As Nintendo clarifies that Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers will not be eligible for games exclusive to theNintendo Switch 2, some fans are getting worried about a potential price hike for Switch 2 games. Long speculated about and recently revealed, the Switch 2 is due for a more comprehensive Nintendo Direct on April 2, which will reveal further details regarding the console, potentially including its price, release date, and what games to expect on the platform. Ahead of that presentation, however, a few updates and announcements from Nintendo have sparked concerns over monetization.
Nintendo Switch Game Voucher Update Has Fans Worried About Switch 2 Game Pricing
Nintendo Is Cutting Down On Money-Saving Methods For The Switch 2, And Fans Are Worried
The updated FAQ, along with the announcement byNintendothat My Nintendo Gold Points will be discontinued on March 24,has some fans worried that Nintendo may be preparing to monetize Switch 2 games more aggressively, with users like@CrazySloth56 on Xcalling out the possibility for$70 Switch 2 games to become the norm. Notably, Nintendo was relatively late in adopting the $70 standard price tag and has so far only used it forTears of the Kingdom, which was released years after other $70 games like theDemon’s Soulsremaster on PS5.
Nintendo Switch 2 Is Already Avoiding PlayStation 5’s Biggest Failure
While the PlayStation 5 and Switch offer drastically different experiences, they both suffered from the same problem when they were first released.
Notably, however,Tears of the Kingdombeing a voucher-redeemable game meant that using a voucher on it was even more valuable - whereas using a set of vouchers to get two $60 games would ordinarily save customers around $20 total, using a voucher onTOTKwould technically save an additional $10 on top of that.While Nintendo has not officially announced any Switch 2 exclusives or their pricing,it might be the case that being able to use vouchers on Switch 2 games, if they are going to be $70, would provide more of a discount than Nintendo would want.
A $70 Price Tag Is Likely For Some Switch 2 Games, But Not All
Most Nintendo Exclusives Will (Probably) Remain At $60
Before any official announcements are made, however,there are still some reasons to doubt the possibility of a general price hike. To date,Tears of the Kingdomis still the only Switch-exclusive, Nintendo-published game with a standard price tag of $70, with games released afterward, likeEchoes of WisdomorPikmin 4costing $60. Additionally, Nintendo’s update on vouchers could easily have no relationship to pricing plans on the part of Nintendo and is more likely intended to ensure thatSwitch 2 launch titlessell for their full price.
Notably, Switch Game Vouchers were only introduced in 2019, two years after the Switch’s initial release, so a similar system for the Switch 2, or a change to allow vouchers to be redeemed on Switch 2 games, could be implemented later down the line.
However, something else to note is the extremely exclusive, “walled garden” nature of Nintendo games, which already leads to practices like light discounts and practically nonexistent price drops. Nintendo games are typically only ever available on Nintendo platforms, sothe company would be well-positioned to make a general price hike to $70and still retain the majority of customers. The more likely approach, however, is that Nintendo will save the $70 price tag for its “big” titles, like the nextSmash Bros.or open-worldZeldaon theNintendo Switch 2.
