027\">Switch 2 did have a strong first year, finishing just shy of 20m units sold<\/a> (as of the end of March 2026). Nintendo lowered its expectations for year two to 16.5m units.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will not discuss the specifics of how this price revision could impact Nintendo Switch 2 sales,&#8221; Furukawa went on to say, &#8220;but we recognise that this raises the barrier for entry to a certain extent for people deciding whether to make a purchase.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote\"><p><em>&#8220;That being said, the most important thing in our dedicated video game platform business is to offer engaging fun that is worth more than the price&#8221; -Shuntaro Furukawa<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;That being said, the most important thing in our dedicated video game platform business is to offer engaging fun that is worth more than the price. Going forward, Nintendo and other software publishers plan to release a variety of titles, and we aim to expand the installed base by conveying that these titles offer new experiences unique to Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While uncertainties remain regarding future trends in component prices, we recognise that they could have an impact not only this year but next year as well. As for what comes after that, we will make necessary preparations to ensure that we can respond flexibly to whatever situation arises.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo has had success this year with Pok\u00e9mon spin-off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/pokemon-pokopia\">Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia<\/a>, and more recently with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/tomodachi-life\">Tomodachi Life<\/a>: Living the Dream, which is the most entertainingly bizarre game to hear people talk about, given how you can name and style your island inhabitants based on famous figures. But what lies ahead?<\/p>\n<p>Notably, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/a-remake-of-star-fox-64-is-coming-to-switch-2-this-june\">Nintendo just announced it was remaking aerial combat game Star Fox 64 for Switch 2<\/a>, and it will be released in June. Nintendo also has a single-player <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/splatoon\">Splatoon<\/a> spin-off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/splatoon-raiders-summer-switch-2-release-date-deep-cut-amiibo\">Splatoon Raiders releasing this summer<\/a>. Beyond that, there&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fromsoftwares-the-duskbloods-is-bloodborne-meets-sekiro-meets-dark-souls-with-jetpacks-and-dinos-thrown-in\">FromSoftware&#8217;s The Duskbloods<\/a>, which is still planned for this year, though we haven&#8217;t heard much about it in a while. And there&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pokemon-winds-and-waves-everything-we-know-so-far\">a new mainline Pok\u00e9mon game, Wind and Waves<\/a>, but it&#8217;s not out until 2027. What of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-reveals-new-fire-emblem-game-coming-to-switch-2\">the new Fire Emblem game Fortune&#8217;s Weave<\/a>, supposedly due this year, and what of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/all-new-star-fox-and-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-reportedly-set-for-switch-2-release-this-year\">the rumoured Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake<\/a>? We know little, but should they materialise, it could be a strong year indeed.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Nintendo has offered a more detailed explanation about why it raised the price of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a>, revealing that, unfortunately, it doesn&#8217;t expect the inflated price of computer memory and components to fall any time soon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If the increase in costs were seen as something temporary that would subside relatively soon, then we could have pursued other options, such as working to improve productivity and expand the installed base while maintaining hardware prices,&#8221; said Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in an earnings call that followed the recent full-year results (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.co.jp\/ir\/pdf\/2026\/260511e.pdf\">transcript translated by Nintendo<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, the recent surge in memory and other component prices, and the changes in the market environment, including trends in the foreign exchange market and the price of oil, are all factors that we anticipate will continue over the medium to long term. As a result, we felt that the profitability of our hardware would suffer significantly if we maintained our existing pricing, potentially impacting our business operations over this timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For the sustained growth of our dedicated video game platform business, it is important to maintain a healthy earnings structure for our overall business. For this reason, we made the difficult decision to reflect a portion of our costs in the selling price.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Star Fox \u2013 Prologue \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VPdobtLUa2Y?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/VPdobtLUa2Y\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Star Fox \u2013 Prologue \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>The newly announced Star Fox remake for Switch 2. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VPdobtLUa2Y\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nintendo announced in its full-year earnings results that it would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-price-increase-may-2025\">raising the price of Nintendo Switch 2<\/a> from \u20ac470 to \u20ac500 in Europe ($450 to $500 in the US) effective 1st September. Prices in the UK are determined by retailers, hence the lack of a local price, so we&#8217;ll have to wait and see what they settle at here.