Just the other day, the eShop ended a great game sale, offering the chance to snag several top-tier titles at significantly lower prices than usual. But for those hoping to find a bargain on a Mario or Zelda game, the selection was rather meagre; true to form, Nintendo hadn't lowered any prices.
Now, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has commented on the matter in a Twitch interview with Joost Van Dreunen. In it, Fils-Aimé explains why we shouldn't hold our breath for any price cuts on Nintendo titles, noting that, among other things, there are historical reasons behind this (transcribed via Resetera):
"The Nintendo mentality is: we're shipping a game complete. It's ready to play. There's no, you know, day one update that's gonna take three hours. And so part of it is it's a different mentality. That is their thinking. I liken this, to this idea of Kyoto craftsmanship. So the company is headquartered in Kyoto. For those of you who are knowledgeable about Japanese history, the old emperor's capital, and a city known for its fine craftsmanship: linens, china, pottery, that is Kyoto. I'm convinced Nintendo as a company, has that same type of mentality."
He believes this mindset of perfectionism and the desire to deliver finished products of the highest quality permeates Nintendo's philosophy. They therefore set a price for the product, and that price stands because the product is worth the money:
"We are going to build the best games, we are going to send them out feature complete, and as a result, this is where sometimes customers push back: we don't discount our games. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild never received a price discount from the day it was launched. Never was discounted. Occasionally retailers might decide to do something, but the company never discounted. It's part of this process: we're gonna make it the best we can, we're gonna send it feature complete, and we're gonna charge a fair price and that price is never gonna change."
That Nintendo's titles consistently deliver a high level of quality, are released in a polished state, and are "feature complete" (as Fils-Aimé puts it) is, for all intents and purposes, an objective fact. But what do you think of Nintendo's pricing policy?