Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Format. Answer: The reason we see little to no drop in price is because Nintendo is an anomaly in regards to video game software (games). The Big N operates on a different wavelength than Microsoft, or Sony, or anyone, really. He has been gaming since the days of the ZX Spectrum, when it used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. The nearest one I had to hand was Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, which I bought when it launched in the US over two years ago. The Wii U sold less than 15 million units over its entire lifetime, and the sales of even its best-selling game (Mario Kart 8) wouldn’t crack the Switch’s top three. We’re all just kind of used to it not dropping its prices, and we buy the games anyway. Nintendo puts an incredible amount of work into its first-party games and they stand the test of time. Didn’t you buy it last year for the same price? And the company recognizes this, to an extent. Collectors say that multiple gold copies of Nintendo World Championships — only 26 were distributed, making it one of the rarest N.E.S. And given it’s working so well for the company at the moment, we don’t bother to remember when it didn’t — even though that was only one generation ago. by Rachel Kaser Nintendo has pulled similar tricks with its video games and its due to these limited supplies that the price can remain high for years after their initial release. A canny PC gamer knows that they won't have to wait long for an EGS or Steam sale, or for a game to become part of a Humble Bundle deal. The first-party Nintendo games take a long time to go on sale, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the industry, where it's not uncommon to see a game have its price drastically reduced a few months after it has been released. — And because the console had a very big gap in third-party support, there wasn’t much reason to consider buying a Wii U a year or two after its release. to. It is a lot cheaper to distribute a game on cas. Related: The 10 Best Nintendo DS Games Ever Made (According To Metacritic) Over the years, the various handheld consoles in the Nintendo DS … Follow us on social media. The Switch has now outsold the Wii U by more than 6 million units, so it’s in no danger of the same pitfalls — at least, not right now — but it’s still instructive to keep in mind Nintendo‘s way of doing things doesn’t always work. Yes, it's called supply and demand. Categories & Filters. New sealed Nintendo games might be harder to find cheap simply because … There have been plenty of games that have been criticized for drastically cutting their price shortly after launch, such as Anthem and Fallout 76, yet you would never see Nintendo do this with a Super Mario Bros. game, regardless of how poorly it initially sold. Even as we’re nodding our head in recognition of the soundness in the company’s game strategy, let’s remember it’s not always the golden goose it is right now. Prefer to get the news as it happens? Most of the examples used in Ashley’s video were from the Switch, so when I decided to check one of my Nintendo games for myself, I looked up a 3DS game. Scott has been writing for The Gamer since it launched in 2017 and also regularly contributes to Screen Rant. Those that don't fit this description do drop in price. The PC platform has a way of devaluing a game at launch, due to the numerous storefronts and their regular sales. TNW uses cookies to personalize content and ads to Capcom Capcom. Nintendo occasionally puts its titles into "Greatest Hits" lines at a reduced rate, but this usually happens years after their initial release. All data collected in the survey is anonymous. Nintendo has never really escaped from the mindset of being a toy manufacturer, which is why they rarely overestimate the demand for their games and systems. Because games for the Switch are distributed physically and digitally and Nintendo have a policy that when a game is distributed in both methods, the digital download has to be the same price as the physical card. Why is that? Brand. Consoles have followed suit, as loose Nintendo 64 systems charted at $35.23 USD in March and $88.50 USD in July. info, Growth He pretends that sorcerer is his favorite Dungeons & Dragons class in public but he secretly loves bards. And given it’s working so well … The Nintendo Switch (with extended battery) retails for $299. And chances are good, if you’re in the above scenario, even the most righteous consternation isn’t going to keep you from buying the game, because it’s not available for other consoles. Why Nintendo’s games almost never go on sale As a Nintendo Switch owner I'm not too happy about paying a premium for games that are cheaper on other platforms. The vast majority of the video games released throughout the year are on multiple platforms, with many new titles launching on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One at the same time. In short, other companies make games that fit within a genre, while Nintendo creates or redefines genres while setting a new bar for quality. Nintendo's games almost never drop in price, yet their competitors discount games just months after release. $25 - $49.99 $25 - $49.99. The sales of a majority of games in the industry have front-loaded sales and retailers drop the price to clear stock. And according to Nintendo‘s lifetime sales, Splatoon 2 has now outsold it by over 1 million units. They may not be new or exclusive, but they’re still coming, and that’s more than the Wii U could say at the midpoint in its lifespan. Continue Reading. Launched the Nintendo DS™, an innovative, dual-screen handheld gaming system. It's basically their leading principle, and it explains why they don't lower prices. Nintendo puts an incredible amount of work into its first-party games and they stand the test of time. The subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online service can attest to how games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Metroid are still as amazing now as they were in the '90s. Nintendo’s headline offer is actually the Switch with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle for $299.99. Nintendo Switch is under pressure to drop the price of its games amid complaints they're too costly.Gamers and publishers are on the Japanese firm's back about lowering till prices for top games like super Bomberman and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, claiming it's putting players off … The Pokémon franchise isn't the only Nintendo property that takes a while for prices to be reduced. Since Nintendo doesn't drop most game prices - many retailers are willing to take a hit to be the one getting all the traffic during launch weeks. While Nintendo‘s strategy of keeping prices high because it knows we’ll pay is working right now — and keep in mind its 2018 is looking a little more skint than 2017 was — it definitely didn’t work for the Wii U. The Nintendo GameCube was the first Nintendo system to use optical discs instead of cartridges for its games. The problem with Nintendo is unlike Sony or Microsoft is, Nintendo refuse to give their games a value price event if it sells more than a million copies, the point why games are lowered through the years is to make more sell or to make more general consumers to buy their products with the right price. Many retailers often include cheaper games with their Nintendo Switch bundles and still charge standard price. on Polygon, Read next: All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers, Every Job In Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Ranked Worst To Best, No Nintendo, We Didn't Want This Official Pokédex Phone Case Released Outside Of Japan, A Super Mario Bros. 