Nintendo games are too expensive

Whether it’s due to a lack of permanent price cuts and sales, or simply compared to the fierce competition, Nintendo games are too expensive.

"Somehow, they are maintaining the value of their products better than any of their competitors. Maybe they are manufacturing fewer copies of games to keep them pricey, maybe they are just being stubborn about price cuts, or maybe they’re just failing to realize that they can reach a much larger audience if they lower their prices."

[Neonridr]

Nintendo made games carry a premium price because they are the best games on that specific console (minus a few 3rd party gems here and there).

Most Wii U games clock in at $59.99 here in Canada with the premium Nintendo games ringing in at $64.99. A PS4/Xbox One game is $69.99.

Are you telling me that Mario Kart 8, Mario 3D World, Zelda, Smash Brothers, etc aren't worth the equivalent price of Sony or MS games?

Can't really understand that logic...

[randomass171]

The article is talking about Nintendo games that have been on the market long after launch still having high prices. But I don't get why this author waited to write this when Captain Toad just came out at $40...

[iplay1up2]

Also Captain Toad is getting great reviews. It looks fun (have not played it), for $40 bucks I will probably pick it up.

Nintendo addressed this type of comment like a year ago or so, they said something like,this is not a quote, Our games are some of the best out there and they retain their value for long periods of time. Then Nintendo went on to bash 3rd parties for not making games the same caliber, and said that's why they have to price cut sooner than they do.

I am not saying I agree %100 with that, I am just recalling what Nintendo said a while back.

[Neonridr]

gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

[darthv72]

You mean games like Mario 64, Zelda OOT and the like. yeah i see them in used game stores going for roughly the full retail value.

i guess nintendo made games hold their value more than others. This could be due to the nostalgia factor or the quality they are developed with. They seem to have a long standing ability to deliver on fun even generations after their original release.

Of the retro systems and more modern ones...nintendo games seem to rake in the most $$. Next to that would be US sega saturn games and certain key PS1 and DC games. the more obscure...the $$$$.

[mikeslemonade]

WiiU games should be $49.99. They cost less to make. Why are Indie games cheaper?

[LonDonE]

@mikeslemonade
I think Nintendo games hold their value because people just dont trade them in! simple really because Nintendo games are usually some of the best made games around and people love to collect them and replay them and so do not trade them in which makes the few used copies sell for allot more.

Trust me it has frustrated me too, i dont see why a new copy of say Mario 3d world after all this time should still be £30 that's ludicrous! but it is what it is, nintendo games are evergreen titles! they sell constantly over times and dont drop in price either.

I dont think its fair, Nintendo should sell the games cheaper after they are a few months old like everyone else.

[freshslicepizza]

nintendo wants to keep the value up. its why they are so vocal against mobile games. they purposely keep the prices high and sometimes that works because some of their games remain strong in sales long after release. the problem is nintendo lives in a vacuum and thinks they have to do this most of the time. even all the black friday deals saw the wii u having the least impact because nintendo is more worried about profits than trying to undercut the competition. the wii u is selling the worst of the three but nintendo doesn't care, they care about remaining profitable and they know they have enough die-hard fans out there to keep them going.

[schlanz]

The author of this article sounds like an entitled gamer too used to feeling like games should automatically be discounted a month after release. A lot of the industry has to do this because the sales drop of very significantly after the first month or two. Nintendo games sell well throughout their system's lifetime so they don't need to resort to price drops to sell more copies after launch. Nintendo is fortunate in this regard. Late adopters of their systems will buy a lot of the back catalog, even at close to full price.

The other part of the equation is that Nintendo games don't flood the pre-owned market so the new game prices aren't diluted as much as other games which quickly become a play it once and trade it in scenario.

[Nodoze]

Nintendo knows that their products are the top draw for their console. The value of the software remains constant, and in many cases increases.

As for being too expensive, I disagree. Value is relative, and in the case of Nintendo is very high.

If you are a savvy consumer you can pickup nintendo titles at discount. B1g1 40% off deals, B2g1 deals etc. I picked up 4 or 5 games for a discount this year with a few of these sales.

[tinkypop]

@got hd game
If devs are worried about used game sales, they should make better games

"We have been very clear, we understand that used games are a way for some consumers to monetize their games," Fils-Aime said. "They will buy a game, play it, bring it back to their retailer to get credit for their next purchase. Certainly, that impacts games that are annualized and candidly also impacts games that are maybe undifferentiated much more than [it] impacts Nintendo content. Why is that? Because the replayability of our content is super strong. The consumer wants to keep playing Mario Kart. The consumer want to keep playing New Super Mario Bros. They want to keep playing Pikmin. So we see that the trade-in frequency on Nintendo content is much less than the industry average – much, much less. So for us, we have been able to step back and say that we are not taking any technological means to impact trade-in and we are confident that if we build great content, then the consumer will not want to trade in our games."

[kythlyn]

It just seems that they are a rarity in this business in that they are practically immune to price cuts. We all expect games to launch at $59.99, but we also expect sales and discounts in the months or years that follow. Somehow, Nintendo games remain at full price much longer than their competition.

[Neonridr]

like Apple products... big sale for them is like 10 bucks off.. ;)

[ape007]

nintendo games along with R* North and ND games are worth more than 60$, you're getting polished amazing games

[kythlyn]

The issue of whether the games are worth $60 isn't in question; we know Nintendo makes great games! But even great games go on sale, and often in the case of Nintendo's competitors.

