Bethesda Confirms Wolfenstein: Youngblood Will Include A Download Code Instead Of A Game Card

I guess they found out I was just going to wait for this title to land in the bargain bin...

Digital times are approaching now... sad times

I'll wait for a sale on the eshop. I cancelled my Amazon order

Congratulation Bethesda you had officially persuade me not to buy this game. An all digital future I don't give a damn. Make it happen and I'm leaving gaming for good. We live in an age where large physical storage media are affordable and cheap now, there is no reason this game can't be on game cart just like how there's no reason a bunch of old Mega Man games can't be on a single Blu-ray disc.

This went from 'maybe on a sale' to nope. With a few rare exceptions I don't buy digital games. And I don't buy digital games bigger than 1GB. That space on my switch and microcard is for saves and updates. And I certainly don't buy retail releases without a physical copy of the game! If I wanted that I would have waited for a eshop sale, and bought the case secondhand cheap online

And it ain't no lie. Bye, bye, bye.
I can't, nor, will I support this. Third party be darn. It's pointless to try to swindle people with a game box with nothing more than digital content inside. Again, this is just my opinion on it. Perhaps box collectors can find a love, but my heart isnt swayed.

A game box with a code is insulting. Don't put anything on the shelf if that's your plan! Why does Nintendo allow this? Do Sony and Microsoft allow similar BS?

I buy digital sometimes but why on earth would I go to the store and buy a box with a code in it? If I buy digital, I use the eshop!

@JAPBOO that would be a negative

I don't mind digital games, and a good chunk of Switch, Wii U, and 3DS games I have are digital. What's the point of a physical release if there's no game card? The point of buying physical is to have the game on media like a game card or disc.

At this point, why not just release it to the eShop without a box or one of those digital cards that I see at Target or Walmart if store space is that important.

I like both physical and digital, but this has me worried for future physical releases.

If that is the case, there is no excuse for it to be more expensive on Switch than it is on other consoles. No excuse at all. I personally would love to go digital only, but not for the current prices we are charged. The money they would make by killing off 2nd hand sales should be passed on to the consumer.

Wow that sucks. I have been supportive of Bethesda games on Switch since day 1. I will pass on this game and wait until it's $20 and pick it up for the one X instead. Smh first MK 11 and now this.

Bethesda have been great supporters of Switch and I've bought all their games so far. I'll pass on this though. I thought an 8gb switch card cost the same as a disc on Xbox or PS. Oh well, it's their decision.

Eh, it's honestly not a big deal. While I enjoy collecting physical media, I enjoy playing games even more. Still need to play Wolfenstein 2, but I'll get around to it on PC eventually.

I proceeded not to buy two copies of Wolfenstein 2 due to Bethesda's miserliness.

I shall now refuse to buy two copies of Wolfenstein Youngblood due to Bethesda's miserliness.

That's four sales you've lost from one customer, Bethesda.

I have completely lost hope of an honest physical release for Doom Eternal. I have no doubt now that they will screw it over and either put a small portion of the game on cartridge or do what WB have done with Mortal Kombat 11 and impose a day one patch that is several times the size of the content on the cartridge. (DLC and future updates will no doubt increase that size even further).

I hope it flops. This sort of contempt to the consumer is disgraceful. Nobody asked for a budget release. Demand what needs to be paid and we'll cough up the goods. Unfortunately, no-one in the West has had the guts to ship the game on a 32GB cartridge, and considering how much it would cost to even store that amount of data on a microSD card, I don't mind paying extra to keep that extraneous data off my microSD card.

I get the retailers want parity, but physical and digital products are not equal. If game size demands a higher price tag, then bloody well demand more. Never before in my years of gaming have I been so willing to buy games at full price, because we are getting so much for bang for our buck, not only in terms of game content and production values, but the inherent convenience that the Switch allows.

I own one physical game: Zelda. I like the convenience of digital, I don't care about servers going down, that's not why I buy games (I have a pile of Gamecube games on my book cabinet taking up space that I will never touch again which will eventually end up on ebay), this is no big deal.

Waste of paper and plastic.

Just cancelled my Amazon pre-order.

Wow Bethesda, that was shady. Why wasn’t NA listed as download only with the other regions?? I have to cancel my preorder now, I’m not buying an empty box. If I buy it digitally I might as well buy it off the eshop and get the extra points. Now I’m worried about Doom Eternal being digital only too.

No thx, no physical, no party.

Guess I will wait til it goes on sale in the eshop then, I am not going to buy a empty box for full price and then not be able to sell it when the single player game gets beat/boring to repeat.

Yet another game I won't buy
Shame

That's... Not physical. Sure, you get basically a promo case. But you can't advertise a download code as a "physical" game. Especially on the Switch, where there is a tangible difference between running off a cart vs needing SD space (compared to X1/PS4 where even physical releases required a hefty install to the hard drive).

@subpopz

I cannot speak for everyone, but I think the “outrage” if you can even call it that, has to do with Bethesda not saying it was digital only in one of the largest regions. Pretty important detail to disclose before preorders go live.

Me, I’ll probably still buy it, but I’m not buying an empty box, I’ll buy it off the eshop so I can get extra points

This actually doesn’t bother me as long as the spine of the case doesn’t screw up my collection like darksiders did.

Glad we're getting the game but because of this practice it will be a hard pass for me. $10 on sale is what ill pay now when I would've bought retail.

And so, the beginning of the end of proper physicals, this is a sad sad day

one of the things I like about the switch is the game cards and I don't like disc based games because a disc is just a piece of plastic to me -so this is very bad news to people like me😕

I really do not like the idea of a "physical" game that doesn't actually have a physical game in the box.

