The pricing for upgrading games from the original Switch to Switch 2 Editions will differ across regions, particularly in the U.K. and Europe. Official listings on Nintendo’s websites for the U.K. and Ireland reveal that the upgrades for Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby and the Forgotten Land are set at double the price of the upgrades for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
In the U.K., upgrading to the Mario Party and Kirby editions will cost £16.99, compared to £7.99 for the Zelda upgrades. Similarly, in Ireland, the prices are €19.99 for the Mario Party and Kirby upgrades versus €9.99 for the Zelda games. In the U.S., the Zelda upgrades are priced at $9.99 and are included as part of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.
Polygon has reached out to Nintendo of America for verification of the U.S. pricing for Switch 2 Editions of these titles, and we will update this article once we receive a response.
This pricing strategy from Nintendo seems destined to lead to some confusion. One possible explanation for the higher costs of the Mario Party and Kirby upgrades might be their substantial new content.
As their lengthy titles hint, both games introduce significant new features in their Switch 2 versions. The Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV includes a brand new play mode, while Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World adds a new storyline and additional levels. In contrast, the updates for the Zelda games simply enhance graphics and include features from the Zelda Notes companion app.
It seems likely that Nintendo views these upgrades as offering more substantial content and thus assigns them a higher price. What are your thoughts on this?
