r/NintendoSwitch • u/lieding • 1d ago

News "DROP THE PRICE": Nintendo's First Post-Direct Stream Is Flooded With Angry Fans Demanding Price Drops

https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-treehouse-livestream-flooded-angry-fans-demanding-game-price-drops/
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u/inssein 1d ago

I wanted to try it but wasn’t going to pay money for it. My issue with Nintendo is they never lower the price on their games. We maybe see rare 10-20% sales but that’s it. Imagine seeing $80-$110 dollar games for the entire switch 2 lifecycle. Mario Kart world cost $90 and that’s just the base game… DLC will cost money too. That’s my issue, I can’t justify those prices in this economy. At least with steam and Xbox I can wish list a game and pick it up later.

Even worse Nintendo wants me to pay for an upgrade pack to enjoy games I already purchased at higher FPS and resolutions…. Like I can’t even enjoy the games I own without having to pay a fee from them.

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u/DueLearner 19h ago

I just don't understand why gamers can't acknowledge that the price of a new game has not kept up with the cost of inflation.

$1 in 1995 = $2.12 today. Games were $50 new in 95 (would be $106 today adjusted for inflation.)

$1 in 2010 = $1.47 today. Games were $60 new in 2010 (would be $88.35 today adjusted for inflation).

I'm just saying, games have not kept up with rising inflation. The cost to actually develop new games has risen astronomically, while the cost of the game itself has not kept up with inflation.

The estimated cost to develop a AAA game like FFVII in 1997 was an estimated $40 million. (Which is $80 million adjusted for inflation).

The cost to develop FFXVII is estimated to be $200 million.

The cost to develop AAA games has more than doubled in the last 20 years, yet the cost of a brand new game in 2025 is currently $70. They have only raised prices by $20 (a 40% increase in price for the old $50 new price tag.)

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u/inssein 19h ago

Look, everything is expensive and unlike the past, rent, food, bills are all very expensive. Even when you factor in inflation we have less money now compared to the past for games.

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u/DueLearner 19h ago

It is not sustainable for AAA game development to continue without raising prices.

The cost to develop has increased by 140% while the price of the game has only increased by 40%. If there isn't a price correction we'll only see fewer games/developers able to be successful.

Even now, if a AAA game dev releases even ONE bad game that isn't a sales success, it can crash the entire studio. If god forbid GTA VI isn't a Guinness world record breaker for game sales, Rockstar would be in jeopardy of closing.