Meh...no big deal. I’m just happy us Switch owners are getting 3rd party support. Keep ‘em coming Bethesda!

@graysoncharles Seriously. It’s almost like people want to go back to the WiiU days.

@graysoncharles Who is saying we don't want 3rd party games? I'm saying I don't like big downloads. I think thos 32GB carts are aviable, didn't Dragon quest warriors use it?

I do appreciate the support but all these digital download codes instead of cartridges are getting pretty tiring. How is one supposed to build a physical collection off of download codes? Should I just stack a pile of download code pamphlets? Welcome to the new age of gaming!

I like physical copy mostly for the preservation of my games. Digital store can go away and you lose the games you bought. That's my fear with digital sales. I've see it with digital movies. Flixter and ultra violet shut down. And so goes the digital collection. I don't like this digital on future that seems to be coming. But that's just me.

I want the game, this won't stop my purchase cause it's the only way I have to play the game. But I would prefer having the cart.

You know what, I’m just beyond caring at this point.

Do I wish it were on cart? Yes, I do. Is not being on cart going to ruffle my feathers or sway me from playing? No.

Buy em on cart when you can, and buy digital when you can’t. Nothing we do is going to change anything anyways. Might as well just go with the flow.

was getting this for the One X anyway

I will buy it digitally, no biggie

Was day one. Now it’s a meh I’ll pick up when cheap. They wanna be cheap... I’ll be cheap too.

Well that's a bummer. I guess that means I'm gonna have to pass. I don't have enough room on my SD card and I'm not going to pay for this game and a new card. At least not yet anyway.

What a steaming pile of you know what! If it's digital only then they should only be allowed to sell one of those credit card looking things that hangs on the wall at the store, not a box that always signifies to consumers that "there is a cartridge in here you can buy". I absolutely hate stuff like this!

It reminds me of when the Fallout 3 expansions were released in boxes in stores with digital codes. Over a decade ago. By Bethesda.

I won't be buying it then. The only reason Doom and Wolfenstein 2 worked for me on the Switch is because they had physical game cards that made it so I didn't need a massive install. Even with my 400GB SD card I still don't have the free space necessary to go all digital with games like this, I have too many other games installed.

I’m just happy it’s coming to Switch at all. Still this is unfortunate and I’m disappointed.

@Silly_G why would you buy two copies of the same game??

Guess I won't be giving them my money.

Already canceled my pre-order once I read this yesterday. I'll wait for a sale to pick up the game.

This gets a long drawn out golf clap from me.

@Heavyarms55 they allow it too, but almost nobody does it from what I know (well except Fornite).

Maybe because the 50gb blu-ray discs for Xbox One and PS4 are dirt cheap.

@mgnoodle : I was keen to grab the German versions as well as they are censored, and I thought that they would be an interesting addition to my collection. Plus, I think it would make a second playthrough less familiar.

Well RIP to the people who wants this game Physical.

Cancel, cancel, cancel......lazy does not deserve reward!

I won't be buying now then

I think its rather logical. Wolf just isnt a very big seller on Switch, not at alla like other bedhesda games like Skyrim and Doom.

A new big 3rd party with same day release on Switch at $29.

Honestly - even If digital only, still good news (and a deal) in my book. I mean, The empty case is dumb - just release it in the eShop if not doing an actual physical release.

I don't mind digital however I'm going to need to invest in a bigger SD card. 200gb just don't cut it. Might just get a 256gb for around £25 and swap between them.

The point is not to have a physical game, but to have shelf space in stores. Because of selling things to make money. Shocking but true - gamers obsessed with collecting plastic don't matter as much as selling. It's very practical.

Good. Saved me some money.

@Stocksy you’re going to wait to pick up a used game that is just a download code?

@tobibra ...And the retail price for DQH1+2 is 9504 yen (about 85 US dollars).

Personally I am beginning to prefer digital... This is a big game so I will see the impact of those big games on my 400 GB microsd. But imho digital is quicker an more confortable.

Thanks for the clarification... It's a pass for me, but there's always a chance that a Limited Run Games or others may pick it up and do a CE big box hehe. That's how I get most of my games anyway.

Hard pass. Not supporting this kind of stuff.

I hope noone buys it

I usually opt for physical releases when available, but a game being digital only does not upset me in the slightest. could not care less. That being said, I don't understand the point of selling an empty case. Just avoid all the drama from the drama queens and make the cover available as a printable PDF file and those that want the case on their shelf can print it off and throw it in a case.

Thanks for saving me from buying your game Bethesda!

@graysoncharles if this is how they release their games i don't really care.

what a load of balls..

@subpopz
I’m glad as well. Every time something like this happens you hear the same outrage, yet it never has even the slightest impact on sales whatsoever. And thank goodness for it. Boycotting digital games wouldn’t suddenly change the world so we get all physical releases, it would just destroy third-party support entirely and we’d be right back in the Wii U era. So I’m grateful it’s only a vocal fringe minority. It’s strange that only within the Nintendo fanbase is a subset who care more about the medium a game is stored on than playing the actual game. I love physical games and definitely prefer them if given a choice, but never in a million years does that preference take precendence over actually playing the games.

And while I can certainly relate to the frustration of wanting games all on the cart (and on a cart at all for that matter), the whole “threatening to not buy a game” in response is getting tiresome. That’s not to say there aren’t specific situations where I think that’s a reasonable response. If you have the largest affordable SD card and it’s a large enough download to cause issues with your space management, I can respect that. I had that happen to me before the advent of 512gb and now 1TB microSD cards. But, I actually had a 400gb microSD and only after filling it up did it become an issue for me. But those who refuse to buy a microSD despite 400gb cards routinely selling for $60 now, and then complaining about 10-15gb of space being needed for the occasional game? Can’t respect that.

