Following the start of Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in North America and Latin America, it has been confirmed that Nintendo’s first-party games will cost the same, regardless of whether they’re released physically or digitally. This is clearly different from Nintendo’s pricing strategy in Europe, Japan, and Asia.

While Mario Kart World is priced at USD79.99 (before sales tax) both physically and digitally in the United States, the game costs 9,980 yen and 8,980 yen (after sales tax) for the physical and digital versions respectively in Japan, and there is a EUR10 difference between the physical and digital versions in EU countries.

At first glance, this one-tier pricing strategy may seem unfair to customers in the Americas, but things aren’t so straightforward. Once we compare the price increase between the physical and digital versions of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart World, you will come to realize that customers in North America are paying less for first-party physical releases than other countries.

For instance, customers in Japan and the European Union are paying at least 50% more for a physical copy of the game, whereas customers in the United States are only paying 33.3% more.

Here is a pricing breakdown by region:

United States

Mario Kart World

• Physical: USD79.99
• Digital: USD79.99

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Physical: USD59.99
• Digital: USD59.99

Price increase between both games

• Physical: USD20 (33.3% increase)
• Digital: USD20 (33.3% increase)

Japan

Mario Kart World

• Physical: 9,980 yen
• Digital: 8,890 yen

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Physical: 6,578 yen
• Digital: 6,578 yen

Price increase between both games

• Physical: 3,402 yen (51.7% increase)
• Digital: 2,312 yen (35.1% increase)

European Union

Mario Kart World

• Physical: EUR89,99
• Digital: EUR79,99

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Physical: EUR59,99
• Digital: EUR59,99

Price increase between both games

• Physical: EUR30,00 (50% increase)
• Digital: EUR20,00 (33.3% increase)

That being said, if we were to factor in exchange rates, a physical copy of the game costs less in Japan (USD69) than the US (USD79.99), but keep in mind that this doesn’t take into account market conditions in Japan, where Japanese customers have far lower salaries than their American counterparts.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.