Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will increase the price of PlayStation 5 consoles in various non-U.S. territories due to global economic conditions such as inflation. Microsoft then declared later that day that it will not be doing the same with the Xbox Series X/S. Now, Nintendo has chimed in on the matter.
In a statement to Eurogamer, Nintendo reiterates a quote from president Shuntaro Furukawa, made in June, in which he stated the company has ”no plans to increase the trade price of its hardware.” Furukawa made this statement during the 82nd Annual General Meeting Shareholders that month, in which he also said:
“While we cannot comment on pricing strategies, we currently do not have any plans to change the price of our hardware due to inflation or increased procurement costs in each country. We will determine our future pricing strategies through careful and continued deliberations.”
Although the PlayStation 5’s price will remain unchanged in the U.S. (for now), both versions of the console have become more expensive in Canada, Europe, the UK, Mexico, Japan, and Australia. The price hikes have already gone into effect in those regions except Japan, which occurs on September 15.
The only time Nintendo significantly adjusted the price of its current consoles was last fall, when it permanently reduced the cost of the standard Switch model in the UK and Europe. Nintendo has yet to do the same in the U.S.
[Source: Eurogamer]