So do Switch games just never drop in price?

[Captain of Outer Space]

They don't like dropping prices on their games until there's some sort of Greatest Hits line for them to go on, even if the games don't really sell anyway and could use a drop to give late adopters some reason to bother with them (1-2 Switch) since not everything they release sells millions of copies several years out to offset the potential benefit of the cheaper price spurring new sales. eShop sales for Nintendo games are pretty rare with maybe two or three per year and even then, the amount of games that go on sale multiple times a year is zero and the discounts are not great compared to how other companies handle that stuff. They're about as risk averse with sales as it gets. To make it worse, their DLC and bundles don't go on sale ever and their bundles don't offer a discount over purchasing the game and DLC separately. They just believe the vast majority of people will buy whatever they offer at full price at any point and don't care to anybody else unless they can make it some big event for relatively minor deals.

Here are the Nintendo games that went on sale on the eShop during 2018.

12/6: Super Mario Odyssey & Xenoblade Chronicles 2
11/21: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
6/14: Fire Emblem Warriors, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2
1/25: 1-2 Switch, Arms, Flip Wars

I believe that's it for Switch sales for Nintendo games for the year. Nine games in 12 months is not great.

They did start off this year with a New Year's sale that featured Arms, Hyrule Warriors: DE, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Octopath Traveler, and Splatoon 2, so maybe they're getting more lenient with their sales pattern.

 

[Tarot Deck]

Must be your first rodeo with nintendo.

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Lol.

I warned a couple of friends who were enamored with my Switch and I told them " the problem is not the system, is the games".

One of them bought and is now looking hopelessly for cheap switch games, especially in Brasil.

I told her: keep you eyes on the eShop, look for the cheapest eShop for that game ( Brasil store barely have games) and for discounts.

Next week there will be a bunch of cheap Mario games ( by cheap I mean 33% off), including Odyssey and Mario Kart.

And yeah, Nintendo charges that because they think the software worth it. And, if you go by the sales, people are ok with it.

 

[BenSmith]

I saw a Fire Emblem game for 3DS at Target the other day. Figured it was definitely going to be significantly cheaper than when it came out and I always wanted to give the series a chance. It was still $60. It may have just been a Target error because I found it cheaper on Walmart's website as well as Amazon, but it's the Nintendo way.

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

That's exactly why i buy Nintendo stuff on flea markets, etc... only. Was shocked to see freaking 7 year old FE: Awakening still being sold at full price. Glad i got it for 10 bucks used instead.

 

[TheGhost]

It's the only thing I despise about Nintendo, still selling years old games for $60. C'mon, I'm not budging I'll just keep buying the Indies instead.

 

[Deleted member 12833]

That pseudo value

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Maybe for those interested:
Reddit has its own subreddit for Switch-deals.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitchDeals/

Might be interesting at least for users from the US.

 

[EvilBoris]

I suppose the real question is

Is a game that is 2 years old any different as an experience at launch vs 2 years later?

 

[Schreckweg 5000]

That pseudo value

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Yep. Games were a mistake. Glad you saw the light.

 

[jstevenson]

If this was the only reason, prices would be rising with increased digital sales, and pc prices would be higher than console.

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You're right it's not the only reason, generally lagging sales velocity or excess units in channel are the other reason (Tho price protection can hurt here).

Nintendo generally doesn't suffer from those issues tho with it's high-end evergreen titles, so the only thing that could force them down is the used market undercutting them, which doesn't happen. It's rare games that sell the quantity that Nintendo's games sell, can hold their price point. GTA is really the other Example from this era of gaming.

 

[Deleted member 12833]

Yep. Games were a mistake. Glad you saw the light.

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That's certainly a take

 

[Deleted member 36086]

I remember when the term "anti-consumer" used to be for stuff like payday loans, bait and switch tactics, market collusion etc. Now it just means "business x did thing I don't like."

 

[Captain of Outer Space]

You're right it's not the only reason, generally lagging sales velocity or excess units in channel are the other reason (Tho price protection can hurt here).

