Nostalgia can be expensive, and Nintendo just reminded everyone of that with its upcoming Kirby Air Riders remake for Switch 2. The cult-favorite GameCube racer is finally making its comeback on November 20, 2025, but it arrives with a not-so-friendly twist. Kirby Air Riders will be released with a $70 price tag. Nintendo sticking such a premium label on a Kirby racer feels like a bigger statement than the game itself.
For context, first-party Nintendo games used to be the holdout against $70 price creep. The Switch launched with staples like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Splatoon 2 at $59.99, with that ceiling holding for years. Then Tears of the Kingdom cracked the dam with a $69.99 launch in 2023, but many convinced themselves it was a ‘special case.’ All things considered, it was the sequel to the Game of the Year of 2017.
But is Nintendo really bold enough to slap that special price for a remake — of a spin-off? Well, Kirby’s air-riding antics are here to prove that yes, they absolutely are.
Reaction online to Kirby Air Riders‘ price has been split down the middle. Some players are furious, calling $70 ‘nasty’ for what’s essentially a remake of a 2003 cult classic.
“70 dollars a Kirby game is nasty work,” fumed @Gametrailzers on X.
“It’s been fun $50 hopers, but time to pack it in,” CuttlefishMonarch waved the white flag on Reddit.
Others are surprisingly chill, arguing that Nintendo’s games are always worth the cost.
“OK GOOD, Kirby Air Riders is confirmed to be $70 USD. I’m good with that!” cheered @HMKilla on X.
“I feel like $60 would be more appropriate but…” Rawkhawkjayhawk was hesitant, but they caved in in the end. “Wheatever. Take my money.”
Still, the real debate isn’t whether Kirby Air Riders‘ price is worth it; after all, longtime fans have begged for this revival for decades. But it’s about what this pricing means going forward.
Sure, other publishers already normalized the $70 tag years ago. PlayStation did it with The Last of Us Part I, Xbox with Starfield, and 2K even pushed NBA 2K24 into the $70 range with aggressive microtransactions stacked on top. But Nintendo has carried the reputation of being the ‘cheaper’ alternative. If it’s comfortable selling a remake at $70, what’s stopping it from pushing Metroid Prime 4 and Pokémon Z-A there? Or even beyond, just like Mario Kart World?
It’s not surprising since Nintendo knows its brand power is bulletproof, especially with the Switch 2 proving to be a sales juggernaut. The $80 Mario Kart World, despite players’ complaints, has also sold an astonishing 5.63 million copies.
People who skipped the original Air Riders will cave, and die-hard Kirby fans will shrug at the price and pay anyway. But with every $70-$80 release, Nintendo edges further away from the value-first, fun-for-all image that once separated it from its rivals.
