Reggie Fils-Aime Seemingly Weighs in on Switch 2 Controversy

Former Nintendo head Reggie Fils-Aime may have indirectly weighed in on one of the Switch 2’s many controversies during a recent social media thread. While many gamers are excited about the Switch 2’s launch on June 5, Nintendo’s latest mainline console has also generated a fair amount of backlash thanks to the surprisingly steep price tag of some of its launch titles. For example, Mario Kart World will cost $80 for a standalone digital copy and $90 for a physical one, although some fans might be able to offset this by picking up the limited-edition Switch 2 bundle.

Another Switch 2 launch title making headlines is Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a sort of tech demo that highlights the new console’s features in a similar vein to Astro’s Playroom. However, while Astro’s Playroom came packed in for free with the PlayStation 5, gamers who pick up the Nintendo Switch 2 will have to purchase Welcome Tour separately for $9.99 in the US. Nintendo has since rationalized this by claiming that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour will be “more than meets the eye,” though this has done little to quell the criticism that players have been expressing online.

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While former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime didn’t directly mention Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour or the controversy surrounding it in a new Twitter thread, he did share an interview where he reminisced on Wii Sports and Wii Play, pack-in titles for the Nintendo Wii and spare Wii remote controllers, respectively. Wii Sports in particular proved very successful during the Nintendo Wii’s lifespan, and can be credited with generating a great deal of interest in the console.

Reggie Fils-Aime Recalls Wii Pack-Ins

As mentioned before, Reggie Fils-Aime didn’t explicitly mention the Nintendo Switch 2 or the backlash over its launch title prices, but many Twitter users have taken note of the timing of his posts. Some have playfully speculated that Fils-Aime would have had Welcome Tour packed in for free with the Nintendo Switch 2 if he was still Nintendo of America president, but he himself has yet to respond to any of their comments.

Controversy over prices is just one of the issues surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 as it draws closer to its June 5 launch. Nintendo had recently delayed pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the United States and Canada due to the Trump Administration’s tariffs and has even postponed the release of the system in China to assess consumer demand in that region. While the tariffs have since been held back, only time will tell how they impact the cost and distribution of the Switch 2 going forward.