Nintendo generally doesn't suffer from those issues tho with it's high-end evergreen titles, so the only thing that could force them down is the used market undercutting them, which doesn't happen. It's rare games that sell the quantity that Nintendo's games sell, can hold their price point. GTA is really the other Example from this era of gaming.

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GTAV's sale price has dropped considerably and is consistently on sale over the past few years and it's also gotten permanent price drops to help that along. They just keep adding bundles with more bonuses in them, which is usually the in-game currency.

Maybe for those interested:
Reddit has its own subreddit for Switch-deals.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitchDeals/

Might be interesting at least for users from the US.

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Ouch.

 

[Dingens]

seems more like they are pro-consumer by making games actually worth their price.
Selling you something for 60 bucks which 2 weaks later won't be worth 10 is vastly more "anti-consumer" in my book, because they are arguable selling you overpriced garbage

 

[Deleted member 32018]

Ouch.

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?

 

[Mexen]

Google MAR10

 

[Nanashrew]

I remember when the term "anti-consumer" used to be for stuff like payday loans, bait and switch tactics, market collusion etc. Now it just means "business x did thing I don't like."

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We're on a forum where plenty of people sided with Amazon and their predatory pricing scheme that undercuts local businesses to run them out of business because people thought Nintendo was price fixing the Switch in France when Amazon had been selling the system far below MSRP since day 1. And people held onto that Nintendo has price fixed before in EU, 1 single time back in the 80's or 90's and it never happened again, while Amazon has a controversy every other week in regards to their business practice.

I really don't expect many to even know what anti-consumer/anti-competition means at this point with how much the words have been diluted.

EDIT: Plenty also ignored that Amazon has gotten into fights with Sony and Nintendo many times. Amazon are bullies, and plenty had forgotten that Amazon and Sony were also in a fight that same year.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

Is a game that is 2 years old any different as an experience at launch vs 2 years later?

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just that most of the time most of its issues have been patched and it's a smoother experience than playing at launch.

 

[pixelation]

You never owned a Nintendo console before?, Nintendo is notorious for this!

 

[Rat King]

As a first time Nintendo owner(well, at least with my money) this really sucks but honestly you get used to it. Also, almost every 1st party game offers ridiculous value for what you're paying. The eshop deals can improve definitely, specially by putting Nindies on sale more often but I'm sure we will get there. There's some pros though, you can easily trade or sell the games you buy for a pretty good value, even years later!

 

[Captain of Outer Space]

?

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I make weekly threads with the NA eShop deals.

 

[Deleted member 32018]

I make weekly threads with the NA eShop deals.

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Ah lol.

 

[TheSkullPrince]

I love how Nintendo games hold their value. I remember a couple years back when Gamestop was having that crazy trade-in promotion they gave me $55 in store credit for BOTW.

 

[Yatahaze]

I use dekudeals.com for switch game price tracking in the U.S. Keeps a historic account of switch prices along with "all time low physical and digital prices" and I can make a custom list to track prices of games I'm interested in. At a glance I can see if a game has been on sale before and for how much, and it also shows e-shop gift card prices so I can buy them at a discount for e-shop games, usually 50$ e-shop for 45$ which helps to combine with the e-shop sales themselves to bolster them even more, especially when you get more gold coins for e-shop purchases compared to physical. If want good deals on the switch platform they are out there, you just need to be patient and/ or opportunistic. Permanent price drops don't seem to happen but sales do, and probably more often than people think when you look at the historical prices.

 

[Deleted member 32359]

So some people are thinking MS and Sony or many 3rd parties are dropping their prices to "please" consumers. While Nintendo is keeping prices of their games that sales well at a high price just to f*ck their fans and be "anti consumer".

Ok then.

Pricing, how does it work? 🤔

It's their strategy, if they achieve their hardware goals then they can sale their games at a high price. On Wii U there was more low price games available in stores. Nintendo just kept their prices high on eShop because they still had a big attach rate to compensate the disappointing sales of Wii U while also wanting to protect their brands to make good games perceived value high (yeah Wii U didn't sold well but games were good, just look at all the ports or remasters on Switch which are selling very very well).
Also it's something that differentiate them and it's one of the things that made them to go through all these years with a regular output of high quality games.

