DK Bananza being day one for the Switch 2 would have gone a long way in Nintendo setting far better precedent in justifying price tags and solidifying Switch 2 vibe positive FOMO

After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response from both fans and critics alike, I’m positively dumb founded by Nintendo’s missed opportunity in controlling the narrative by not having DK Bananza be day one for the Switch 2 launch.

To some, the difference of a month and some change in launching DK may seem like a hair splitting distinction, but as someone who skipped out on the launch of the Switch 2 due to my dubiousness involving MK World’s overall quality, and feeling underwhelmed by the press and word of mouth in following the title after launch, the kind of fervor and excitement that has accompanied DK Bananza is *exactly* the kind of energy I was expecting from Nintendo in making sure the Switch 2 launch wowed gamers the world over.

I just feel like their strategy with the launch, controlling the narrative by having DK Bananza be *the* launch game everyone would be excited about day one, would have helped to immediately legitimize why people absolutely need a Switch 2, and helping to justify not only what is seen as too high a price tag for the system, but also in tempering the raging flames surrounding the $80 price tags games are coming with these days. Which is another extremely odd point of contention involving hair splitting, as many people adamantly complained about the eighty dollar price point for MK World, but then DK comes out and is only $70, it makes one kind of do a double take. The ten dollars seems like such a dry difference, but it’s one more point I feel like worth addressing, that the majority would have likely been happy paying the difference with DK Bananza, whereas with MKW, they felt as if shortchanged on some level in terms of quality, or that it wasn’t the proof of existence in justifying the higher price tag. The inconsistency is mixed messaging in a confusing delivery process of terms of justifying quality and content is doing Nintendo no favors, and does little beyond muddying the waters needlessly in the conversation around rising coats of video games.

This may all seem like semantic on some level, but on another, I contend controlling the narrative around your brand, the idea of new hardware, vying against a shifting retail environment, helping to reset the standard for a medium you helped to solidify, all go a long way in terms of messaging, brand recognition, consumer loyalty, generating FOMO, authentically passing a vibe check, top to bottom, you name it, timing is everything, and that delivery process is key in being seen by consumers as worthy in their eyes. I feel as if Nintendo could have done themselves a huge favor by skipping a somewhat more middling luke warm presence online with just the launch of MK World with the launch of the Switch 2, and just came barreling out of the gate with DK Bananza, in reassuring gamers and consumers the gaming world over that the Switch 2 is what you need, and just smashing expectation with an overwhelmingly positive word of mouth that would have come along with it. Just a confusing strategy all around, and what comes off as a missed opportunity in Nintendo controlling the narrative around their own brand, and the gaming zeitgeist at large.

Just my two cents.

-Pashford