Nintendo Explains Absence of Switch Game Bundles

Published: January 16, 2017 10:33 AM /

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When the Nintendo Switch launch line-up and official price were released, many people were taken aback a bit by the absence of bundle deals where they could buy a Switch with 1 game already in the package. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has explained why there won't be any bundled games for the Nintendo Switch.

In an interview with Fils-Aime on Gamespot, explains why Nintendo opted to not include a game when you buy a Switch:

We look at every launch uniquely as to what's the right thing to do for that launch.

I've been involved in launches dating back to the Nintendo DS. Each one is a little different. For this launch, what we found is that with the range of software that's coming--not only available day one but through April and into the summer, and including the holiday timeframe with Super Mario Odyssey--that we wanted to enable the consumer to buy the software they want, to look to get to the most approachable price point we could get to. That led us to a $299 price point, and let the consumer decide what games they want to buy.

The company has tried to keep the price of the console as low as possible to attain the $300 dollar price point, which apparently could only be hit by not including a game in the package, digital or otherwise. This time around, though, you'll be able to install and boot up the Switch when you bring it home, meaning that you don't have to buy a power adapter separately like with the New Nintendo 3DS.
Certainly, lower is always better, but at a $349 or $399 price point, we just didn't feel that was the right place to be. So we start there. And then it's all about, what's going to be included? Obviously the inclusion of the two Joy-Con, critically important; all the right cables, the dock, critically important. We also have to do this from a financial perspective as well. Once we got to that bundle, it really needed to be at $299 without a piece of software.
The Nintendo Switch is scheduled to release on March 3. For all information currently available about the Nintendo Switch you can go here.


Quick Take

The thing that doesn't sit well with me is that not including a game with your game console means that players will have to shell out a minimum of $49 (if you want the 1-2-Switch game) on top of the $299 you paid for the console if you want to actually play something on it when you come home. 

 

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Chris Anderson
| Staff Writer

I've been playing games since I was just barely able to walk so I might as well write about them.