I'm very soured! This is not cool. Contact Bethesda and key then know of your disdain for this idea.

Lol at all of you dinosaurs still hanging onto physical media. That era has passed us by. Let it go and be free.

@graysoncharles I like your comment for what you said at the beginning of it.

They push the cost of storage onto the consumer.

Wow some people are friggin’ butthurt about needing to have a memory card for their Switch. Don’t let any of them know that there’s an Xbox One that won’t have a disc drive...

Bethseda felt they weren't hated enough over Fallout 76. So they did this...

@subpopz The problem with this "who cares about having to download massive games people do it all the time" mentality is that it works a lot better on home consoles with massive hard drives and easily expandable external storage than it does for the portable Switch with it's limited and highly expensive SD storage.

I mean I got a 400GB SD card in my Switch, which makes me one of the top 1% of Switch users when it come to available storage, and even then I still don't have the kind of free space needed to justify the kind of mentality you are endorsing. I feel like the more common this gets, the harder of a sale it is going to be for Switch users.

People who are outraged at lack of physical releases (many on this site ) are becoming more of a minority. The general population is moving towards digital like they did with music and movies. Their steadfast anger is strong in refusing to join the masses.

@JRJalapeno yup instantly becomes a wait and see game. Looks great but I refuse to pay that kind of money for digital. I hope there are enough of us for them to hear

I absolutely love physical media and if the choice is there I will always go physical. However the fact that Bethesda is supporting Switch at all is a godsend, never mind this game being an all download game. I’d rather have the option of having a box and artwork rather than a regular e shop download, the fact that this game is 30-40 bucks still pulls me in. Regardless I’m gonna support the Switch because it’s the Switch.

Many gonna disagree. but, i don't care about this game not getting a physical. i'm just glad we're getting it, Bethesda could just ignore putting this on switch.
that being said, i do plan on picking this up.

Pretty much guaranteed to lose sales because of this.

I'll give it a miss. They better not pull this ******** with DOOM Eternal!

(You used some not so lovely language - Matthew010)

Nah, I don't care, I'll get it anyway. Bethesda wants to keep the same price for the game across all platforms. If they would had added the game card, it would had made the Switch version more expensive, and people would have complained anyway, probably even worse. Bethesda is one of the best 3rd party supporters of the Switch, and I believe Youngblood will work better than Wolf II. It's not that the other physical versions are better: You still have to install the game in the other platforms, and it will occupy a lot more of space on those consoles than it will on Switch. Forget the haters.

**** you, Bethesda. **** you hard and without mercy. I hope you file for bankruptcy.

Then there is no physical version...

"The physical version of Wolfenstein: Youngblood will be a digital download code"

Jumbo shrimp
military intelligence
physical digital

For all you people complaining about the complainers - you know who you are - you are, as usual, missing the point to promote your own agenda and misplaced superiority.

People aren't complaining about having to buy this game digitally - they are complaining b/c Bethesda SAID they were releasing the game physically when they are not. A physical BOX is not a physical GAME. People are upset b/c Bethesda LIED. And yes, it is ok when people are upset about getting lied to. If you aren't upset about getting lied to then there is probably something wrong with you.

Bethesda could have said awhile back - no physical game - and been done with it. When you tell people you are releasing the GAME physically but just release a code that is a LIE. That is what most people are upset about, the lieing.

Just look at what Bethesda said: "The physical version of Wolfenstein: Youngblood will be a digital download code"

The physical version can not and is not by the laws of physics a digital code. Even in their official announcement they are lieing.

I mentioned elsewhere that it's clear they're mainly doing this for the shelf space and visibility for their AAA game at brick and mortar stores.

Because they straight up could've done download cards like other publishers do; save on the plastic, paper, AND space.

It is a complete slap in the face to offer a "physical version" that really just amounts to the plastic case. It's insulting, especially to people who haven't double checked before buying, as well as dishonest thanks to the fact that you can't return an opened game. If you're going to publish as digital only, then don't even bother with the game case.

This "physical version well it's just a download code" trend needs to end yesterday.

I was looking to get this day one but I'm not so sure anymore, I'm now leaning towards getting it once it goes on sale. It's not just because I feel a bit aggrieved because of Bethesda's shameful behavior by pretending to offer a physical version, I have a huge issue with digital only games.

All the cost reduction benefits of digital sales haven't ever materialized for customers even from the largest game companies. If say a cartridge goes bad ten or twenty years from now that sucks but it should be possible to track down a replacement. If say my Switch dies its very unlikely especially after the twenty years mark I'll be able to get back even half the content I bought digitally because the people running these companies don't care about games or their customers they only care about profit maximization especially short term profit maximization for the benefit of their owners.

@Silly_G It's not about the guts to ship a game on a 32GB card. It's about the cost. Youngblood is a 30$ game. Using larger cards eats into the cost of an already budget price game. They are a business and they have to make money too.

I would much prefer a physical copy of the game too, but it is just not feasible for this game. They are still supporting the Switch with a likely very good game and I'll pick it up when I can.

@JaxonH Your voice of reason in the comments is always refreshing.

Download codes are so collectible!

Thank you Bethesda you made my decision simple take this game and shove it up you know where because I’ll never support a digital future, if I paying full price for something then I should own it I’d even pay more to own a Physical version you know a cartridge inside the case.

