
It's a rather common tale that Nintendo doesn't 'do' seasonal discounting, at least not as aggressively as other companies. Occasionally there's a cracking hardware deal - such as the smaller New Nintendo 3DS in North America last year that disappeared promptly - but Nintendo (and by extension retailers) typically opts for small discounts and new standard-priced bundles for Black Friday.
In the UK market that was the case this year, and it meant that Nintendo was mostly pushed aside. The big winners in the charts were PlayStation VR - with attractive deals on a Starter bundle - and a series of high-profile triple-A titles included in various PS4 and Xbox One bundles.
Nevertheless the Switch had some evergreen titles still ticking along. The highest placed in the latest charts was Super Mario Odyssey in 8th place, which did benefit from a modest discount on some outlets for the relevant bundle. Next is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 19th place, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle in 26th and then The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 35th place.
Those are solid results, but it was a tough second week for Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon; after making their debut in 4th / 5th place, Ultra Sun tumbled down to 21st place and Ultra Moon finished the week in 28th.
The Black Friday retail headlines for the UK ultimately belonged to a mix of PS4 and Xbox One titles. Next week will be interesting, however, as it'll bring us the launch of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Switch.
[source chart-track.co.uk]
Comments 47
Yeah.
Oh well. At least I got a good deal on a micro sd card!
Complete list?
Not reading this, don't care, just want a list.
So lazy, not even making proper sentences.
I hate to say it, but I really would be surprised if Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had a particularly strong start. I'm sure it'll be fine, but not sure it'll have a massive impact on the charts.
Meanwhile in the US Switch was a bestseller despite not being discounted at all. Whoa.
Edit: People might ask me for a source: https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/934754527886049280
@Rhaoulos
https://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110015
@Rhaoulos Couldn't agree more. Really shoddy. And why can we never see the list for the US and how the sales are doing there?? I have to go to other sites for that. Come on NL!!
And thats one of the big reasons why PlayStation and Microsoft do good in the uk. Their prices are way more welcoming than Nintendos.
If you and me were a casual gamer in the uk and was looking to buy a games console. Looking at the deals and which one would we really buy.
@1UP_MARIO
Contrary, if me as UK people, i will choose Nintendo bundle regardless its price. Because i am a Rebel, and i don't hesitate to show my Rebel in good way. I will be Against of Million peoples around me.
@1UP_MARIO I agree. I think that a lot of games on PS4 and XB1 drop in price way too quickly (looking at Bethesda here who are particularly guilty) but at the same time, never dropping prices on any title is equally as bad. I know this is a deliberate policy but I do wonder if it holds titles back from more casual gamers.
I think another 'Selects' promotion after one year or so on market would be a good idea for Switch games as the library starts to exapnd.
Oh my fellow uk Gamers 🙄 when will they learn nintendo is best
PS VR a big winner? I don't get it. I thought VR was dead on arrival.
Nintendo's own fault
Pretty simple. You need one of the other home consoles/PC right now - or you missing out on tons of great games at really good prices. The sales were amazing this year.
Nintendo stuff is like never EVER discounted anyway, so they couldn't really make big waves on Black Friday, next to all that discounted stuff offering far more value for your quid.
@Rhaoulos We're not allowed to post the entire list.
I'm not sure how many times we need to say that.
@Anti-Matter ok money is not important to you. That's a fair reply but did you buy a switch from the sale or who had the better sales?
@1UP_MARIO
Not yet.
Remember.
I Live in Indonesia, you know.
Indonesia doesn't have Any Special Discount or Black Friday events.
Indonesia is NOT like Japan or USA or Europe for gaming distributor.
The price of Switch in here, Surabaya - East Java, right now is approximate IDR 5,400,000 or US$ 400 for Neon bundle.
December 2017 is coming, so i prepare everything before buy a Switch. I have to buy Micro SD card 128 GB, E-Shop voucher $50 for buying Portal Knights E-shop version and other games, another Neon Joycons to make Double Neon Blue JoyCons attached on my Switch. I will take care with Neon Red Joycons.
Nintendo titles hardly ever get reduced, that should really change.
I wish Nintendo would do more for people who don't have the game yet.
10$ off Mario Odyssey, BOTW, Arms, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart wouldn't have hurt
@Damo Not allowed? Who dictates that?
@Rudy_Manchego I think it does. I known this isnt ENTIRELY Nintendo, but their policies play a part. Here is an example. Walking through Best Buy, Dragon Ball XV2 was selling for $20 on Black Friday. The best deal I could find for the Switch version was just under $40. Their policy benefits them with their captive audience (the Nintendo faithful). There's a certain Stockholm Syndrome in effect. Just look at comments like in this thread that "prices drop too quickly." As if saving money is a bad thing lol. But I can't imagine this gets them money from those with multiple consoles. I can't imagine people with options flocking to Cave Story for $30 when that can often be had for $10 on sale with competitors. So far, Cave Story + has had a Switch discount that was still almost $10 more than the base Steam price. And that's ignoring that the original game is freeware and can be just downloaded to your PC if you don't care about the soundtrack remix or new sprites. It isnt even like portability is a major selling point with that game, since it has been sitting on 3DS eshop for half that price for years (plus 3DS had that remake).
Just one example, but at times Nintendo (and/or those publishing with them) fail to compete with THEMSELVES.
