With the release of the Nintendo Switch, the company is consistently looking for opportunities to build value in the new system. One of the ways they have done that is by relaunching titles on the new system. [easyazon_link identifier=”B01N1037CV” locale=”US” tag=”masterherald-20″]Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[/easyazon_link] is one of the best examples of this.

The original Mario Kart 8 was released May 29, 2014 on the Wii U console with new features such as new battle mode and items. Being one of the most recognized titles in the world, fans obviously were into the new features Mario Kart 8 had to offer.

As the game gain popularity, Nintendo released multiple DLCs for the game. Each of this incorporated new and interesting content such as first-time crossover characters like Link from the ever popular franchise ‘The Legend of Zelda’ and both Isabelle and the Villager from the Animal Crossing series.

Recently Nintendo has come under scrutiny for certain aspects of their new console, the Nintendo Switch. A main concern that needed to be addressed was the lack of backwards compatibility that Nintendo fans expect from their beloved consoles.

In an interview with IGN, Nintendo president, Tatsumi Kimishima, said, the “Switch is not backward compatible with games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems. Support for certain controllers may be considered for a future update“. And, I don’t think Kimishima is lying here.

Nintendo has a great track record when it comes to enjoying older titles on their newer consoles. I may be speculating here, but I think that Nintendo had to focus on innovating their console to keep up with the other consoles being released.

Xbox and PlayStation are beginning to breach the Virtual Reality marketplace as well as combining entertainment features such as movies and television, with their consoles. Nintendo needed something and worked very hard to produce a hybrid home/mobile console. With all of that innovation they had to sacrifice some of the features that their fans have come to love.

Luckily for Nintendo, you do not get to be one of the most recognized gaming companies in the world without savvy business tactics. In a response to the criticisms of their new console Nintendo sought out innovative ways to build the value of their new product. Their solution? Relaunch popular titles with added value. Sure, the gameplay is the same, so there is no real incentive to buy the Switch console just to pick up the relaunched titles. But, that doesn’t change the fact that they succeeded in building value in the product.

The value added to buying Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Switch is that you get the original game with all of the DLC already installed!

Nobody would have blinking an eye if Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 as is. But they didn’t. They updated the graphics to fit with the processing capabilities of the Switch, and they included the downloadable content at no extra charge.

Fans should be ecstatic about this release. Especially considering that Nintendo’s competitors would not have done the same thing. Indeed, their competitors seem to punish their fans for not buying into popular titles the moment they come out. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever bought a game a year after its released and spent the majority of the first day you own the game downloading a huge update file. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Releases April 28, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch.