guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
It would be nice if someone could link the relevant posts instead of just name dropping him then
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Eurogamer : Why Nintendo Switch games are ending up more expensive
- Thread starter LFMartins86
- Start date
It would be nice if someone could link the relevant posts instead of just name dropping him then
Gamestop has no presence in the UK anymore, they just direct you to Ireland which is the same as ordering off Amazon France, you're still ordering from Europe at an extra cost
Johannsson
Member
Uhh... but Puyo Puyo Tetris is perfect game
All my 3DS games say made in Japan. All my Nintendo published Wii U games say made in Japan, third party games say assembled in Germany (bit unclear that one). All Switch games that I've seen say made in Japan.
Your information probably still holds mostly true.
Yes, but there's still potential for a lot of the stuff to be outdated (ie forced printers, forced shipping companies etc)
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
That's certainly true as well
I've come to expect Nintendo games to be overpriced I would of bought more wiiu games if they weren't overpriced in fact I think I only ended up buying pikmin and wonderful 101 due to pricing errors hopefully Nintendo can learn from Sony (who often have absurdly overpriced digital games) and offer discount on their store.
I can almost buy hand-waving Puyo Puyo Tetris as an outlier, but Has Been Heroes too? Seems like a pretty useless guideline on Nintendo's part if 2 of the first 9 games released for the Switch have some degree of price disparity on the basis of physical vs digital. Awful early to be breaking that rule not once but twice.
Everyone knows costs are lower on the digital side yet price is kept matched to physical to placate retailers. No one is arguing to the contrary as far as I can see. The issue is that this has long been considered a status quo upheld by publishers and not by some mandate handed down as part of the platform.
ToysAndMoreClub
Member
It's hard to tell if this is an issue or not. RiME because it is blatantly obvious they are charging more. With PuyoPuyo Tetris, it is hard to tell if they are charging more for physical because it is more expensive or because they are including other things like a keychain with it (making a glorified 'Special Edition' of the game). Also, PuyoPuyo Tetris digital game is the same price as the other versions.
Maybe this is a one-time deal with RiME and we are making it a bigger issue than it is. Maybe it is a foreshadowing of things to come. Only time will tell.
Devilgunman
Member
Mass producing the carts is definitely more expensive than bluray but we don't know exactly how much. Just think about how manufacturing works. The Switch cart is basically proprietary media, there won't be as many factories that produce them compared to those producing bluray, and they would certainly charge more knowing that there aren't a lot of competitions just yet. Also, since the Switch's installed bases are still very small, publisher won't risk ordering a large batch of the game at once and having their game collecting dust on the shelf, but instead they order several small batches which can drive up the cost.
R_thanatos
Member
THAT IS NOT OK
When your physical model is so fucked up it affect the digital prices , that's not ok.
Now the same is true on PS4 and xbone , but at least , the market is volatile enough that the price go down quite fast
Switch GameCards DO NOT COST $10 more than Bluray discs. Sure they may cost a bit more, but not $10 more.
Has Been Heroes is $19 across ALL platforms at retail, Bluray discs, and even the expensive Switch Cartridges are still only $19.
It also included 2 sheets of stickers, and an extra alternative boxart cover.
Maybe that's just NoE's policy, because in the US Puyo Puyo Tetris is cheaper on the eShop.
$30 digitally, same price as on the PS4.
$40 retail, with physical bonus' (keychains)
Has Been Heroes is $19 across ALL platforms at retail, Bluray discs, and even the expensive Switch Cartridges are still only $19.
For Binding of Isaac. IIRC That $4 included, in addition to the cartridge cost, and 20 page full color manual as you mentioned.
It also included 2 sheets of stickers, and an extra alternative boxart cover.
How is Puyo Puyo Tetris charging a cheaper price in the US? Does NoA have a different policy.
Maybe that's just NoE's policy, because in the US Puyo Puyo Tetris is cheaper on the eShop.
$30 digitally, same price as on the PS4.
$40 retail, with physical bonus' (keychains)
They should just drop the physical release of the game on Switch if it's causing a $10 increase in price, people defending this really need to really ask why the developer thinks Switch owners should have to pay a premium price. This is just a bad idea for a publisher/developer, especially with their first game and it really doesn't matter if the cost of the card was $20 bucks and they are eating half of it, they should just drop the physical copy, or offer a special physical edition for maybe $50 with some physical trinket for those who want a physical release and put out only a digital version along side it for price parity.
What the publisher is doing, looks like price gouging a new market based on low competition for their release.
What the publisher is doing, looks like price gouging a new market based on low competition for their release.
Living the Dream
Member
This sounds exactly like the issue during the N64 days.
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
A $4 manufacturing cost is huge though. After adding shipping, storing and paying for overruns (the risk of unsold copies) I can see how a small run could reach $10 extra (or close enough for rounding via the retailer anyway). Keep in mind BOI would even be the lowest possible price per cart because the game is so small. Other titles will be even more than that on bigger carts
Yes. On Switch the increased costs could be avoided by going digital only. Or in cases where it is economically feasible they could mitigate the costs by getting a larger print run.