At least with the Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle physical release, which was still pretty stupid. was for a free-to-play game that had already been digitally released for a while. This, however, is absolute lunacy. Bethesda's cheapness, willingness to pass the cost of manufacturing carts onto us, and blatant attempt to damage the used-game industry is not acceptable. People trying to defend this crap or say "It's inevitable. Accept it." are enabling these companies to screw us out of our ownership of these games and force us to pay for storage instead of them.

So it's an article about a physical case containing a download code, huh. On NintendoLife. Well, time to brace for impact.

Maybe @rjejr will be disappointed in me - although I get your point, fella! - but I'm totally siding with @graysoncharles on this one. I'll bottom-line my thoughts with one single sentence, this time around, for brevity's sake: it's either this kind of third-party support, or no third-party support at all - far better than the alternative, in fact. Youngblood isn't even a "late port" this time - it's a version that's released in the same time-frame as its PS4 and X1 brethren, and we should already be thankful just for that alone.

Now, time to go back to lurker mode.

It's easy to hop on the bandwagon and blame devs but....
What are the alternatives If the entire game won't fit on Nintendos cartridges?

All the shortcomings of Nintendos design decisions are finally starting to show. All the concessions that were made to accommodate a hybrid gimmick are starting to hit home.
The complete and utter lack of horsepower and standard features will ensure a lack of third party support.

People's insistence on not recognizing that the shortcomings of this platform rest squarely on nintendo, is a huge part of the problem. They get a free pass.

We also can't expect these companies to make a special version for the weakest hardware from the ground up.

The expectations should fall on Nintendo. Remember that giant image they released leading up to launch? The one with 100 logos of developers that had allegedly pledged their support for the platform?
Where they at?

This is not Bethesda’s fault. If they did put a third of the game on the cartridge, people would still complain. Cartridges from Nintendo are expensive.
I see this more of a Nintendo’s problem then Bethesda’s

@AlexSora89 You can't hide from me lurker boy.

Your suggestion that this is better than nothing doesn't diminish from my idea that they just should have announced the empty box up front and said straight away - no physical, download digital only sold in a variety of ways - eShop, cards, codes in boxes. Why lie and say it's physical when it's digital? I mean seriously, in the official announcement they said it was a physical game that was digital only. That's like saying someone is alive and well, except for the being completely dead part.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a game being digital download only, probably 90% of Switch games are like that considering the abundance of indies every week, but why lie about it? I'm even ok w/ the box on the shelf, I know some people like boxes, but it's still a digital code, there is no physical game, to say it's physical is an out and out lie. Do companies call those cards physical games? I don't think so.

New colossus was an amateur effort anyway, a shame since new order was fantastic; I expect Youngblood to be lacklustre too

Lol, for when you want to pay tax and get a plastic case. I’ve already embraced digital. I do sort of feel for the hardcore physical people, but ultimately I don’t think it’s a big deal. In the long run they are both just a license.

Welp - definitely not buying it now. I like to be able to resell games when I’m finished with them. The only games I download are small indies.

Is it really THAT expensive to use a 32 GB game card? This has been the trend with western publishers exclusively, a handful of japanese/asian releases have used the bigger card or even more than one card. It's pretty stupid as they'll end up losing sales when they could slightly reduce profits but secure said sales instead

Sad that Nintendo allows this kind of practice.

How will it affect sales? Not a lot. I mean don't have a go at 3rd party releases not coming to Switch if you won't buy one of the best 3rd party titles that will be available for the system. They are entitled to make money, if saving the money on the cart allows them to bring the game to this system then I will download the game. Welcome to the 21st century.

Still a pass for me as well.

This really sucks as I was hoping for this to sit nicely next to Skyrim and Doom and Wolfenstein. Bethesda think of the fans.

However I probably will still buy this non physical physical edition just for shelf appeal and to keep the 3rd party support alive even if it means I have to buy an extra sd card for this game only to be stored in the box.

If this is what I have to do to be able to play quality 3rd party games on switch then so be it.

I am very disappointed by this I hope Doom eternal isn’t heading for the same treatment.

@MarinaKat Yes, so? Obviously I don't speak for anyone but myself, just because I can download a lot does not mean I want to. And I absolutely think 1GB is a lot of data. That does not mean I don't like 3rd party games. Give me an interesting game, aviable on a cart and I'll buy. Majority of my Switch games are 3rd party. My preference for physical releases is just a preference.

@Itzdmo
"What are the alternatives If the entire game won't fit on Nintendos cartridges?"

That has never been a problem There are NO Switch games that will not fit on the currently available 32GB game cards that Nintendo offers. The issue with games that only have part of the game on the card is that publishers are CHOOSING to put the game on a smaller card to save money. It's Nintendo's fault for allowing the practice, but it is not and has never been a hardware limitation.

@retro_player_22 I'm right there with you. I refuse to rent a game instead of buying it. All digital is nothing but that.

@Amrulez how will it affect sells? A lot. You are very wrong in not thinking it will not have a effect. They will loss 100 times more then they would have made this way. Most people not happy about this will not be buying the game. As for third party games Nintendo doesn't need them to survive.

@Dustopolis you own physical, you are renting digital. Sorry I don't rent my games.

Its a bummer the game isnt really physical, but i will still buy it anyways.

The developers still took the time to port it over and have us another (AAA) 3rd party game on a Nintendo console.

People are really being to harsh on the situation knowing well what compromises can be made for having certain big games on Switch.

Its unfortunate that gamecards are still expensive but you have to start somewhere to make such mediums cheaper through time.

@Heavyarms55 Yes, like Cuphead's physical release, or Fortnite. It's not a Nintendo-only problem.

JUST PAY THE EXTRA FOR THE HIGH CAPACITY CARTRIDGE, JEEZ!!

