Nintendo made quite a splash recently when it announced it would charge different prices for physical and digital versions of upcoming first-party games. The new pricing model started with preorders for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and it has continued with Splatoon Raiders preorders. For both games, physical versions are priced $10 higher than the digital versions. Apparently, Walmart is having none of that. Walmart is running a $10 discount on physical preorders for both games, dropping them to the same price as the digital copies. The discount appears when you add the games to your cart.
Splatoon Raiders (Switch 2)
10
That’s a sweet deal for anyone who prefers owning their games in physical format. I’ve been writing about video game deals for a long time, and I haven’t seen substantial preorder discounts since Amazon and Best Buy stopped offering 20% ​​off preorders to members of their loyalty programs years ago.
But not everything lasts. Walmart could crank the price right back up at any time. Since it’s unclear how long this discount will last, I’d place my preorder sooner than later if you want to take advantage of it.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (Switch 2)
3
Despite the grumbling from physical media fans, Nintendo’s new pricing model actually makes a lot of sense. Manufacturing Switch 2 cartridges, printing them, packaging them, and shipping them to retailers around the world is a costly operation. It’s even more costly when you factor in the markup the retailers charge, which cuts into Nintendo’s profits on each sale.
In other words, Nintendo makes a lot more money when you buy and download a digital copy of a game directly from the eShop. There’s no manufacturing, no printing, and no shipping. And since Nintendo owns the digital storefront, there’s no third-party retailer to split the profits with. Nintendo can afford to sell digital games for $10 less. I’m guessing that, even with the $10 discount, Nintendo makes more money from digital sales than from physical sales at third-party retailers.
But again, this $10 discount at Walmart is new, and it’s not part of some broader policy the company has announced. These discounts could go away anytime. So if you want to add Splatoon Raiders or Yoshi and the Mysterious Book to your collection of physical Switch 2 games, I’d place my preorder now.
For more, check out our full list of video game release dates for upcoming releases.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on blue sky.