The Switch 2 price will eventually rise, according to a former Nintendo sales lead

In an interview on the Kit & Krysta podcast, a former Nintendo employee known as “Sean” shared his thoughts on Sony raising PlayStation 5 prices and whether Nintendo might do the same.

According to Sean, Nintendo will likely try to avoid increasing the price of the upcoming Switch 2 for as long as possible. However, he believes a price hike is inevitable. He suggested that Nintendo’s move to lower digital game prices in the US could help soften consumer backlash if hardware prices rise.

He pointed to several global factors, including inflation, tariffs, AI-driven chip demand, and rising memory costs, as key pressures. Increasing oil prices are also affecting production and logistics costs. Additionally, helium shortages—crucial for semiconductor manufacturing—are contributing to higher hardware and cartridge production costs.

Sean added that Nintendo may offset declining hardware margins through merchandising revenue such as amiibo and licensed products. Still, he believes a Switch 2 price increase will eventually be unavoidable.

He emphasized that while Nintendo may delay the decision, external economic pressures are mounting, making a price rise more likely.

Earlier, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said the company is ensuring a stable RAM supply and has no current plans to raise prices due to memory costs. However, future decisions will depend on profitability, market conditions, platform adoption, and sales trends.