Sheikah Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 I have always wondered this. Games like Mario Kart 7 and Ocarina of Time 3DS (itself a remake of an old game) are still typically over £30 despite being a few years old. Just comparing this to other consoles, within a year games have usually dropped to half price, or even less. To me this represents poor value for money, and often seems to be overlooked by people who think Nintendo offers the affordable solution. Anyway, thoughts?
Fused King Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Maybe because they're the only dedicated gaming company? Or perhaps it's that strange train of thought which you hear from time to time from a NINTENDO exec. Something like: 'We think the game equals this kind of money.' And it's truly ridiculous when after a considerbale amount of time you still see Kirby Returns to Dreamland for at least 40 euros. It's terrible.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 I was thinking the same thing not too long ago, braaah. Although, I constantly see Metroid: Other M at stupidly low prices and I've spotted Mario Tennis Open on the 3DS for about £15. It seems to be the "higher-tier" Nintendo games that seem to be the most expensive. New Super Mario Games, Mario Kart Wii, that sorta stuff. Not sure why exactly. It does put me off getting certain games because if you could pick up something like New Super Mario Bros. for the same price as you can pick up ZombiU, then I'd probably get it.
S.C.G Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Because they are worth the money? Most of those 'top tier' Nintendo games become collectable within a few years too, so it's quite good if you're a collector. I know what you're saying though, who is going to pay £34.99 for NSMB Wii when NSMBU is the same price or less?
Sheikah Posted August 4, 2013 Author Posted August 4, 2013 But there are games of better quality that reduce in price normally?
Blade Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Maybe. But OOT is still OOT whenever you buy it. Whether that is on release or 4 years later. Its not like Fifa whereby it is "out of date" the year after.
Ike Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Mario Kart DS was in the top 10 charts for like 3-5 years after it was released, obviously it's not going to get a price drop because it still sells. It seems games that appeal to the "mass market" (New Super Mario) will stay at the higher price, unlike say Mario Galaxy which is more of a "core gamer" game and might not sell as much. That's why Nintendo have been pumping out New Super Mario's and a new Mario Kart at every opportunity. Also probably why we are getting 3D World. I have seen OoT3D dropped to £10 and less. We were at a point a year or two back where games were dropping to £18 a week after release because they weren't selling, or people were waiting for the price to drop.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Maybe. But OOT is still OOT whenever you buy it. Whether that is on release or 4 years later. Its not like Fifa whereby it is "out of date" the year after. The game is great, but it should go down in price over time. Are you saying you'd still pay full price for the N64 cart or full price for something like The Wind Waker or Metroid Prime now, brah? You wouldn't. Games should go down in price over time. Even Nintendo's own top tier ones. We get awesome deals and it just entices gamers to snap up these games when they see them. If Call of Duty was still full price, would you have bought it for Wii U?
Sheikah Posted August 5, 2013 Author Posted August 5, 2013 I remember on the gamecube, games like Metroid Prime and Smash Melee did reduce in price fairly normally (at least preowned). The preowned 3DS section in GAME has many Nintendo titles just a few quid off the RRP. Crazy times.
EEVILMURRAY Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 What I don't understand is why New Super Mario Bros. Wii (and the like) are always well expensive second hand. Most second hand titles go for £20-25ish max. Mario is going for £30-35. You have new releases coming out cheaper than that.
Oxigen_Waste Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 Don't know, but due to that they'll never make a penny off me, I buy all their games second hand, and even then it's a fucking ripoff. All this "you pay for quality" mentality is just silly. The entire industry operates according to the same "rules", Nintendo always has to be the gimmicky "special treatment" company. Truly the Apple of gaming...
Londragon Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 Don't know, but due to that they'll never make a penny off me, I buy all their games second hand, and even then it's a fucking ripoff. All this "you pay for quality" mentality is just silly. The entire industry operates according to the same "rules", Nintendo always has to be the gimmicky "special treatment" company. Truly the Apple of gaming... Surely it's not Nintendo keeping 2nd hand games artificially inflated, but the retailers like GAME, etc. If they continue to sell at high prices the demand is there, why lower the price? Doesn't it go to show that after the first 2 months games on other systems just don't sell, and therefore the price drops. Whereas Nintendo games like NSMBWii are still still selling well enough 2 years after their release not to warrant any price drop. Supply and Demand. The fact that the price doesn't come down shows me that the game is quality, and well sought after for a longer period of time, and doesn't need a sale to continue it's high levels of purchase.
Dcubed Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 (edited) Because Nintendo games are valued very highly and are sold second hand much less frequently than most other games. I remember on the gamecube, games like Metroid Prime and Smash Melee did reduce in price fairly normally (at least preowned). The preowned 3DS section in GAME has many Nintendo titles just a few quid off the RRP. Crazy times. The Metroid Primes are a notable exception though. They were crazy cheap second hand in comparison to most other Nintendo games, probably due to how over shipped they were (remember that Metroid Prime was included as a pack-in with the console during the GCN's lifetime). Metroid Other M also suffered the same fate (bad word-of-mouth probably didn't help either). Edited August 5, 2013 by Dcubed
Happenstance Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 Because Nintendo games are valued very highly and are sold second hand much less frequently than most other games. At least in the GAME stores ive been in the Wii sections are just as big as any of the other second hand parts.
