Most people who have purchased a Nintendo Switch 2 likely did it through Nintendo’s signature pack-in bundle, which includes a copy of its chaotic racer, Mario Kart World. The bundle is a good deal that gets a prospective customer the portable console’s biggest game straight out of the box. But Nintendo is ceasing production of the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle effective immediately.
The announcement hails from video game retailer GameStop, which is urging fans to purchase the bundle while supplies last. A purported leaked internal memo from over the weekend, prior to GameStop’s announcement, alleged that future Switch 2 shipments will only comprise the base console.
Now, Nintendo itself has publicly confirmed that the Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle is going away. On Monday, the company said that the Switch 2 console with Mario Kart World included is now “available in limited quantities […] while supplies last.”
Nintendo had previously announced that the Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle would be available for sale through fall 2025, but the popular SKU has been readily available well beyond that.
It may take some time for consumers to see the effects of the cessation, as retailers still, as of this writing, have bundles in stock. But the move is a surprising one when you consider the finer details. The Switch 2 has been breaking sales records in large part due to the bundle, which has comprised most of all the sales for the console thus far. And over eight years after the release of the original Switch, people can still buy a version of the console that comes packed with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
So, why would Nintendo do something like this? The company did not respond to an immediate request for comment, but there are some plausible theories. Earlier this year, Nintendo’s valuation dropped by billions as investors expressed concern over the rising cost attached to the components powering the Switch 2. Under its current pricing, the Switch 2 will have slimmer margins for Nintendo — and the console apparently wasn’t making the company a ton of money to begin with. The cessation of the Mario Kart World bundle could be a way for Nintendo to offset increased hardware prices. Nintendo could also be planning to shift its focus over to other Switch 2 bundles, like the Pokémon Legends: Z-A one — though Nintendo may be ending production of that Pokémon bundle too. If most people are purchasing a Switch 2 for Mario Kart World to begin with, the lack of bundle pack-in likely won’t slow down sales of the game too much. There’s also always the possibility that we’re about to see a wider-scale shift in pricing, should Nintendo choose to offset the rising costs onto the consumer.
Whatever the case, if you’ve been holding off on pulling the gun on that Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle, now might be the time. Between this news and the holidays imminent, whatever stock retailers have left might be flying off the shelves soon enough.
