Former Nintendo President Reggie Explains Why Nintendo Games Rarely Go On Sale
Recently, former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé gave a speech at New York University, discussing his views on Nintendo's controversial pricing strategy.
Reggie used Kyoto as an example, pointing out that the city is known for its exquisite craftsmanship, and Nintendo also adheres to a similar philosophy, focusing on creating high-quality finished products rather than releasing unfinished products and gradually patching them up. He stated that many games today rely on day-one patches to become “complete,” and while Nintendo occasionally does this, they generally do not agree with the practice.
Reggie continued: “Sometimes, the consumer will push back on that. We don’t go on sale with our games. *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* has never been discounted since the day it launched. Never. Occasionally, retailers will do something, but the company has never taken a price reduction. That’s part of our process. We’re going to do our best to make it the best, to make sure the game is fully featured, and we’re going to charge a price that we believe is fair, and that price is not going to change.”
He then added: “I think in modern society, you have to start thinking about things in a different way. Especially in the marketplace, you need to really think hard about the product or service you’re offering, what is a fair price, and then build from there, rather than being tethered to a specific price point.”