Dcubed Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 At least in the GAME stores ive been in the Wii sections are just as big as any of the other second hand parts. How many of those are 1st party games though?
Happenstance Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 How many of those are 1st party games though? I didnt count :P
Tamazoid Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 Don't know, but due to that they'll never make a penny off me, I buy all their games second hand, and even then it's a fucking ripoff. All this "you pay for quality" mentality is just silly. The entire industry operates according to the same "rules", Nintendo always has to be the gimmicky "special treatment" company. Truly the Apple of gaming... Um, do you understand basic economics? Supply and demand influence the price of goods. Retailers will reduce the price of their stock when needed to clear shelves so they can display merchandise that sells. Core Nintendo games on the other hand have a habit to sell for years, regardless of the price. Which is why retailers continue to order more stock from Nintendo and continue to stock their shelves with them. This isn't some grand conspiracy, I can currently get a copy of Metroid Other M for under $15. Games like Hotel Dusk and Last Window are pretty cheap as well. Nintendo only reduce the wholesale price of their games when demand wanes or is non existence. If price fixing existed, games like Sin and Punishment 2 wouldn't have bombed in price. Second hand prices aren't because they are more rarely traded in, it's because retailers generally price used games close to the price of a new copy. And since games like Mario Galaxy, DKC Returns and Mario Kart haven't really dropped in price as stated above second hand copies aren't going to be that much cheaper. In Australia anyway, most cheap second hand games are games that are out of print and the store no longer sells new copies of it.
Guy Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 (edited) This is all speculation, but... Nintendo have been in their own bubble within the market for years. The games consistently sell at the higher/release price for ages and Nintendo therefore have no need to reduce the wholesale price. I'd expect most triple A games that end up at £20/25 a few weeks after release are that way because the retailer overestimated demand and now needs to shift a bunch of excess stock. With Nintendo they don't really, or haven't really, had that concern. Most core Nintendo games like Mario Kart/Mario are probably restocked often and the store knows they'll most likely sell them all. There's also the fact less first party Nintendo games are traded in so the store is happy to work with Nintendo to secure a constant flow of stock to ensure they can meet the slow but steady demand. What @Tamazoid said too is an excellent point. Pre-owned games are set according to the price of the game new. I believe only the amount paid to the customer is increased by current demand/stock levels. Those £20 title sales appear as a quick desperate sales effort and consumers can see that. Nintendo benefit from their games not dropping in price because it creates the illusion of quality and value with the consumer. Edited August 5, 2013 by Guy
Murr Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 I don't know why they are still expensive pre-owned, but it is frustrating when you want to add some games to your back catalogue. I haven't got Mario Kart DS or New Super Mario Bro's DS, I'd like to get them to add to the Nintendo collection, but when seeing the pre-owned price, and compare that to offers that you can get for pre-owned 360 games, like maybe 3 360 games for the price of just NSMB, I just end up buying more 360 games. Eventually I'll collect the older games I need, but at the moment I just opt for buying new Nintendo games which are often only a couple quid more expensive than a generation old pre-owned game.
Sheikah Posted August 5, 2013 Author Posted August 5, 2013 Regarding it being 'supply and demand'; all the shops I've been in have had loads of preowned copies of the expensive games, I hardly think they're in such huge demand. Also given how they're only priced at a few pounds less than new, I doubt many people are buying them at all.
Rummy Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 I think Nintendo purposefully try to keep the prices high on these; as someone said it's the view that price=quality. There's also the fact that they'll probably continue to sell well regardless too, so why cut the price when you can make more money? Don't Disney do something similar with their films and stuff?
Zechs Merquise Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 It's called supply and demand. First party Nintendo games tend to hold their price because the demand for them remains high throughout the life of a console. Just look at games like Wii Sports Resort, Mario Kart Wii, NSMB Wii and Wii Fit - all of those games continued to sell strongly years after their release - hence high prices. Very few other games do this, in fact most other games have strong opening weeks and then fade to virtually nothing (the big exceptions being COD and FIFA - two other games that hold their price). Simple answer really.
Hero-of-Time Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 Anyway, thoughts? I would say supply and demand but only to a certain extent. When the games are selling well you wouldn't expect a price drop. Just look at the price of NSMB both the 3DS/Wii/DS versions. They aren't in the charts anymore and haven't been for ages yet the price for them hasn't dropped. The same goes for Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii and Kirbys Adventure Wii. When the games aren't charting anymore then I would expect the usual bomba prices but for some reason most Nintendo games don't. It's one of the reasons why I usually just buy Nintendo games day 1. True, I want to play them ASAP but there are some I could easily wait for but I know the prices will remain the same.
liger05 Posted August 5, 2013 Posted August 5, 2013 They dont need to be priced lower. The games will still sell regardless. Every publisher out there would do the same if the demand was their.
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