The upcoming ports of Bioshock, Borderlands and Burnout Paradise show how two big publishers are getting Nintendo Switch pricing right and wrong.
The dark art of Nintendo Switch pricing has long been a source of frustration for players, with games often costing more than their PS4 and Xbox One equivalents.
There are a few – not wholly convincing – reasons for this. Firstly, if a game is released physically and digitally, Nintendo dictates that the digital version of the game has to have price parity with the physical release. Due to the apparent high production costs of Switch game cards, this can lead to games costing more than disc-based alternatives at retail, and therefore bumping up the digital price on the Nintendo eShop price. Tequila Works’ Rime was a notable early example, and although the issue is not as prevalent as it once was, it still happens.
Secondly, publishers set their own prices. And while Switch owners are seeming happy to pay these premiums to get portable versions of games, publishers are equally happy to charge them. One example is Capcom’s iterative release of the first three Devil May Cry games, rather than the full HD trilogy seen on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
All this is to say that the Switch is generally not as competitive on game pricing as other platforms.
This is particularly true for third-party releases from big publishers, and a crop of upcoming remasters shows how 2K and Electronic Arts are taking decidedly different approaches
At the end of the month, 2K is bringing three new collections to Switch. The Borderlands Legendary Collection features the first two games in the series and the Pre-Sequel. The Bioshock Collection includes all three games and a wealth of DLC. The XCOM 2 Collection features the base game, the War of the Chosen expansion, and four DLC packs. Each release is priced at $49.99 in the US and £39.99 in the UK.
Your appetite may vary when it comes to last-gen Switch ports, but there’s no arguing about the generous amount of content in each of these collections. Using the Bioshock pack as an example, the Switch release compares favourably with the PS4 version’s launch price of $59.99.
Meanwhile, EA and Stellar Entertainment are putting the finishing touches to the Switch release of Burnout Paradise, one of the best racing games of the last fifteen years and a game I’ve wanted on Switch for years.
The game’s Xbox One and PS4 remaster launched in 2018 at $39.99/£29.99, and is currently less than $20. When the game arrives on Switch in June it will be priced at an eye-watering $49.99/£44.99.
We don’t know the development cost of these remasters – and all publishers are entitled to make a profit – but when you compare with their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, it’s hard to shake the feeling that EA is only interested chasing a quick buck with Burnout Paradise. In contrast, 2K is releasing three value-packed compilations at a friendlier – and I would say more appropriate – price, given the vintage of the games in question.
For players of my age, revisiting last-gen experiences on Switch is a peculiar pleasure. It’s my favourite console generation, and I’d love nothing more than to build up a library of old gems that I can play on the go. If a publisher can position a port or remaster as an impulse purchase, I’ll happily hit the buy button for a trip down memory lane. And that’s what 2K is doing with Bioshock, Borderlands and XCOM.
EA’s history with the Nintendo Switch is hardly a history at all. It’s just a handful of second-tier FIFA games and some EA originals. But, in the company’s last earnings call, it confirmed that “multiple titles” are coming to the Switch in 2020. It’s a welcome change of direction, and even if it only results of ports of Peggle and the Mass Effect trilogy, I’ll probably be happy.
Ultimately, EA needs to make better decisions on pricing if it wants these games to be a success on Nintendo Switch. It certainly wouldn’t do the perenially unpopular publisher any harm, winning back some goodwill from the game-buying public.
Perhaps, when this is all done, EA may just learn a thing or two from 2K’s upcoming remasters. Maybe. Stranger things have happened.
Follow Thumbsticks on Flipboard, Facebook, Google News, and Twitter.
