And you forgot to mention what I initially stated in the OP when I was comparing the digital prices, that point still stands.

In Europe Madden 26 and Mario Kart World both cost €80 digitally.

Right, but how many have been complaining about the €80 digital price for MKW? The outrageous part of the MKW pricing is the $80 price in the USA and the €90/£75 physical price in the EU/UK, both of which are higher than Madden.

$70/€80 digital games has been the industry standard for years now. MKW's digital price in the UK/EU isn't a big issue. That's just Nintendo catching up to the norm, it's the $80/€90/£75 pricing that is higher than any other standard game.

And as was said in any given case for Europeans looking for physical games. The MSRP over there are largely not even followed through by most retailers. People have pre ordered their copies for much less than the 80€/90€ starting price.

How many more days are we going to play this pretend-game that MKW is not available in a bundle, and that MKW will never ever be included in a bundle again after 2025, and that MKW will never be discounted on the eShop, and that European retailers will never dare to undercut the MSRP for physical games?

The outrage isn't coming from the people who intend to buy a Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, because anyone who wants these two things has long recognized that there's a bundle available where they'll actually pay less than they originally expected for a new Mario Kart game.

How many times does it have to be said that an optional bundle doesn't magically make them charging $80 for it not in a bundle ok? Just because there's a way to avoid bullshit doesn't stop bullshit being bullshit.

I will be playing MKW on June 5th.

It's like walking alone along a street that is six meters wide and coming across one single pile of dogshit. In theory you could step into the pile, but it's much more likely that you are attentive enough to simply walk around it. Yes, there's still dogshit on the street; you are right about that. But when it's so easy to avoid it, it's not going to be something you'll think about all day long for weeks to come.

I'd have sympathy for complaints if the same people pointed out at the same time how generous of Nintendo it is to bundle a game that is going to sell multi-tens of millions for the low cost of $50/€40 at a time when new games regularly cost $70/€70-80. But that isn't what is happening, hence why 99% of it is fake.

You haven't been on the Switch 2 hate train, so why do you bother sane-washing this behavior. Because of the principle that bullshit is still bullshit even when you can avoid it easily? There are actual problems that hardly get any attention, like lots of third parties choosing game-key cards instead of game cards.

Because you seem to have the belief that this is just going to end at Mario Kart. Which I believe is hopium. By the end of 2026 we'll get another $80 Nintendo title that won't be available in a bundle for a steep discount, and even if it was that'd be no use to the people that had already jumped on the Switch 2. I also expect the release of this first $80 game by Nintendo is going to spur other publishers to do the same. This ain't going to be a one off situation that will just be brushed aside by a bundle. MKW being $80 standalone is bad move for gamers. This is also ignoring that most Nintendo gamers want physical.

I don't expect it to end at MK, but the amount of Nintendo games that aim that high will be very limited. The next Zelda and the next Super Smash Bros., for example, because both of these IPs were already €70 on Switch 1.

I am just reminded of the baseless panic after TotK launched at $70 in the USA and claims ran wild that from that point onwards all Switch 1 games from Nintendo would cost $70. But none of them did. You refer to this as hopium, but to me it's just an honest analysis of the past.

Other publishers try to rip off gamers much more than Nintendo ever did, so their actions won't be influenced by Nintendo. Although I do expect one or the other publisher to attempt to use Nintendo as a scapegoat, because it has always been easy to put the blame on Nintendo and have it gain traction on the internet.

Physical games tend to be cheaper than their digital counterparts, so I don't think that Nintendo gamers who want physical will really suffer here. The much bigger problem when it comes to physical is the refusal of most third parties to release physical versions.

I said this in another thread but, if key cards are the majority of third party games, I will not be buying a Switch 2 no matter what. I just can't. I refuse.

Can't you buy it simply for first party games like many people have already done. The library for first party only titles is likely to be sizeable anyway, just like the Switch and there's likely to be more 3rd party games available on full physical carts in a few years after the generation started most likely.