Nintendo’s $80 Games Set a Dangerous Precedent—Are Higher Prices the New Normal?

The Outerhaven says: Nintendo has already set a dangerous precedent with pricing games at $80, and could start a beginning of higher priced games throughout the industry.

[Garethvk]

I will not be buying the Switch 2 and will avoid any game at that price point.

[FACTUAL evidence]

Absolutely! This is saddening. Especially from a family friendly company as Nintendo. I’m guessing all the DLC season passes devs throw down our throats doesn’t cover the cost of anything.

At this rate, DLC should be free! Also, I don’t want to see hardly any patches. Day one patches should be unacceptable.

Nintendo’s new coat of paint is hardly amounting to the ps4 and they have the audacity to try to sell 1st party games at 80$!?

The company that helped us from a game crash is potentially bringing us back to one. The irony.

[Rebel_Scum]

Still cheaper than what I paid during the 16 bit era.

[darthv72]

Hell... I remember the crazy prices in the SNES days. They were all over the place from $40-50 to upwards of $90. Mortal Kombat 3 was nearly $100.

Thankfully I waited and would just buy on sale or used.... and I still do.

[VersusDMC]

The switch 2 versions of tears of the kingdom, kirby and mario party are also 80 by the way...

https://www.walmart.com/bro...

[shadowhaxor]

Thanks. I didn't see those at the time. I will update the piece.

[darthv72]

and if you look at the box art for Metroid 4 for SW2 it says it contains the SW1 base game and the upgrade pack. So its not even going to be a dedicated version. Its going to be like the XB games that say smart delivery on them. which contains the base game that will work on the XBO. when you pop it into a SX is when it gets the rest for that version. I've never seen a cross gen game do that on PS. there is always a PS4 version that can also be played on the 5 as well as a dedicated 5 version with everything already applied.

I'm just going to buy the regular SW1 version and then i can play on both 1 & 2.

[QuantumMechanic]

I don't think it will be like SmartDelivery. I think the Upgrade Pack will be on the cartridge. There is no mention of a download requirement. It is similar to the new SKUs for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (with the "+ Expansion Pack" language). Admittedly, I am not 100% sure about this.

[DodoDojo]

Those old games are $10 more than the new Donkey Kong game, makes no sense. just pure greed.

[VersusDMC]

Some will say that it's because it includes new dlc...but Capcom is releasing Street fighter 6 with all the dlc characters so far for 60 so it does come off greedy by comparison.

[pwnmaster3000]

Hmmm I wonder why there isn’t much of an outcry.
I remember when When another company, (either Sony, EA, MS, or Rockstar. Can’t remember) did it, everyone was outrage. All gaming news was reporting and calling it anti consumer.

[shadowhaxor]

There are plenty of people calling it out, it's just the media isn't. I've seen a lot of them just going gaga over the system, and of course, many were also at the preview event. Can't be pissing off Nintendo when they are doing us a favor. And that's the part of the industry that I'm part of and I hate.

Call this crap out, regardless. $80 games will not go over well if this trend continues.

[drivxr]

It doesn't stop there. The cartridges are now digital keys. They no longer contain the games.

Gamepass doesn't look like a terrible idea right now. The direction the prices of games are going are ridiculous.

[darthv72]

...some will be keys, not all.

[D2niceforu]

Most will be keys

[Extermin8or3_]

No, currently there are a number of digital only titles you can buy a boxed version of but inside there is just a digital key you input. The carts that that contain a keh are to replace these titles. It means that the game isn't locked to your account and actually gives people the ability to buy digital only titles and trade them in still and people buy them second hand.

[VariantAEC]

Microsoft is doing a great job showing why Game Pass will never be the way by removing support for billions of mobile devices in the blink of an eye. Sorry, Nintendo doing things very wrong doesn't make Microsoft's wrong less of an issue in the slightest.

[franwex]

RAISE THE PRICE

[Knightofelemia]

Games going up in price are the new norm. $90 Canadian for a new I am use to now. I preordered SHF for PS5 and Gamestop told me the game will be $100 for a standard edition. Usually now I research the game watch Twitch on the game. And if I want it I will day one it most of the time now I just wait for the game to go on sale before I buy it. But the problem Nintendo has is their first party titles after being out so long stay at a day one price. And a company like Sony or Microsoft will drop the price after the game has been out for so long. Like I said I research games now before I commit to them I wouldn't be surprised in a couple of years when PS6 drops games will start costing me $110-$120 Canadian for a new game.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Some PC games already cost $115 aussie dollars, PS5 games are generally $60 to $105, the average Switch game here is a firm $70, while Zelda BoTW/ToTK are $80.

I normally just wait for price drops, but I know Nintendo's first party rarely goes on sale, and when it does it's only a small percentage. It's bareable compared to other platforms, but the lack of price drops is what's hard to swallow for me.

[badz149]

F YOU and your "new normal" BS! This is just pure greed by Nintendo and F YOU if you support or even try to justify it! I hope the Switch 2 crash and burn with this ridiculous prices and Nintendo along with it!

[gold_drake]

if they are, im out, or rather, ill be a one console type of guy moving forward.

im already super picky about when to buy games, waiting for sales etc.

[Extermin8or3_]

I don't understand everyone's logic. So obviously I:D rather pay less bot more for games but equally I recognise that games cost more than ever before to make, add to that quite high inflation in recent years compared to relatively low inflation mate 99s and 2000s means whilst it used to take years for the real term value of the game to have increased it now doesn't doesn't take so long. So for starters back when games were 50 quid early in PS3 era. Roughly 2% inflation would mean it took 5 years for the games to have devalued 5 dollars. Hence games would increase in price roughly once a generation. However we have had inflation the last few years that's considerably higher than normal. In one year the games will have increased by the 10% if took half a decade to devalue.

[VariantAEC]

Do you think it cost more to make Mario Kart World, and Donkey Kong: Bananza than Astro Bot? The problem is that the former Nintendo games cost way more than the latter game on the better system that will play all 3rd party games better. You will only miss Nintendo 1st party games if you-re pining for those to start with. If not there is no reason to jump into Nintendo's ecosystem. There is an incentive to make the leap to PS since Xbox is dead and PC is even more expensive than Nintendo. PlayStation just needs not to offend anyone and they'll continue to reap the benefits of every other businesses hubris. This is ridiculous. Steam is doing a great job on PC, but is hamstrung by the PC platform which it's desperately trying to break free from with ventures like the Linux-powered Steam Deck.

[Extermin8or3_]

I'm not arguing specifically about Nintendo here. I'm arguing more generally that whilst I like cheaper stuff games have gone from 60 quid in 2008 to 70-80 quid now. In reality 60 quid in 2008 is worth 88.53 in 2025. That's on real terms a slight drop in value then. My point Is 80 quid games isn't actually unreasonable I agree it's an issue that Nintendo games never seem to drop in price. I don't understand how they don't tbh.

[Flenter]

Yes. Gaming is getting more expensive. Just like everything else. Nintendo first the rest will follow for sure. That just how it works ...