@Crono1973 GFK Chart Track, who supply the charts.
Mario Odyssey has already outsold the lifetime sales of Mario 3D World. It took a mere 5 weeks for that to happen. It should outsell Zelda BOTW and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe by the end of the year.
@Kisame83 I believe I saw DB XV2 for 20 at walmart here, also minecraft story mode was definitely 20 bucks. So I think it depended on store. I generally skip Best Buy because their prices are higher anyways. I didn't buy either, but I sure did pick up Mario V Rabbids for 29 bucks at walmart which I think is a good deal for the game I'd been holding off on playing.
@Anti-Matter that's good. You should buy it now if money is not a problem. You'll enjoy it.
Purchased ~10 PS4 games.
Purchased 1 Switch game (Zelda).
Nintendo need to get with the times.
@Kisame83 I get entirely that publishers want to get full price on their games to pay for the port but after some time they should try and drop prices to match versions on other consoles if they can. As I said, I don't necessarily want every game dropping to nothing a week after launch but after a good few months, I think that the cost has to come down. At the end of the day, if you have two games of the same age on PS4 and Switch but one is $20 more on another system, the Switch will lose. It's a launch year so things might change, but unlike most launch years, a lot of these titles are already out on other consoles.
@Fight_Teza_Fight it’s really a nintendo Uk thing. Here in America I picked up
Batman $20
Rayman $19
Disgea 5 $25
Rabbids Mario $40
Xenoverse $25
Bomberman $25
There were others I passed on.
Yeah, I got a PS4 over the Black Friday weekend, and I took advantage of massive sales that were both on the Playstation Store and at places like Target and Gamestop.
In the end, I walked away with games like Mortal Kombat X, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Battlefield 1/Titanfall 2 in a combo with all the DLC, Overwatch GOTY Edition, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Dragon Quest Builders, and some other stuff.
My point is, I was able to build up a very nice collection of games for my new PS4, all of which are great titles.
I would have split some of the Black Friday Money with my 3DS, but the sale on the eshop was not only bad, but it felt insulting.
I'm not asking Nintendo to give their games away, but is it too much to ask for them to discount more of their first-party games?
@Caryslan if you haven’t picked it up yet project steam (first party 3ds title) is really good an is on sale for 3 dollars on Best Buy’s website
@faint it really is (comparing uk prices). I'm sure you guys have better prices on Nintendo than PlayStation.
@faint Maybe so, but Nintendo as a whole should recognise that they need to do more to appeal more to the U.K.- one of their weaker markets.
I spent less on Wolfenstein 2, The Evil Within 2 & Prey combined than I did on 9 month old Zelda.
I have no problem paying for quality, but that's just rediculous in comparison.
@Damo every buckin week mate, without fail lol. I can't even be bothered to explain on your behalf anymore.
Haha, I bought NOTHING on Black Friday. How do you like THAT, you capitalist pigs!
@Damo Oops, apologies if you are not allowed to copy the list. The link to GFK is broken though.
@Rhaoulos Link works for me, take me to this week's chart news. If you want the chart, you have to click on it yourself.
Are there people really surprised that the PS4, a system that's been out for 4 years and has hundreds of games, has a better sale going on than the Switch, which has been out foremost this and has a lot less games?
Really?
@electrolite77 stop talking sense you, we can't have that around these parts!
Nintendo just released ultra sun and sun moon and mario just came out a month a go people really expecting sales lol.
i never go out black friday not even sure why the uk adopted the usa thing in the 1st the place, just a bunch of violent thugs in my experience.
It's like comparing the Wii u and the PS4. When the PS4 was the newer console the Wii u had better sales.
Oh wait
@1UP_MARIO the ps4 was never an absolute failure. None the less I bought Assassins creed 3 for 10 new, dues ex 9 new, mass effect 15 new, Batman 20 new, splinter cell 20 new and tekken 20 new within 6 or 7 months of the wiius life span. So yes games were cheaper on the wiiu at the ps4 launch.
I would buy pokemon ultra sun if it was just 10 euro less. I bought a blizzard game instead for pc that was 50% off. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon are not selling good at all for a mainline pokemon title. Maybe Nintendo should learn to adjust at our age. First make a discount like everyone else you will still have profits. And secondly we're not in 1998 anymore you can't just put some extra content that most companies now offer for free or for a small fee and expect people to pay 40-45$ for it.
At least there are more Nintendo games than when the PS4 launched with SM3DWorld in 2013.
Well, I got a deal on a Switch and a game (Mario+rabbids).
@Rudy_Manchego One thing that really got me was back on the Wii U. Batman Arkham City, I found in Gamestop new under $20. But digital was $60. Digital on other platforms was I think $20, and they all but give it away periodically on Steam.
I'm ridiculously late to the party, given last week I barely turned on my laptop... but I have to state this: Nintendo was blissfully unaware of the fact that discounts can even go beyond 50%, but they're still really stingy when it comes to this kind of thing.
It was an uphill fight from the start. I know Nintendo Selects being a thing worldwide (Europe missed the GBA Player's Choice lineup back in the day, in case you're living under a rock) is a great step forward, but if this means that we'll never see a 10 € price tag for Super Mario Odyssey five years from now, they're truly playing a game that ended back in the nineties when the first PlayStation got its Platinum range.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...