So no Switch games won't drop price any time soon. It may have been the case if Switch was a bomba but then you may not have been interested in buying it OP. So I don't know. I know budgets can be different but maybe playing less Nintendo games and picking what seems to be the ones you'll really really enjoy for a long time. Then at the end of the system you can buy games for cheaper and be sure that it'll be awesome games (no hype here, only gems that everyone agrees you'll enjoy).

 

[skullwaker]

They go on sale sometimes, you just have to pay attention. They're almost never on deep sale though unless they're part of the Nintendo Selects line (~$20), but that only happens towards the end of the system's life.

I saw a Fire Emblem game for 3DS at Target the other day. Figured it was definitely going to be significantly cheaper than when it came out and I always wanted to give the series a chance. It was still $60. It may have just been a Target error because I found it cheaper on Walmart's website as well as Amazon, but it's the Nintendo way.

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Nintendo's 3DS games are $40.

 

[Deleted member 12352]

Yep... Switch game (and accessory) pricing is total garbage.

 

[fade]

Honestly I'd take a full price game that's actually a full game over some of the other games pull like a bare bones product that requires a season pass and microtransactions. Compared to the SNES days where games like FF6 and SF2 were$80 plus cartridges this is benevolent Nintendo.

 

[treasureyez]

That pseudo value

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Explain the word "pseudo" here.

 

[Deleted member 32018]

Yep... Switch game (and accessory) pricing is total garbage.

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Unlike games that are sold day 1 at $60 and then a week or 2 later are 60% off (Fallout 76, Battlefield V, Left Alive etc)? Unlike games that are sold at $60 but then you have to by MTX and DLC for obscene amounts of money (over $90 for season pass 1 for DoA 6).

Also please explain what you mean by accessory pricing? If you mean the Pro Controller then you get NFC, better rumble and a battery that lasts 40 hours on 1 charge, please show me a cheaper controller that has all of that?

 

[Deleted member 249]

Explain the word "pseudo" here.

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I would be cognizant of who I'm quoting in this case lol

You're right it's not the only reason, generally lagging sales velocity or excess units in channel are the other reason (Tho price protection can hurt here).

Nintendo generally doesn't suffer from those issues tho with it's high-end evergreen titles, so the only thing that could force them down is the used market undercutting them, which doesn't happen. It's rare games that sell the quantity that Nintendo's games sell, can hold their price point. GTA is really the other Example from this era of gaming.

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I'd say Call of Duty certainly counts as another example, no? In my experience they hold their value super well, too.

 

[Evildeadhead]

Sushi Striker was £11 the other day, BOTW wasn't.

I wonder what it could mean... it's an economic mystery!

 

[jrDev]

Did the OP really just made himself get banned over something so silly?

 

[night814]

The games have great resell value - I can buy pretty much any first party Nintendo game knowing that once I finish it or if I don't like - I'll be able to sell it again for minimal loss.

Games holding on to their value isn't anti consumer at all - quite the opposite.

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Literally did this with ARMs the other day to get Spiderman, ended up making enough for Spiderman with just ARMs and was able to get my daughter a toy with out having to pay a cent lol.

 

[Fat4all]

I'd say Call of Duty certainly counts as another example, no? In my experience they hold their value super well, too.

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At the very least the latest titles do, with older titles it depends on how active the multiplayer scene if for them that keeps their value fairly high.

 

[tmarg]

I suppose the real question is

Is a game that is 2 years old any different as an experience at launch vs 2 years later?

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Very much so. If you buy a game at launch, you get to be a part of the discussion surrounding a game while interest is at it's peak. You get to help discover a game's secrets before everything is available on a wiki. If it's a multiplayer game, you get to be a part of establishing the meta, instead of jumping in when optimal strategies are already solidified, and you don't have to worry as much about a skill gap between you and people who have already been playing.

I think the biggest reason prices drop so quickly on other platforms is really just that publishers know that it's an effective means of price discrimination. Players who want the absolute best experience will buy at launch, for full price, and subsequent price drops allow publishers to get the maxium possible profit from more price conscious customers.