[theizzzeee]

He does have a good point. I guess they feel they make the most money that way. Maybe that's not the best way to go. Who knows.

[NotAfanBoyy]

Personally, I think games on ALL platforms are too expensive if...

1) It's not a physical copy
2) It's incomplete and requires you to purchase DLC
3) It requires an Internet connection to play
4) It's remastered by simply stretching the resolution and adding some lighting filters

[Emme]

I think games get too cheap too soon on other platforms. I mean Evil Within 25$ new at amazon, Alien Isolation under 40, I remember times when games where half price after one month etc. People worked their assets off (pun) to create those huge games, only to find them at half price 4 weeks later, thats really discounting the effort and energy put into these games. Games are not too xpnsive, movie theaters are. And cars.

[Gemmol]

not selling well, Nintendo games always sell so their value stay higher....those guys have to cut sales to keep the momentum

[eightiesbaby]

It's the same with anything of good quality, quality items hold their value longer.
A mercedes or a bmw will hold their value better and for longer than a Nissan micra or a Ford metro

Nintendo always have the best quality and highly rated games so it's to be expected, not that I would mind if Nintendo dropped their prices but I understand the reason why.

You get what you pay for.

[xX1NORM1Xx]

I've always noticed this I was gonna buy donkey kong country tropical freeze but saw it was still £35 so i couldn't as I was buying it to try and £35 is a lot of money for a game I might not like so I'm waiting for a Xmas sale. I do believe that Nintendo make some of the most polished games especially these days but I like it when games make back their budget and then go half price it means the guys that love the series get it and once it goes half price the guys who aren't to sure get to play it and still contribute to the developers rather than buying pre owned

[franwex]

I think we all have noticed this trend w/ Nintendo. It's not like the games used are that much cheaper anyway.

Also people don't get rid of them, and I don't think there is really an actual shortage either. A lot of Nintendo games sell MILLIONS.
People buy Nintendo systems to play Nintendo games. Unlike other system, and because of this people keep the games as long as they own the system. So it could be years or decades in my case.

[lefty]

Replay value is second to none, also they are the only current gen company to release complete games...and when they do dlc they do it right. So the question is would u buy 4 mediocre games or one great game?

[Apex13]

But a Sony or xb game for £50-£55 isn't exoensive and yet a £30-£40 Nintendo game is. I shall not even water my time giving this idiot views

[Gemmol]

its what you pay for quality, same thing I tell people when they see my BMW X5

[gerbwmu]

Because Nintendo values their brand. A smart consumer will never buy a game day 1 because in 2 months you can get it new for $20 cheaper. Ubi is the worse offender.....their games always plunge in price why anyone pre-orders their games I'll never understand, unless budgeting isn't a concern for you.

[Emme]

Thats why I bought HW, DK TF and Smash right on day one, I knew that waiting means not saving :D

[KaladinStormblessed]

When other companies release a sequel every year they have to drop the price a lot earlier. Nintendo games on the other hand typically release every few years, so the game has more value.

[MsmackyM]

The used game market has a large effect on new game sales, that's pretty much why 3rd party publishers wanted MS to force DRM with the Xbox One. Most of the titles on MS and Sony platforms are pretty forgetable once you beat them or play them for a little, which is why within the week of release used copies pop up on the shelves. To ensure publishers continue to make money on their software, they have to price it better than the used copies. Nintendo titles very rarely appear in used game sections, so when they do they can still command a premium price.

[Ninte]

Coming from nz on the e shop a game cost up to $99 compared to an online retail where most gamers go nzgameshop under $80 and in store usually over $100 no matter which console you play.

[benji101]

People call themselves journalists!! Crazy. The reason software loses value after one month is down to retailers buying huge amounts at a time and recieving a discount for doing so. Retailers will cut prices simply to make space for new products.
If the retailer only bought 10 copies of 3D world then they have no reason to cut the price to make space. Where as if the retailer has 5 boxes of Assassins creed 4 that are blocking up the storeroom then they sell it off.

To emphasis my point, the wonderful 101 did not sell as expected on the wii u, many retailers had a box full of the game and the price was cut. A nintendo game getting a price cut. How these "articles" ever make it past someones writing the first sentence is beyond me. How about writers do some actual research instead of writing a piece based on whim!

[Ark_]

My experience >>>

If ppl buy for full price, they usually play their games a good amount of time. You pay 50$ and play one game.

On the other hand most of the games ppl buy at sales land in their backlogs and get never touched. Not because they are bad games, but because there is no time to play so many games. (Steamsales etc.) It's more about owning games and the satisfaction of a made bargain. Bottomline: You pay 50$ as well and play one game.

My new tactic: I stay away from sales and use the money instead to buy the games I really want to play NOW - regardless of price. If I don't play a certain game, it makes no difference, if it's sitting in my library or anywhere else in the world. The thinking behind it is, the game is available any time. When I want to play, I buy and play.
... and to prevent the typical "you must be rich"-comment: I am not, quite the opposite - I just don't burn my gameing budget on (backlog-)sales anymore.

[Benjaminkno]

You want quality, you have to pay for it.

Personally, I think $60 for any Nintendo game is a modest price. Some of those games are worth a lot more to me.

Somehow, they always exceed my expectations. You can't put a price on feeling like a little kid.