Among the franchises Nintendo has made, Mario Kart is the most popular Nintendo game many people still play today. To this day, Mario Kart Wii is a favorite game for most Mario fans.
If you wanted to get Mario Kart Wii, you might have wondered why Mario Kart Wii is so expensive. I did some digging, and here is what I found!
Why Is Mario Kart Wii So Expensive?
Mario Kart Wii is expensive because Nintendo stopped creating Wii games in 2013, meaning there are limited copies of Mario Kart Wii. Plus, Nintendo believes that its products don’t lose value, so most Nintendo games stay expensive. Also, resellers often make Mario Kart Wii expensive since fans are willing to pay for it.
Do you want to learn more about what impacts the cost of Mario Kart Wii? I compiled a list of factors below, so read on!
1. No Longer In Production
Generally, the main reason why Mario Kart Wii games are expensive is that the Nintendo Wii was discontinued in 2013.
That said, Mario Kart Wii was only released in 2008, which means that Mario Kart Wii games were only being manufactured and sold for a few years.
Therefore, there is only a limited supply of physical copies of Mario Kart Wii available today, making the games rarer.
Whenever an item is considered rare, the price will go up since the item will have more perceived value.
So, anyone who sells a copy of Mario Kart Wii would have likely had a very old copy, making Mario Kart Wii a rare commodity.
2. High Demand
As of late, there has been a surge of love for older games, especially for games made by Nintendo like Mario Kart.
Typically, these games come from a resurgence of popularity, thanks to gaming streamers.
As such, the demand for Mario Kart Wii is high since Mario Kart is one of the more iconic games in the Mario franchise.
However, a low supply of Mario Kart Wii games is available since Nintendo stopped manufacturing copies in 2013.
Whenever a commodity like Mario Kart Wii is in high demand but there is a low supply, the price will rise.
Further, because there is not enough supply to meet the demand, anyone selling the supply can charge more for the products.
3. Nostalgia
Generally, nostalgia can be an excellent way to sell many products, including old games like Mario Kart Wii.
Typically, the way nostalgia “sells” is by reminding customers of happier memories from the past.
When the customer sees a memory attached to the product, the customer is more likely to buy it because the nostalgia will help the customer reconnect with themselves.
Therefore, anything seen as nostalgic can hold more value, meaning the product can be worth more money.
For example, Mario Kart Wii is considered an old game since the latest copy would have been sold in 2012 or 2013.
Thus, people with original copies of Mario Kart Wii can hike the selling price since people who want to feel nostalgic will buy it anyway.
4. Mario Kart Fans
Mario is one of the most popular game franchises since it amassed $22 billion in 2022 in estimated sales revenue.
Typically, Mario has been able to earn that much money since it has a huge fanbase that loves various Mario games.
Further, Mario Kart is one of the most famous games in the franchise, and many people still enjoy playing the older versions of Mario Kart.
Therefore, Mario Kart has a loyal fanbase that consistently purchases original copies of the game.
However, some Mario Kart fans that never tried older versions like Mario Kart Wii will need to find the older copies.
That said, loyal Mario Kart fans will pay for expensive copies of Mario Kart Wii whenever they can find it, especially since it is harder to find the game now.
5. Nintendo-Made Game
Usually, Nintendo games like Mario Kart Wii are more expensive than games made by other companies.
While Nintendo games are expensive for a variety of reasons, a notable reason is that Nintendo games are exclusive.
So, when you purchase a Nintendo game, you can only play the game on a Nintendo device.
On the other hand, games like NBA 2K can be played on a PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch since the game is not exclusive to Nintendo.
Additionally, the production costs of making Nintendo games are higher because Nintendo still uses cartridges or cards.
Generally, selling games on cartridges or cards will cost 60% more than selling the game on a CD, but Nintendo seems to enjoy the novelty of having games on cards and cartridges.
6. Retains Value
Another unique factor that makes games like Mario Kart Wii expensive even when they are old is that Nintendo believes that its games retain value.
As mentioned earlier, Nintendo knows that it is a unique game company since Nintendo games are exclusive to Nintendo.
Therefore, Nintendo does not have any direct competition, which allows Nintendo games to retain value over time.
7. Resellers
The main reason why old games like Mario Kart Wii are expensive is that resellers of the game decide the price.
Normally, resellers are aware of all the facts mentioned above, such as Mario Kart Wii is a rare game that many nostalgic fans want to buy.
Also, resellers know they have some monopoly over the market since resellers are the only way you can buy physical copies of Mario Kart Wii.
As such, resellers can charge much more than what the game would actually be worth since the resellers know someone will eventually buy the Mario Kart Wii game.
To know more, you can also read our posts on why Wii games are so expensive, why SNES games are so expensive, and why old Pokemon games are so expensive.
Conclusion
Mario Kart Wii is an old game that has not been manufactured since 2013, which is usually why physical copies of Mario Kart Wii are expensive.
Additionally, the value of Nintendo games do not diminish, and rarer and older games like Mario Kart Wii grow more in value as fans continue to play them.