As Nintendo clarifies that Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers will not be eligible for games exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, some fans are getting worried about a potential price hike for Switch 2 games. Long speculated about and recently revealed, the Switch 2 is due for a more comprehensive Nintendo Direct on April 2, which will reveal further details regarding the console, potentially including its price, release date, and what games to expect on the platform. Ahead of that presentation, however, a few updates and announcements from Nintendo have sparked concerns over monetization.

As spotted by @videogamedeals on X, the FAQ for Switch Game Vouchers on the official Nintendo Customer website has been updated to clarify that "Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers cannot be redeemed for games exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 system." The vouchers, which can exclusively be purchased by Nintendo Switch Online subscribers at the cost of $99.98 USD for every two vouchers, could be used to redeem games from a curated selection of titles available for the Switch, including full-price Nintendo offerings like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Nintendo Switch Game Voucher Update Has Fans Worried About Switch 2 Game Pricing

Nintendo Is Cutting Down On Money-Saving Methods For The Switch 2, And Fans Are Worried

The updated FAQ, along with the announcement by Nintendo that My Nintendo Gold Points will be discontinued on March 24, has some fans worried that Nintendo may be preparing to monetize Switch 2 games more aggressively, with s like @CrazySloth56 on X calling out the possibility for $70 Switch 2 games to become the norm. Notably, Nintendo was relatively late in adopting the $70 standard price tag and has so far only used it for Tears of the Kingdom, which was released years after other $70 games like the Demon's Souls remaster on PS5.

Notably, however, Tears of the Kingdom being a voucher-redeemable game meant that using a voucher on it was even more valuable - whereas using a set of vouchers to get two $60 games would ordinarily save customers around $20 total, using a voucher on TOTK would technically save an additional $10 on top of that. While Nintendo has not officially announced any Switch 2 exclusives or their pricing, it might be the case that being able to use vouchers on Switch 2 games, if they are going to be $70, would provide more of a discount than Nintendo would want.

A $70 Price Tag Is Likely For Some Switch 2 Games, But Not All

Most Nintendo Exclusives Will (Probably) Remain At $60

Before any official announcements are made, however, there are still some reasons to doubt the possibility of a general price hike. To date, Tears of the Kingdom is still the only Switch-exclusive, Nintendo-published game with a standard price tag of $70, with games released afterward, like Echoes of Wisdom or Pikmin 4 costing $60. Additionally, Nintendo's update on vouchers could easily have no relationship to pricing plans on the part of Nintendo and is more likely intended to ensure that Switch 2 launch titles sell for their full price.

Notably, Switch Game Vouchers were only introduced in 2019, two years after the Switch's initial release, so a similar system for the Switch 2, or a change to allow vouchers to be redeemed on Switch 2 games, could be implemented later down the line.

However, something else to note is the extremely exclusive, "walled garden" nature of Nintendo games, which already leads to practices like light discounts and practically nonexistent price drops. Nintendo games are typically only ever available on Nintendo platforms, so the company would be well-positioned to make a general price hike to $70 and still retain the majority of customers. The more likely approach, however, is that Nintendo will save the $70 price tag for its "big" titles, like the next Smash Bros. or open-world Zelda on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Sources: @videogamedeals/X, Nintendo Customer , Nintendo, @CrazySloth56/X