The game is only $30 and will likely be well above 16 GB in size. No publisher would want to literally lose money while selling this game.

Sadly, not the first time Ive seen this. Nor will it be the last. I dont understand the point of it, seems like a waste of plastic and shelf space. Still getting it though. $30 is a fair price imo, but Ill be going PC on this one.

So.... why sell people an empty Box? I don’t get it. Just only have it available on the Eshop.

@Dirty0814 I think the Wii U era has proved that Nintendo needs 3rd party games/ support and good ones at that.

I'll stick with the Xbone version then

@Itzdmo We defend it because it's successful. The Switch is not meant to be an alternative to the more powerful PS4 or Xbox.

@Kr96 obviously it IS too expensive for them to use 32gb cards. Even if its an extra $1, that adds up very quickly on a mass scale.

Was there this mass outrage at P* for Bayonetta 1 & 2?

@Mamabear actually no as one that was due to lack of advertising at the start. Nintendo survived without third party support with the Wii and the Switch along with the Ds. They do not need it. Hell Nintendo has more exclusives than anyone else out there and more than don't and Microsoft combined.

Did this have a physical release on other systems?

Right...so, why purchase the box, and not the digital version straight from the Nintendo E-shop? to get the box as a collectible? I'm sorry, but the days when a Nintendo game box was worth keeping are long gone.

@graysoncharles GameStop? Please. eBay all the way way cheaper. GameStop is struggling because they charge 5 bucks less for a used game than a new one. Millions of gamers still prefer physical period. Millions will be lost from people not buying because they don't want a digital copy period. It's better to have both so they can please both sides. It's a bad business move period.

Sell it as a ******* scratch card then ***holes don’t lie and put a plastic box on the shelf

For the people questioning why Nintendo allows this, well, this isn't anything new. There were PSP and Vita games that did this. At least the Switch doesnt force you to buy proprietary memory cards that are WAY overpriced like the Vita did.

I always prefer physical, but this isnt a deal breaker. I do wish Bethesda either did one of the following: a) Use a 4 or 8GB card and put the rest as a download. I don't know, that's something. And/or b) Put the game on a 16GB card and make this 'version' cost like $10 more. There probably will still be a download, but it'd be very small compared to downloading the whole game.

@AlohaPizzaJack don't forget fallout 4 GOTY i got conned on that one, expected all content on disc and just got a voucher code, was no way to tell till after release so a lot of people were angry about it.

I prefer digital anyway so this doesn't really bother me. What DOES bug me is their need to make the cases at all. What's the point?!

@SharkAttackU yes and i still haven't brought bayonetta 1&2 on the switch, still have my wii u physical copies.

that was the start of all this mess, now look at where we are now.

@TheFongz a lot of these publishers are just dam right stingy.

@Mince true... but they could just ship the game with the smallest cartridge and ask us to download the rest of the game as they have done it before... not sure why are they doing the while digital thing..

This is the price Nintendo owners pay when they decide to go their own way and ignore the industry standards. Since the Nintendo 64, Nintendo had given the middle finger to CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and other standards their competitors have used, and it has bitten them in the ass time and time again.

People are mad at Bethesda, and while I can understand they people may be upset that they weren't forthcoming, what in the hell are they supposed to do?

If they don't bother with any physical release, then Nintendo fanboys will rip them apart.

If they don't port this game to the Switch, then they will get blasted for abandoning Nintendo's hardware.

So, they do what they can. Because the Switch lacks a HDD and does not support Blu-Rays this is a solution they came up with.

If you want to blame somebody, blame Nintendo. While I love Nintendo, they love to flip off the rest of the game indsturdy and impose their own standards. It works for their games, but often turns off third-party developers who don't want to mess with it.

But I love everyone's solution. Let's just not buy the game, that will show them! Or, they will simply walk away from Nintendo and not look back. Then we can go back to the dark ages where third-parties ignored Nintendo outside of tossing an odd game our way.

Don't like this? Well, its the price you pay for having a console-quality handheld that lacks an HDD and Blu-Ray drive. The portability of the Switch has a trade off, and third-parties have a right to make money off their games.

Nintendo systems have always had a trade-off since the Nintendo 64 had carts rather than CDs. Third Parties are willing to support Nintendo and the Switch this time which is more then could be said for the Wii and Wii U.

Do we return that support by not throwing fits over boxes and knowing we can play MK11 and Wolfenstein anywhere we go, or do we ignore these games over a trivial issue and give third-parties all the more reason to abandon Nintendo once again?

Our trade off for having a download code is having versions of console quality games we can take anywhere, something the Xbox One and PS4(without a Vita) will never have.

One of the few times I believe an all-out boycott is a good idea. Why waste plastic if there is no physical cartridge? Keep it digital, sale it at $29.99 and you will have a hit on your hands. Sale it at $59.99 and it will be on the bargain screen within two weeks.

@Dirty0814

On these type of hard core forums? Maybe....It's a brand new Wolfenstein game, it will sell a lot of copies. And tell the Wii U owners how Nintendo doesn't need 3rd party support.

@Heavyarms55 Sony did the same thing with Patapon 2's US release on the PSP. The box only came with an instruction booklet and a download code for the game. I've kept it in my bedroom ever since.

Do they think we're made out of storage?

I won't pay more than $25 AUD for a digital only game. So won't be playing this then until it's heavily discounted.

@Caryslan great comment

A non-physical physical version of a videogame.

This truly is, the Age of Absurdity.

@Desa Curse you forever for getting that song stuck in my head.

Total waste of resources

And Nintendo is still around right? Why? Because of exclusives. Nintendo doesn't and never needed third party support. They have proven that time and time again. Nintendo innovates, they do not bow down and do what makes the most money for them. They never have and have repeatedly said this.

