Mario of the Wild World.
Mario Kart World will be the largest title in the series when it releases for the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. Just how large it will be is up for debate.
To justify the $80 price tag the game would need to be massive. This is something Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, confirmed to IGN.
“I would say it's less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it's more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what's the content, and what's the value?” Trinen said. "But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover."[1]
I would consider the $80 price tag justified if this game is as large as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which fans estimate to be approximately 30 square miles.
Imagine driving around a map as large as Breath of the Wild in a kart! This would offer incredible value! Here's a video showcasing the scope of the various regions:
As you can see, a game with this much content will require a massive map to host all 32 courses, side missions, and various locations in between.
Sources:
- Wesley Yin-Poole. "Switch 2 Exclusive Mario Kart World Justifies Its $80 Price Tag, Nintendo Insists in First Comments Addressing Cost Controversy." ign.com. April 7, 2025. Retrieved. May 23, 2025.