The Switch's popularity has come at a high price. The majority of multi-platform releases in both physical and digital form often cost more on Nintendo's hybrid platform. Eurogamer even investigated why this was happening on the physical front in 2017, only to discover game cards cost more to produce than discs and vary in terms of price, depending on capacity.
When this mystery was solved, the unfortunate term "Switch tax" was coined, to help explain why games on Nintendo's latest device cost £10.00 or $10.00 more than versions available on other systems. With this in mind, Nintendo Soup has noticed it might actually be the other way around with one upcoming release. According to a listing on Amazon, the physical copy of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Switch will cost $39.99 and an extra $10.00 more ($49.99 in total) on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, there is a temporary discount for the Xbox One release, pushing it back down to the same price as the Switch version.
This isn't necessarily the first time something like this has happened, but it does raise questions as to why the Switch version is this price and what's happened to the infamous Switch tax. The same Amazon listing has also reportedly confirmed the game will be launched on 17th September 2019. It's worth pointing out how no release date or price has been officially confirmed at this point in time.
What do you make of this? Does this listing seem too good to be true? Will you be picking up this game whenever it is released? Tell us down below.
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[source nintendosoup.com]
Comments 57
So instead of Switch tax it got a PS4 tax? Hmmm not sure why, maybe Deep Silver is greedy as the Switch version is being published by 505 Games instead.
The Switch tax has mostly fallen by the wayside as cartridge costs have presumably come down. 2017 saw a lot of that but, nowadays games are pretty much priced equally across the board. There might be one or two rare exceptions still, but by and large that practice has ended.
Now I'm curious, as I've selected the Switch version for my Kickstarter reward. I hope the Switch version isn't an "inferior" version, in terms of content and graphic fidelity.
Admittedly, the first and only Castlevania game I have ever played was Order of Ecclesia and this reminds me of that.
@Mars I mean, it's going to way lower resolution than a 4K version of the game, but otherwise it should be identical. In terms of framerate, it really depends on how well-optimized the Switch version is, as there's no reason a game like this shouldn't run at a rock-solid 60fps.
I doubt any of that would impact the price of the game one way or another, however.
@Torakaka That's one heck of a first Castlevania game. OoE remains one of my favorite games in the series. Certainly my favorite of the post-Classicvania games.
Have you tried Curse of the Moon, the budget companion game to this? It heavily borrows from Classicvania game design (especially Castlevania 3), but smooths out the rough edges.
Switch tax isn't even a thing anymore... garbage clickbait headline.
Since I cannot stomach the visuals they ultimate decided to go for, I don't care either way about the game's pricing =(
8GB cards a year back cost what a blu Ray does to press. If the game is small enough then the cost should be less. Also if the game uses more asset copies for 1080 or 4K which are pointless they can be excluded. Audio could also if on the edge get compressed without being obvious. Lots of reasons are possible.
$40 is quite an appealing price, I'll say...
@Rika_Yoshitake "Switch tax isn't even a thing anymore... garbage clickbait headline."
It a Trolling headline is all that it is.
So... is it going to be the box and a code inside like other games recently?
I'm always happy if I can save some euros...
I just wish they’d gone for a polished pixel art style. The 3D models just look a bit naff.
Willing to pay a switch tax for portability and better load times, not that it actually exists anymore.
There's actually physical version for non-backers?
@Medic_alert most games I play load faster on Switch, but again, portability is more than half of it, so I'm not "paying for nothing". Though truth is I'm actually paying nothing because the "switch tax" has largely disappeared.
I think Switch Tax has definitely been a thing – and occasionally we still have those 'what the ....' moments of pricing on the eShop - so to those saying it's MOSTLY subsided – i'd agree.
To those saying it no longer exists – I'd disagree. There has been, and still is questionable pricing, and I think it's good that Nintendo Life is highlighting the times that developers respect the gamer with fair pricing and highlights fair standards for other developers to follow.
Why some people think this article is click-bait for simply mentioning an issue that did exist, and is likely to continue for as long as the Switch's popularity remains high is beyond me. Thank you for the article N.L. and keep reporting on this positive trend.
And try to ignore the increasing number of forum members shouting 'clickbait' at every third article.
I just pray this game has the same quality of Symphony of the Night as the subsequent Castlevanias on the handhelds, although brilliant, were not quite on the same scale. If it is not will be a day one purchase for me.
@Torakaka same. Did you enjoy it? Cos I got bored with it
Definitely getting the physical edition for switch! 🙌
@Torakaka You’ve got a lot to catch up on then before September!
If the game cartridge is $10 cheaper than the other platforms, a better question to ask is if some features or content is missing. Hopefully, the Switch port has the same quality, features, and content as the other versions.
@CupidStunt Symphony is one of the greatest games ever; whose production had the lightning-in-a-bottle luck of a Konami staff (a triple-AAA studio) at its creative prime and back when the series was willing to take risks and fund them ; it’s silly, in my opinion, to loft such great expectations on this game that has otherwise had obvious production delays and even had to bring last minute outside help to process all the bugs.
You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.
@nessisonett Especially in the conversation scenes: yeah the secondary characters especially look meh
@sandman89 It was good in my opinion. Though I wish they had added more to the game back then aside from Boss Rush and alternate game mode.
This is going to be to Castlevania what Mighty No. 9 is to the Mega Man series.
@brunojenso 100% agree with everything you wrote. Well done.
Vita port? (I know it’s not true).
I'll buy it for that.
@Bass_X0 Or you can take a wait and see approach.
"Switch tax" never really bothered me to begin with, as portability always wins for me.
I also think many a time "Switch tax" was confused with the publisher simply pricing Switch ports as new games because they technically were new games for Switch and they knew Switch owners would buy it.