@Amrulez I am a Wii U owner and I own more get for the WiiU than I do for my PS3. I enjoy more of those games even and still play them. I don't play my PS3 or 360 anymore. Hell I don't even play my PC games hardly. The WiiU had no lack of good games at all. There are probably just as many good games on it as there was on the PS3 and xbox. Nintendo screwed up with that without advertising. That alone has been said and proven numerous times already. It is the reason they are advertising the crap out of the switch.
Do you seriously think the switch is much better than the WiiU? It is the WiiU minus the limited range period.

Nintendofan83 confirms he is not buying the game for Switch. I'll just wait 2-3 months and it will be 50% off PS4 or Xbox1.

Retail presence is still very important for publishers, having a boxed copy is not just an item to be sold, but also a form of advertising. If it was just sold as a download code, it might have a harder time being seen by the consumer as most retailers place it away from the rest of the items being sold and cards aren’t as eye catching as boxed copies when placed along other cards with printed on PNGs.

@Indielink : I've stated before that nobody asked for this to be a budget-priced game. They very well could have included a cartridge with the more expensive deluxe edition if cost was an issue.

@WiltonRoots It's amazing how many thumbs down you have just for stating your honest opinion. I share the same opinions. I have tons of physical cases and old PS2, Gamecube, and PS1 games that are just sitting in my closet. I take them with me every time I move and find new places for them. I never play them because the limited time I have to play games I spend playing the new games that I have just bought or have not beaten yet. In a sense, they are a literal waste of space since I never do anything with them, and they do nothing to benefit my life. 80% of my Switch, Wii U, and 3DS games are digital, and I have noticed that the physical games I have are played much less than the digital ones because the inconvenience of switching out discs and carts does not compare at all to effortlessly booting up digital games. I understand that some of you may be actual collectors of physical media, and some of you may like to buy physical to resell games, but I am sure the vast majority of you are just like me: People who hold onto physical media for sentimental reasons that have nothing to do with collecting or reselling games. A digital future is one that I will happily continue to keep gaming in because I love playing games, not collecting physical media.

@dleec8 I can understand people being upset by them printing up an empty case with a code in it, but people should show their disdain by leaving that crap on a shelf and not buying it. Email the company and tell them you're pissed off. They'll get the message soon enough. Crying on here solves nothing. The thing is on other consoles how much game do you actually get on disc and how much is a massive day one patch download? Answers on a postcard.

The amount of space games that I'll never play again (and films I'll never watch again) take up in my house, not counting the thousands of tracks I have collected on vinyl and CD as a DJ is ridiculous. I'm coming from a point of view of someone who's sick of hoarding stuff for no reason other than sentiment and can't wait to get rid of most of them. Speaking of which, does anyone want a pile of kung fu VHS tapes?

Another cheap out by the fine management at Bethesda. The game will be good because it’s only being produced by them though. If they made it, there would be a patch double the size of the game that resulted in the game crashing more frequently.

I'm a bit conflicted. On one hand, it does bother me not having a physical game cartridge option. Physical media is always the go-to option for collectors like me unless games come incomplete (like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy). But no game at all... just a plastic box with a download code... that's pretty lame.

That being said, I can't really blame Bethesda too much. I know the Switch is a hybrid-system and Nintendo technically advertises it as a console that just so happens to be able to be portable as well, but situations like these make it seem more like a portable. The system has no HDD or SSD and it's severely under-powered compared to the competition. There's really not a whole lot Bethesda can do to please fans here. Games are becoming larger each day. Forza 7 on my laptop takes up over 100 GB for crying out loud! Scaling these massive, high-textured games to the Switch is difficult enough performance wise, but trying to get these 50+ GB games condensed into a 16 GB card or lower is a monumental task. I agree it would be nicer to have a cart with a download... but man, either way people will complain.

It's a crappy situation that just can't really be avoided. If you want all your big, triple-A, third-party games to be physical... well, then it's best to own a PS4 or XBOX One. Games are simply too big and ambitious for the Switch to not compensate in some departments. I'm upset by this news but I'm not mad in the slightest. I guess it helps that I was already planning on picking this game up for my PS4 Pro.

Before I end this monstrous comment, I wish Bethesda would have given a reason for the game not including a cartridge. More likely than not it's due to the game's size... but why couldn't they do what they did for Wallenstein 2? If profits weren't good for that game, then perhaps they are cutting cartridge costs to help out with this new one? I'm not sure, I just wish we knew the rationale. If they at least explained why, I'm sure most of the comments in the section wouldn't be as negative.

If anyone reads up to this point, kudos to you!

@LuciferOnReddit You have to understand that if going all digital was truly "customer unfriendly", then they would not be doing it. They track the sales of physical and digital units and forecast profits, then they compare the forecasted sales to what actually happened. The truth is that digital sales have been increasing by tremendous amounts for many years, and the trend just keeps going in that direction. The costs of manufacturing the carts, paying suppliers and distributors, and holding inventory, add up to much more than many people here seem think it does. A digital copy of a game doesn't even exist until a consumer purchases it and downloads their copy. No other costs are associated with it at all. Consumers are beginning to embrace the convenience of digital games, just as they are embracing the convenience of online shopping and having items delivered to their door instead of going to physical locations to shop. The truth is, game companies know that there is a very small subset of gamers who won't buy their games if there are no physical copies, and the financial numbers say it isn't worth it to cater specifically to this small group and to just let them not buy their products then. The future is mostly all digital and that is based on consumer trends, not on "unfriendly business."

Looks like I will be skipping this game.

