Fans in Korea will be able to pick up a boxed copy of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass, it has been revealed.
The official Pokémon Korea website has listed the item online, highlighting that a game card is not included. Instead, as you might expect, it'll include a download code which can be used to redeem a copy of the Pass from the eShop.
It'll be launching in "summer 2020" and will be priced at 29,900 won (approx. $25 / £20).
No such release has been confirmed for other regions at the time of writing, so it's unclear whether or not a boxed edition of the Pass will arrive in the west. We'll keep an eye out for any announcements.
Would you buy a boxed copy of the Expansion Pass for your collection, or do you think a boxed copy is unnecessary? You can learn more about Pokémon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass here.
[source pokemonkorea.co.kr, via nintendosoup.com]
Comments 23
I wouldn't refer to this as a "boxed" copy since it just contains a code.
If I ever bought a boxed game and found just a code instead I'd be very very unhappy/angry
Absolutely pathetic.
How would a physical release of the DLC even work? The expansion pass itself works with both games and is delivered via a game update.
The pass itself is merely a key to the content in that update.
@Zuljaras I mean, I've been critical of Pokemon Sw/Sh but cmon, this isn't new. Off the top of my head, you can buy a physical version of Fortnite. Some people just like having physical versions of their products in their collection.
@RupeeClock I could see it working as an off-the-cartridge download. Definitely useful for those living in rural areas.
I don't see the point to this. You need to go to the eshop anyway, this is just a waste of plastic.
Why? All this does is create excess plastic waste!
@Brydontk "Some people just like having physical versions of their products in their collection." this is not a physical addition to a collection this is a case not a game.
2 different things. A real physical release must contain a media that can be played.
Why wait for this when you can just buy a replacement case and print whatever you want. I mean that way I can have God of War ultimate collection on the Switch right?
Perhaps Nintendo could have included a copy of the game for a higher price and called it a bundle, even if the dlc was still a code, it would be better than wasting a plastic box. ☺️
Very misleading headline, is somebody at NL taking lessons in headlines from the daily mail!
@Zuljaras I dare to even go a step further, for me a physical copy is when a game is fully (patches aside for obvious reasons) on the cartridge.
So games like NBA 2K, Wolfenstein 2 or Borderlands are physical but not complete, so I myself avoid them unless super cheap.
(Doom 2016 could get a small pass, the full single player is on the cart, the multiplayer is download)
But there are collectors that consider a code in a box as physical, even worse I know people that buy empty Switch boxes, print the cover of their digital only game and call it "physical"
@Rayquaza2510 That is what I meant. Sorry for not being clear.
I real Physical copy is when at LEAST the BASE game could be played from start to finish without any downloads needed.
This is a waste on the environment. Just more wasted plastic to take up unneeded space. Can't wait till physical is no longer offered at all.
What's even wilder is that when converted to US and UK currency, it's cheaper than just buying directly from the eShop (not taking shipping into account)
@Zuljaras, @boredlizard, @Cevil I think the most likely reason for this would be to get the game on retail shelves in front of the eyes of parents, gift-givers and smaller children. These people don’t spend much of their lives on gaming websites and making posts calling game releases pathetic so they may not be aware of dlc and digital only releases.
I hope this comes to other countries. I want a physical box Torna style.
That is still not a physical release.
i'm sick of the lack of rationality and the amount of ignorance in the comments lately
they can't do a cartridge for the DLC because the DLC isnt standalone, it's literally an update to the original cartridge or digital download
if you don't understand that you are stupid
clearly these Korean physicals are for collectors
@RupeeClock @-Juice- : DLC can be included on the cartridge. Tetris 99 includes the DLC content on the cartridge as does the Ultimate Edition release of Rocket League (albeit only a small selection of the available DLC at the time of its release). No codes are required as the DLC is tied to the cartridge, not one's NNID account. I'm sure there are other examples, but I can at least attest to these two as I own their respective physical releases.
Super Rare Games also recently issued a cartridge release of Tricky Towers which includes six DLC packs on the cartridge.
Further to that, publishers can also opt to include multiple games on a single cartridge (with cartridge insertion spawning individual icons for each unit of software). Ubisoft has done this with Wheel of Fortune/Jeopardy, Valiant Hearts/Child of Light, Hasbro Game Night, and other publishers have also released similar, such as the Syberia trilogy and Overcooked double pack.
@Silly_G
You misunderstand, I'm aware of all of those scenarios.
What I find confusing is the sale of the individual DLC/expansion pass separate to the game in a physical format.
That would be impossible to package as a physical game card, if it requires the base game to play it.
In the case of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Torna: The Golden Country, that was a standalone physical release that did not require the base game, despite being sold as an expansion to the base game.
I don't believe that would be possible for the Armor Isle or Crown Tundra expansion.
Even though I love physical, I really don't see the point when all you're buying is a case with a download code inside.
@TheLightSpirit okay my bad if you can't understand that Pokemon DLC isn't standalone therefore a standalone cartridge literally makes no sense then you're either a stupid adult or an innocent kid
It's just a code in a box. I don't understand why these exist.
Some people have told me that, at least in Europe, sometimes these codes in boxes go on sale in stores cheaper than just buying the game from the eshop - but I've never seen that in Japan. I don't recall seeing it in America either - although the practice was a lot less common 5 years ago.
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