@Ralizah Curse of the Moon isn't good compared to the other games. You should try the others
Order of Ecclesia is really great, I love it, but it's not a real metroidvania because the levels aren't connected, when you leave an area you can reach another level however you want. But still, it's a great game.
But Circle of the Moon is a pain in the ass for me, I have spent maybe a dozen of hours on it and I've stop because monsters have became too powerful and there's no way to heal yourself (except a little magic trick but it's not efficient)
If you really like modern Castlevania games, play all those on DS, especially Dawn of Sorrow (but play Aria of Sorrow first on GBA)
I’ll buy the version runs smoother and looks better.
I find people complaining about the so-called "Switch Tax" to be both petty and entitled. You're purchasing a different product on a different platform. Prices vary. You can buy a 4 door sedan from Ford, GM or Toyota and is the price the same? Of course not. Each one has different features and drawbacks.
People are too used to PS4 and Xbox One being nearly the exact same machine.
@Heavyarms55 It's the same game though no? You say different features, but it's more akin to an (im)port tax? I can see people fairly complaining about having to pay more for the same thing.
It's different machines, yes, but the user experience isn't.
@J_C But it is a different experience though. I can't take my PS4/Xbone/PC with me, I can't seamlessly go between TV and portable mode on those other devices. It's the same thing on Xbone and PS4 because it is the same experience on those platforms. The only minor difference between the two being the controller layout, but there are even ways around that. And with a Switch game it is on a different physical medium.
I think there is a fair argument when talking about how digital games should not cost as much as physical because there are no manufacturing or shipping costs, but that's an argument that would extend to all platforms.
It's either going to be an empty box with a code, missing content, or a genuine "sorry this isn't coming to WiiU, have a discount."
"It's worth pointing out how no release date or price has been officially confirmed at this point in time."
So basically, this entire story built upon an assumption. Nice.
@Heavyarms55 I agree to physical vs digital for sure, but the game's the same. The tax make's sense since you're paying extra for the portability that cartridge games bring, but it's a nuisance nonetheless. If someone only owns one console, and perhaps play games on the go since they drive or something, then they wouldn't have expected having to pay more for games than everyone else when they bought the console. It's like having a gas hike simply for your car brand.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely see your point, like complaining about unfair gas prices when you drive a jet to work, it's different than a car and uses jet-fuel, But the precedent in the industry has been to pay more for the console if you're wanting the consoles feature[new3ds, pro editions], not to pay more for the game.
As long as someone's being taxed for something they didn't expect, and as long as there actually is a tax, I can't fault people for complaining. Guess it's more of a Portability tax than a Switch tax though, since you have to pay for the feature whether you use it or not.
(The last thing would be the complaint of shrinking the market appeal, when something goes from a convenience to a premium [portability premium], but I wouldn't say the "tax" is nearly prevalent enough to affect anything as people might once have feared. Less people the console sells to, worse it is for everyone.)
@J_C Erm...it's not actually a tax dude.
@GrailUK Nah, only government's can impose taxes afaik. Just the name that was being thrown around. *premium, if that makes it any better
@Heavyarms55 you are paying more because they can get away with it. Switch owners will pay full price for a port. There are mobile games that cost more on Switch.
@LightBeam I've played the vast majority of the Castlevania games. While I wouldn't put it up against games like Order of Ecclesia or Rondo of Blood, I do think Curse of the Moon compares favorably against the NES games.
I backed this game on KS, the ND footage really impressed me. A firm release date would be awesome.
I didn't know the pre-order was up. Just got one through Amazon. I'm really intrigued by this game and having a physical release sealed the deal for me!
@IronMan30 My Amazon pre-order has Tuesday, September 17th listed. Not sure where they got that from but they generally only put the last day of the year (Dec 31st) when they don't know.
@Antraxx777 Not sure if surpassing SOTN in terms of variety and gameplay is really that difficult. Don’t get me wrong I love SOTN, but it’s certainly showing it’s age and I actually feel the 8 bit and 16 bit games have more diversity in terms of environments. Also some of the abilities and buffs in SOTN trivialize the importance of earlier lessons taught through gameplay. By the end you can just go into bosses and tank damage the whole time and win.
That being said you are absolutely right that Bloodstained has little to no chance of being as canonical or groundbreaking as SOTN was in 1997.
@WOLF13 I certainly don't know every one of the 1000+ titles on the platform, but the mobile ports I know of that cost more, cost that because they've had the micro-transactions and ads removed.
The switch tax might be linked to the cost of carts but in a lot of the digital-only cases it’s all about milking the user and seeing what they can get away with. This trend will possibly end as more devs are keyed into the the idea that big discounts will put them into the top selling chart just like what happened with the iOS App Store which lead to the F2P ad filled mess it is today, the alternative is taking the model used by Steam and PSN of weekly to bi-weekly sales of big games which the Nintendo store only does a few times a year.
Here's a joke for y'all.
What's the best song for all NLers?
Olivia Newton-John's Physical!
There is a Switch tax. Some companies assume it and others don't. Sega does (what Ninte... Stop it!). Seriously, Sega keeps the same price when multiplatforming.
@Antraxx777 20 years ago games like these were harder to develop. The delays could have been to get the most out of the game.
@AndreaF96 Thanks muchly
@Mars Hmmmm you never can be sure, i'm going to say there could be a chance. It doesn't look like a very demanding game, but at the same time it also doesn't look that great and i would assume it's the PC version that they show footage of.
Great to hear! Justice (if its true).
@Henmii it's not. All of the platforms are $40 now. This was a crap article
@NintenGuy,
Wich means there isn't a Switch-tax this time, wich is great news I think. By the way: The writer of the article does as if the Switch-tax is a myth, but everyone knows games very often cost more on Switch. Wich is always super annoying.
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