Could the blame be put on the publisher? During Resident evil Revelations release Capcom sold the game for 50 dollars : http://gonintendo.com/stories/177878-capcom-explains-why-resident-evil-revelations-deserves-a-50-pri
Some people think some publishers are exaggerating the difference in cost betwwen blue ray and cardridge to try and make a profit.
Some people think some publishers are exaggerating the difference in cost betwwen blue ray and cardridge to try and make a profit.
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
It isn't really necessary to blame anyone. There are a number of factors from every party that play into every decision. In the end I think consumers don't like this practice no matter the reason behind it so you'll probably in general see publishers eating the extra cost but skipping low print runs on the Switch where possible
I'd be surprised, it will have had a small print run , you won't see deep discounts on it 1 week after launch
I'm not entirely sure that's accurate as I went digging through his post history a few days ago since some in the other thread were placing more stock in his word versus Kenny's and the closest parallel to "I'm a developer" I could find is "I work in tech", which is rather vague and doesn't necessarily point to the video game industry specifically. It's distinctly possible if not probable that he was basing his comments on his experience elsewhere in the technology sector and isn't actually privy to Nintendo's cartridge pricing.
The worst part is that retail prices may go down but digital will remain intact. This is the biggest shit with the digital = physical situation, it only applies never. They prevent physical from being lower than physical but the same doesn't apply for the other way around.
See the bolded.
Again, I have said it before in other threads, but it is clear from the Devs/Publishers of RiME they are treating the Switch port as a wholly separate project with unique intrinsic costs. Because it kind of is.
The game wasn't developed or budgeted with Switch in mind initially. They are paying Tantalus to port it and we have no idea on those costs.
As well there is the additional cost to mfg and potential licensing differences with Nintendo.
What is clear is that they have a roi they want to hit & that caused the price to be higher. It is very simple business/accounting.
In almost(read every) other case the costs are either rolled in to initial budgets and forecasts or they marry additional costs to the project. Just different ways of doing things. See Lego Worlds for example. We aren't seeing word of that being more expensive than Ps4 or Xboxone. That will be the litmus for larger pubs.
I think people are way over reacting to one data point. Why? BC Switch articles drive traffic. Period.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out eventually, but I have a feeling the smarter companies budget or marrying budgets and projections for switch titles going forward to be able to achieve return on development.
Ruud_Luiten
Member
Strange how Vita games ends up being cheaper than ps4 variant..
Capcom actually conceded to the market and it launched at $40. Not to say that there weren't eventually $50 games on the 3DS (thanks, Atlus), but RE:Rev was an example of consumers winning out.
Living the Dream
Member
Or not pay at all due to the high pricing.
Aonuma
Member
Yeah, I'm calling shenanigans. Shovel Knight didn't have any issues launching at the same prices as on other platforms. If developers want to try and charge more for Switch versions of multi-platform games early on here then they can enjoy their lack of sales until they smarten the hell up.
I think the one thing that can be agreed upon.. is that this is third party shenanigans and nothing more..
I know a lot of people throwing around cartridge pricing.. except a) we don't know exactly what that is and b) we know nothing about Nintendo's licensing fees, and c) obviously as has been pointed out.. digital pricing is still up there, even WITH today's day and age of selling digital codes at b&m stores.
I think others have nailed it.. with limited games available and a hot new indie coming out.. increasing cost by $10 seems like a good move. And if you don't like it, more than likely the loser will be Nintendo, NOT the indie, as you'll just grab it on PS4.
So we're not punishing the indie for their bad decisions, we are punishing Nintendo. Seems kind of fucked up.
I know a lot of people throwing around cartridge pricing.. except a) we don't know exactly what that is and b) we know nothing about Nintendo's licensing fees, and c) obviously as has been pointed out.. digital pricing is still up there, even WITH today's day and age of selling digital codes at b&m stores.
I think others have nailed it.. with limited games available and a hot new indie coming out.. increasing cost by $10 seems like a good move. And if you don't like it, more than likely the loser will be Nintendo, NOT the indie, as you'll just grab it on PS4.
So we're not punishing the indie for their bad decisions, we are punishing Nintendo. Seems kind of fucked up.
Also some Vita games like Uncharted were $50 but I don't think that lasted too long.
Luckily i am a patient person that wait Atlus games to drop to $20.
WorldofMiku
Banned
Because then you can't resell the game. No used games for Switch. Which is what we (and retailers) don't want.
Maybe because:
Publisher: GameTrust
And GameTrust is owned by GameStop, so they don't have to pay retailer -> higher profit versus other games, who would have to pay retailer too.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
... the carts bringing similar problems as they did before vs optical discs... who could have known
?wonderful103
Member
He is
family_guy
Member
Why would a smaller publisher even release a physical copy for a Switch game at this point in its life? Maybe if it takes off, but otherwise that's a huge gamble.
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
I'm also not seeing any evidence of that. However I am seeing him make a lot of statements about the Switch which we now know is untrue. I'm quite unsure as to why people are using him as some kind of authority here. Can you help me out?
eighty(one)
Member
Some games a more expensive (Rime is getting a physical release on Switch)
But in general, console games are $60; am I missing something here?
But in general, console games are $60; am I missing something here?
If this is indeed a Nintendo written policy I hope EU has a look at it.