Mario Day Continues to Highlight the Most Disappointing About Nintendo

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As a huge Nintendo fan, I always get excited when March 10th rolls around – it’s Mario Day! Seriously, Mario is one of the most famous video game characters ever. Games like Super Mario Bros, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Odyssey have really shaped gaming as we know it for years and years. For me, and I think a lot of longtime fans, Mario Day brings back awesome memories of being a kid, spending hours jumping around the Mushroom Kingdom and finding hidden blocks. But lately, I’ve started to associate the day with something else about Nintendo too…

While Mario Day is a celebration of Nintendo’s history, it also points out how poorly the company handles sales and rewards its fans. Discounts on this day are usually very small, with the biggest ones topping out around 33%. Considering many of the games on sale are several years old, or simply re-releases from older consoles, it’s a letdown. Other game companies often offer discounts of 50% or more, which makes Nintendo seem unusually reluctant to offer significant sales this generation.

Nintendo Games “Hold” Their Value

Nintendo justifies its game prices by pointing out that its titles tend to stay valuable for years. This is often true – games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and Super Mario Odyssey are still incredibly popular and continue to sell millions of copies long after they first came out, even late in the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan.

The current approach is clearly successful. Nintendo’s financial results show that popular, long-lasting games continue to generate sales for years after they’re first released. For example, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which came out on Switch in 2017, is now one of the best-selling games ever. Because fans are willing to pay full price, Nintendo doesn’t feel the need to offer discounts or permanent price cuts like they used to with their Nintendo Selects line.

While maintaining a game’s value is understandable, Nintendo often avoids price reductions, even years after release. Many Switch games from 2017 still sell for almost their original price, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a prime example. Surprisingly, the upcoming Switch 2 version of the game will cost $10 more, despite lacking the downloadable content and with a direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, already available.

Unlike most game publishers who eventually lower prices to gain new customers, Nintendo rarely discounts its own games, even after they’ve been available for a long time. This makes me less interested in buying Nintendo games on sale, as I tend to look for deals on platforms like PlayStation 5 and Steam instead. While Nintendo consistently creates high-quality games, I don’t think any single game is worth keeping such a high price tag over time.

Nintendo Game Sales Are a Joke

Nintendo’s sales often don’t measure up to those offered by its competitors. PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam consistently have more impressive deals. Even special events like Mario Day don’t feature particularly good discounts. Throughout the year, Sony and Microsoft generally offer better sales, especially on their own games.

The Nintendo Switch seems to have made the issue of underwhelming sales even more noticeable. While the Nintendo eShop often has promotions, first-party games typically aren’t discounted by more than 30%. This doesn’t seem bad on the surface, but other game companies frequently offer much larger discounts – 50% or more – on their popular games after they’ve been out for a while. Because of this, Nintendo’s sales events rarely feel very exciting. It often feels like the same few games are on sale with the same small discounts every time you check the store.

I’ve found it hard to get enthusiastic about buying Nintendo games digitally unless I really want them right when they’re released. Waiting for sales usually doesn’t result in significant savings – I’ve realized the discounts are often small, even after a long time. This takes away the excitement of a big gaming sale. That’s why I rarely buy Nintendo games digitally, and only do so for games I’m genuinely interested in.

Mario Day Discounts Don’t Feel Like a Celebration

March 10th, or Mario Day, feels like a missed opportunity for Nintendo. Considering Mario’s iconic status and long history with the company, fans expect a bigger celebration with significant sales. However, the annual sale consistently underwhelms. While a few Mario games like Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe might see discounts, newer titles like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and even Super Mario Wonder, recently enhanced for the new Switch console, are often excluded. It’s the same limited selection of games on sale every year.

It’s tough to feel enthusiastic about Nintendo’s biggest promotional day when their discounts seem so limited. I don’t expect huge price cuts on every game, but they could at least offer a wider selection of games on sale, and at better prices than their typical year-round sales. Interestingly, some of the deals for Mario Day aren’t even on Nintendo-made games – for example, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has the biggest discount, at 90% off.

Mario Day actually points out a recurring problem with Nintendo. While they create fantastic games and characters everyone loves, their approach to sales and online services feels outdated. It’s frustrating that games released back in 2017 rarely go on sale for significant discounts, and the yearly celebration ends up feeling less like a fun event and more like a reminder that Nintendo isn’t willing to adapt. They could likely sell even more games if they offered better deals, but it doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon.

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2026-03-10 16:11