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Switch 2 is the last of the currently available consoles to undergo a price hike. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S\/X have risen in price more than once during this generation, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-announces-major-price-hikes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-portal\">the base PS5 leaping to \u00a3570\/\u20ac650\/$650 at the end of March<\/a>. This is the first console generation, as far as I&#8217;m aware, where the base consoles have seen a price increase after release, rather than being lowered. This is a contributing factor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/the-role-of-the-console-is-shifting-are-rising-prices-the-end-for-games-consoles-as-we-know-them\">expert observers believing the role of consoles in gaming is shifting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo&#8217;s Switch 2, which was released in June 2025 ahead of the major eruption in memory prices &#8211; driven in part by the insatiable hunger of gen-AI computing needs &#8211; had until this point remained resilient against the current cocktail of challenging economic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>But perhaps Nintendo held off making any pricing changes to ensure Switch 2 recorded a solid first year in terms of sales. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-switch-2-sales-forecast-fy2027\">Switch 2 did have a strong first year, finishing just shy of 20m units sold<\/a> (as of the end of March 2026). Nintendo lowered its expectations for year two to 16.5m units.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will not discuss the specifics of how this price revision could impact Nintendo Switch 2 sales,&#8221; Furukawa went on to say, &#8220;but we recognise that this raises the barrier for entry to a certain extent for people deciding whether to make a purchase.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote\"><p><em>&#8220;That being said, the most important thing in our dedicated video game platform business is to offer engaging fun that is worth more than the price&#8221; -Shuntaro Furukawa<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;That being said, the most important thing in our dedicated video game platform business is to offer engaging fun that is worth more than the price. Going forward, Nintendo and other software publishers plan to release a variety of titles, and we aim to expand the installed base by conveying that these titles offer new experiences unique to Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While uncertainties remain regarding future trends in component prices, we recognise that they could have an impact not only this year but next year as well. As for what comes after that, we will make necessary preparations to ensure that we can respond flexibly to whatever situation arises.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo has had success this year with Pok\u00e9mon spin-off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/pokemon-pokopia\">Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia<\/a>, and more recently with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/tomodachi-life\">Tomodachi Life<\/a>: Living the Dream, which is the most entertainingly bizarre game to hear people talk about, given how you can name and style your island inhabitants based on famous figures. But what lies ahead?<\/p>\n<p>Notably, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/a-remake-of-star-fox-64-is-coming-to-switch-2-this-june\">Nintendo just announced it was remaking aerial combat game Star Fox 64 for Switch 2<\/a>, and it will be released in June. Nintendo also has a single-player <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/splatoon\">Splatoon<\/a> spin-off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/splatoon-raiders-summer-switch-2-release-date-deep-cut-amiibo\">Splatoon Raiders releasing this summer<\/a>. Beyond that, there&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fromsoftwares-the-duskbloods-is-bloodborne-meets-sekiro-meets-dark-souls-with-jetpacks-and-dinos-thrown-in\">FromSoftware&#8217;s The Duskbloods<\/a>, which is still planned for this year, though we haven&#8217;t heard much about it in a while. And there&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pokemon-winds-and-waves-everything-we-know-so-far\">a new mainline Pok\u00e9mon game, Wind and Waves<\/a>, but it&#8217;s not out until 2027. What of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nintendo-reveals-new-fire-emblem-game-coming-to-switch-2\">the new Fire Emblem game Fortune&#8217;s Weave<\/a>, supposedly due this year, and what of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/all-new-star-fox-and-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-reportedly-set-for-switch-2-release-this-year\">the rumoured Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake<\/a>? We know little, but should they materialise, it could be a strong year indeed.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Nintendo explains why it raised the price of Switch 2, and says the issues responsible &#8220;could have an impact not only this year but next year as well&#8221; &#8220;The profitability of our hardware would suffer significantly.&#8221; Image credit: Nintendo\/Eurogamer News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on May 14, 2026 1 comment Follow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1935154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1935154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1935154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1935154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1935154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1935154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}