Has the Switch failed regarding cartridges? So many of them have half a game and some have been replaced with a piece of paper.

@WiltonRoots "The thing is on other consoles how much game do you actually get on disc and how much is a massive download?"

That's a very good point. Even most PS4 and XBOX One games that come with all of the game on one disc still have vital updates that release frequently. Without these updates, key features are absent and will not be retrievable down the road. It's an issue with modern gaming as a whole. The Switch is even guilty of it too. There have been plenty of patches for recent games. 20 years from now, you'll probably not be able to download the extra free content in games like Kirby Star Allies and Mario Tennis Aces. It's lame but it's just the way it is.

Also, you're comment on hoarding games and other goodies is a risky thing to say here. Gaming sites like these are filled with collectors. I'm more of a mild collector myself and I can relate a bit to hoarding things. I just hope no one freaks out over you saying it!

Whats the point of making a physical version then? Save the plastic and paper for a game with a cartridge.

@DeathByLasagna But on Switch is not the updates that are not included but half the original game which is not the same, something is missing since the very start. Updates can't be burnt onto a disc that is in your house already so the comparison is unfair.

Digital age is fast approaching. Get use to it

@DeathByLasagna Hey I'll take the flack, it's only games. I used to like having a nice stash on my shelves, even more so in the days of the Dreamcast/Saturn and earlier (loved the Super Famicom boxes) because of the amazing Japanese artwork and packaging, but priorities in life change.

@DeathByLasagna I agree with you about part of your comment though. Updates have become a defining feature of the current generation. Sea of Thieves is a completely different game now, it even has a new adventure and a new arena mode coming this month, the original ambiguous mode just disappears! Same for Street Fighter V which didn't have an arcade mode until recently (the most important mode for me!), same for a few Switch games that were bare-bones at launch...

The current generation will always be remembered as the generation where KEY games didn't become COMPLETE games after months (or years) later. How come? I love the current generation but this is madness, no point in buying physical anymore unless it's cheaper and you want it as a digital key or you want that (empty) box...

@Caryslan Why insult these people calling them fanboys? This is a legit issue because there are japanese/asian releases that use the 32 gb cards without a problem and it's always western publishers cheapening out this way

@Itzdmo The solution is simply using the bigger game cards available, but of course that's way too prohibitive to western publishers as japanese publishers don't have that issue. And how the hell do you expect said game cards to go down on price if devs refuse to ship games on those, at this pace nobody will use the 64 gb cards. And for all your ranting you should just part ways with the Switch and Nintendo in general as everything you do is complain

@Silly_G And they'd be losing even more money on the deluxe edition then considering it comes with a code to give to a friend so they can play the game for free.

Also, I do not believe I am alone in appreciating that this is a budget release.

@SharkAttackU Of course there was outrage about Bayo1 being digital only when Japan got a physical version, but to be fair it was marketed as Bayo2 with the first one thrown as a bonus seeing later physical copies completely lacked it

@Dirty0814

I wasn't trashing the Wii U, I loved mine. But it was an abysmal failure compared to what the Switch has accomplished in terms of consoles sold and games sold and in way less time. 3rd parties for the most part ignored the Wii U in pretty short order. The Switch is also way more powerful, not sure if you were trying to say otherwise. But I love the Wii U, it just did very poorly. If it didn't they wouldn't have cut its lifespan so fast (4 plus years and after 4 years almost all development for the system was non-existent)

Unless it's super cheap (cheaper than eshop), I don't buy retail. So no issue for me either way.

Hopefully they will mark down the price based on this

Actually, now I think about this... This makes no sense. Nintendo will get their 30% cut of all digital sales. And the retailer will put their mark-up on this.

Unless this is pushing up the price of the eshop to match.

Digital "patch" I understand, as it's still a retail title. But surely this doesn't count as a retail title... Unless Nintendo have a special pricing tier for these. Publisher still needs to buy the box and inserts.

Weird.

@graysoncharles As you don't seem to understand it's obvious I'm talking about the price at which Nintendo sells these cards to the devs, NOT the general audience. If publishers don't buy them and adopt them at a massive scale the very few being ordered will never go down in price simply because there isn't enough demand, and of course neither Nintendo or the publishers want to eat up the cost. Supply and demand ringing a bell to you?

@rjejr
I don’t think they ever announced it as being physical so I don’t think they lied at all. They simply announced the game and people assumed it was physical because of retailer listings. Which is a reasonable assumption to make but not one Bethesda should be held liable for.

They went out of their way to clarify when they saw there was some confusion. It is indeed a physical release of a digital game. It’s a tangible physical product you purchase in a store, but that tangible physical product includes a code for a digital game.

I don’t think there’s anything misleading or confusing about that.

If you want to play.... download away. I have no problem with this personally. I know some would rather have the cartridge/game cards but that's on Nintendo making them so expensive for the bigger memory cards.

@DeathByLasagna
I read up to that point, and I have the likely answer to your question.

Wolf 2 was a $60 game. This is a $30 game. Nintendo, Sony and MS all demand a 30% royalty fee for releasing on their platform, but if you release physically there’s an additional 25% charge. Which leaves only 45% for the taking, and that’s just revenue before accounting for costs. 45% of $30 is less than $15. Had a 16gb cartridge been used, that $15 revenue per copy would be more like $5 per copy. And that’s not even remotely fair or reasonable for a AAA game, be it a shorter release or not.

Those who prefer digital only really must love big companies just walking all over them. You buy the game but you also have to have bought a memory card to put the game on as well. The whole point to physical is to save space on memory and for resale/collection purposes. I don't mind paying more for a physical release at least then if the game is a complete flop I can make some of my money back from a second hand sale.

