The Letter

In the last generation there were consistent arguments that the DSi and Wii download stores were a little too expensive and inflexible, while access for developers was excessively difficult. We've seen changes on both scores in the 3DS and Wii U eShop platforms, while lower-priced games have begun to gain more interest, with Gunman Clive on 3DS earning plenty of early praise for delivering high quality at a budget cost.

The Wii U eShop has gone further, of course, and a range of titles now utilise price points below $2, particularly Nintendo Web Framework games. Aside from rare and limited free-to-play options, The Letter may have just brought us a new pricing low with its discount.

https://twitter.com/rcmadiax/status/498100595983929345

We're not sure that price-point's been hit before now, though BLOK DROP U has had discounts to prices a little higher. The presence of The Letter in the eShop charts in North America may frustrate some, however, as its low price inevitably tempts impulse buys despite being widely panned — its Metacritic rating is 14% from four scores, and we awarded it 1/10 in our own review.

We've discussed issues of quality control on the eShop, a topic on which we will be following up with a range of developers in the coming days.

What do you think of this discount? Are promotions like this a good thing for the Wii U eShop, or is there a danger of going too low and distorting the online market? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks to Ryan Millar for the tip.

[source gonintendo.com]