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Price Drop Price Drop. We'd love to know a bit more about our readers. 2004. Nintendo has been making video games since the early '70s and many o… Whether it’s the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it’s the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. When consumers know you're going to drop your price in a few months, a significant portion of them hold off from buying. Pokémon HeartGold was released in 2009, yet a boxed version of the game still costs around £40 to buy on eBay. Yes, I’m talking about the Wii U, and no, I’m not going to let anyone forget it was a thing that existed. 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Nintendo isn't as quick to put its precious first-party games on sale and even when they do, they tend to only receive small reductions in price. Price. Nintendo games tend to have long tails - people keep buying them long after release, so a price drop isn't needed. Subscribe to our YouTube channel! If the NES Classic Edition had tanked, then Nintendo would have taken less of a financial hit in the beginning, yet they played it safe and had fans clamoring for more. However, Nintendo games do go down slower in price because of their quality most times. Here’s the thing: Prices for Wii U games didn’t drop any more than the Switch’s games have. The slow rate that first-party Nintendo games enter sales can be frustrating for fans, especially those on a tighter budget, but it's one of the primary factors in these games retaining their value for so long. Games drop in price because it helps them to continue to sell. Nintendo Switch game prices could spell big trouble for console (Image: Nintendo). Apple's move to shake up the newspaper industry offers little upside. make our site easier for you to use. Start! Next: A Super Mario Bros. Movie Poster With Shigeru Miyamoto's Signature Is Up For Auction. If a publisher can continue to sell at full price, they will, which is why GTA V also sold at full price for years. PS2 and earlier) has seen a sharp uptick in pricing for its average game and system sales since March 2020. He has previously written gaming articles for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. We do also share that information with third parties for While many Nintendo games don't drop in price, the release week often has retail specific deals like $10/$20 gift cards with purchase. By now, we’re all used to Nintendo marching to the beat of its own drum. Price Drop Nintendo Switch Games. A publisher drops the price because they need to in order to maintain sales, not to be nice. Nintendo Nintendo. The first-party Nintendo games take a long time to go on sale, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the industry, here's why. Sit back and let the hottest tech news come to you by the magic of electronic mail. Help me get to 50,000 Subscribers! The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Pick up today. While it’s a bit more complicated than it seems at first — Ashley incorporates data about Switch sales, the price of the cartridges and Nintendo‘s quality standards. We have that now with Nintendo Switch.” The people who didn’t get a Switch when it launched have a reason to get one now: Other games are coming out for it, including Undertale, FIFA 19, and Mega Man 11. advertising & analytics. 12/23 at 9:00 am PT to 1/2 at 8:59 am PT. Scott thinks Chrono Trigger is the best video game of all time, followed closely by Final Fantasy Tactics and Baldur's Gate 2. One of the most frustrating aspects of being a Pokémon fan is the fact that the prices for the games rarely drop. Got two minutes to spare? The first-party Nintendo games take a long time to go on sale, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the industry, where it's not uncommon to see a game have its price drastically reduced a few months after it has been released. Current Deals. This is the reason why the current best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch is an updated port of a game released in 2014, rather than a brand new title. Nintendo doesn’t. Sure enough, the game I bought for $40 in February 2016 is still $40. This is the reason why the current best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch is an updated port of a game released in 2014, rather than a brand new title. So yes, we do buy Nintendo exclusives, no matter how expensive they are, but Nintendo has learned it can’t always rely on that to sell itself. Take Rime, for example: the indie will be … Nintendo doesn’t. But a big portion of it comes down to the fact that Nintendo knows we’ll buy its stuff because it’s the only company delivering it, so why should it bother giving us a break? No. In an interview with Gamingbolt.com, Michael Pachter said that Nintendo will cut back on the peripherals in order to drop the price point to around $199. You know the drill: You go to buy a game for a Switch- or 3DS-owning family member for their birthday, and you decide to buy them a game you’ve already played. The 1992 SNES cartridge is valued at $4,000, but the 1991 NES … Other game studios drop their prices over time, in response to diminishing demand, or oversaturation. The price of the Pokémon DS & 3DS games is so inflated that a cottage industry has built up around creating reproduction cartridges of the games, which eBay is somehow fine with selling. Free Shipping Eligible Free Shipping Eligible. 2006 That one was especially galling to me because Fates has two additional routes available to users to buy digitally once they’ve finished the one available on the cartridge — and the price for those routes hadn’t changed either. Looking at Nintendo’s lifetime sales for its five most recent consoles, they’re one and all Nintendo games — mostly first-party stuff like Mario and Smash Bros, or second-party like Pokemon. in Gaming. So, what is it about Nintendo that allows the company to maintain the value of its games? 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