 

[Jaxar]

I don't own a Switch yet but I passed on buying quite a few Wii U games here in Australia due to the high retail prices even for games many years after launch. Like I'm talking games still selling for around $10 cheaper than what the launch price was, and this was for some games around 4 years later. I'm not supporting that sort of thing so I chose to go without.

 

[Deleted member 249]

At the very least the latest titles do, with older titles it depends on how active the multiplayer scene if for them that keeps their value fairly high.

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I just remember back in the day Black Ops still being $60 ($50 used) even leading to the release of Black Ops 2. I've stopped following those games in the last few years but yeah, it seems like the trend still holds true.

It just comes down to market forces then.

 

[sxiebonjour]

I think it because some signature games have really good qualities that people are still willing to buy them at full price even after 2 years.

I wouldn't say it is an-ti consumer, however yeah I find Sony and Microsoft 's policy appeals me better. I have over 100 PS4 games backlog , as it is rather irresistible when you can pick up good games at very tempting prices.
On the other hand I only have 6 switch games despite owning the system for 1.5 years. I really want to play Bayonetta 2 on the console but it is just so hard to pull the trigger when the game is never under 50 dollars.

 

[jstevenson]

I would be cognizant of who I'm quoting in this case lol


I'd say Call of Duty certainly counts as another example, no? In my experience they hold their value super well, too.

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Yes it would.

It's ultimately all supply and demand at the end of it basic Econ 101.

I actually remember back when sony first party didn't do price drops until greatest hits, Heavenly Sword was 60 for like 2+ years but hardly sold at all on NPD, meanwhile GameStop was just selling it used for like 30 or something. GameStop May have made more money on the game than the devs or publisher did.

I heard about some studies done in that era about how many times GameStop would buy and resell a single physical copy of a game and it was stunning.

 

[EvilBoris]

just that most of the time most of its issues have been patched and it's a smoother experience than playing at launch.

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It should cost more then?

 

[chrisypoo]

They do on the e shop every great once in a while, but it's pretty rare. I remember a number of months ago that Mario Odyssey even dropped, I wanna say like 30% or soomething. It was a decent discount, but it didn't last long at all, and it was specifically to celebrate some awards ceremony or something.

Still.....it happens, it's just a bit of a "once in a blue moon" type of thing.

 

[night814]

How long would it take Mario kart 8 deluxe to be 20 dollars new? Probably in the next 12 years I suppose.

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MK8 on WiiU never went that low so I would be very surprised if MK8d did when it's performing much better.

 

[Titik]

You make it sound like Nintendo games are like food and water.

 

[Slam Tilt]

So some people are thinking MS and Sony or many 3rd parties are dropping their prices to "please" consumers. While Nintendo is keeping prices of their games that sales well at a high price just to f*ck their fans and be "anti consumer".

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This, so f****ing much. Let me join you!

 

[Tarot Deck]

The games have great resell value - I can buy pretty much any first party Nintendo game knowing that once I finish it or if I don't like - I'll be able to sell it again for minimal loss.

Games holding on to their value isn't anti consumer at all - quite the opposite.

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This is the best take by far ITT

 

[ArjanN]

To be fair you pretty much only have to get the like 5 good exclusive games, and can get everything else cheaper on PC.

 

[super moustique]

Where do people look for cheap Switch games? Is this just Nintendo being anti-consumer because they can?

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There's nothing anti-consumer here. If a game sells, there's no reason for a publisher to drop its price.

If you're not willing to pay full price, you should have waited for the Nintendo Selects line before getting a Switch, especially if there's one or more models on the horizon ! Or I guess buy used games or wait for promotions on the eShop and/or at retail.

 

[maximumzero]

Its fascinating how many Switch owners seem to be new to Nintendo.

 

[RedMercury]

Sometimes I wonder as consumers what it would be like if instead of sniping at each other over strong terminology and rhetoric directed at huge corporations, we put that sort of energy into advocating for changes that benefit us.