Nintendo has finally spoken out regarding its controversial decision to charge for Welcome Tour, a game designed as a kind of tutorial for the Nintendo Switch 2. While the initial reveal of Welcome Tour was received well by players, with many comparing it to the PlayStation 5's Astro's Playroom or the Steam Deck's Aperture Desk Job, the community was stunned to discover that it would not be included as a free game with every Switch 2. With many accusing Nintendo of greedy pricing, the company shared why it feels Welcome Tour is worth its price tag.
Speaking to IGN, Bill Trinen, Vice President of Player & Product Experience of Nintendo of America, described Welcome Tour as "a pretty robust piece of software," noting that the company thought the $9.99 price was justified due to the value players will get out of the experience:
For some people, I think there are people who are particularly interested in the tech and the specs of the system and things like that, for them I think it's going to be a great product. It's really for people that want more information about the system rather than necessarily a quick intro to everything it does....