@JaxonH
It's a bargain game though. I don't think they expect it to sell, why else is it so cheap? Not all spinoffs are bargain bin material from the get go!

Code in a box. Lol

Sooooopid! What's the point

@dleec8 The problem with your claim is you are not taking into account the real reason this happens. Sure companies are aware of the popularity of digital due to convenience, but the real reason they embrace digital has nothing to do with consumers at all. A huge company like Bethesda could easily provide a game card, but by cheaping out it saves them money. It also doesn’t allow the buyer to share the game with friends. It’s a win win for them.

The consumer loses because now they have to free storage on their hardware, for a game with a 10 hour campaign they can’t resell.

Also no company has been hasty with a way to share games digitally with friends. PlayStation has discussed it, but has been close lipped on how exactly this will work.

So it’s fine to be ok with this development, but let’s just be honest about the cause.

Honestly if they just came out and said "eShop only" people wouldn't be as upset. An empty case is just pointless and a waste of money for both the publishers and consumers. And if they did this to cut costs it's still dumb because.

1. They have to create all of these pointless cases.
2. You're wasting time and money by going to a store and buying it or waiting for it in the mail from Amazon because you still have to download it anyway.

Just overall a pointless "physical" version. They should've just been more direct and said eShop only.

@JayJ finally someone gets it 👍👍👍

@GameOtaku you don't get it obviously. I don't resell my games. But i do hate losing cartridges, wasting space in my house and having to swap cartridges everytime I want to play a different game. You better get used to the digital world, for gaming, movies and music... As there is no going back.

@JR150 digital download codes have been on sale for years now? Just sell these. Agree that the box is a waste, and it's also false marketing.

This is what Microsoft tried to do with the original XBone, and everyone shot it down.

It's easy to say physical will die 'soon'. But, how soon is soon? I really refuse to speculate until one of the major publishers start not releasing anything in stores or Sony or Microsoft remove disk drives off their consoles.

With all of the other (to put it mildly) bungles Bethesda has made recently i.e. Fallout 76, etc; they have eroded a lot of the goodwill they had.

I am sorry but while this practice isn't exactly new? It doesn't make it any less frustrating.

PC gamers are used to this for quite a while now. EA released boxed codes for Battlefront. (Not that I care what EA does because I don't buy their games). But the thing is; why would you waste the time, and gas to actually travel to a store to buy a pseudo physical copy that you have to download anyway, when you can just download said game from a digital store and be done with it.

The problem lies in that Bethesda should have been more forthcoming with fans. But asking that of a company who have misled fans several times over the past few months is perhaps asking too much. Need I remind people of the Nuka Dark Rum and the Fallout 76 power armor with the 'nylon' bag instead of the canvas bag that was advertised. That is on top of the disaster that was Fallout 76.

To some this may not be a big deal. As I've seen some suggest, they feel it's a non-issue. That doesn't mean it isn't an issue for others though and it doesn't make their criticism any less valid.

The reasons people like buying physical are varied.

First not everyone has a good internet connection and many face data caps that make downloading large games somewhat of a huge chore. Especially if you live in a rural area like me where your choice of ISP is limited. We only had a speed upgrade ourselves a few years ago. This problem is magnified by the storage limitations of the Switch itself.

With a paltry 32gb of storage to begin with the user then has to consider investing in additional storage when a game requires a larger download. This isn't quite as big of an issue on the PS4 Pro where you have 1TB to work with. Even then, with games taking 50gb or so a pop and preallocated installs that can be used pretty quickly. Let's pretend for a moment that someone has just bought a Switch and decided for some reason not to get Mario or Zelda but wants Wolfentstein Youngblood. Official file size hasn't been revealed. But Wolfenstein New Blood clocked in at 36gb. This means that someone is in all likelihood going to need additional storage.

Some like having an actual physical collection. As a collector? You wouldn't want just the case would you. Certainly not. Imagine if you were trying to collect an entire library of NES games complete with manuals, cartridge and box. Missing the cartridge your missing value in having a physical item that has a tangible monetary value.

As a result? This is why people can buy, sell and trade their games and do with their games what they like. Once you redeem that download code? It's spent and you essentially lose your right to resell that game or trade it in which is true of any digital game. This is often why people opt to buy physical in the first place. So as I said...certainly not a 'non-issue' for many. Myself included.

Not only do I own a Switch but I am a PC gamer as well. So here is another thing to consider. Bethesda's decision has made me decide that I very likely will pass on the Switch version. If I do buy the game? It will probably be on Steam during a steam sale when it's heavily discounted. So Bethesda rather than seeing the return from the sale of the game at full price is now looking at making a fraction of what they may have made otherwise.

I also have to wonder why they bother with the costs to print the box art for the cases when there is no physical cart. It's an extra cost they would not have had they just opted for a straight up digital release.

Hellblade for instance has only ever been a digital title. And that title was quite successful.

I say all this as someone who supported Bethesda titles on Switch. I bought DOOM and Skyrim both despite owning them on PC already. I also bought Wolfenstein 2. I am now questioning whether I will support Doom Eternal now as well if they take a similar approach. It's a shame too because part of the reason 3rd party support suffered on the WiiU was because of 3rd parties shooting themselves in the foot with the decisions they made.

@Cathousemaster
Just how often in a days time would you honestly need to swap out a cart? Is your hand broken or something? I prefer physical since it's going to last a lot longer than digital, just look at nes, snes, gameboy etc that still play fine today as they did 20+ years ago compared to digital only games that have vanished from the face of the earth. The only argument you have is convenience. So what when you spend $40 on a digital game and your memory is full you've got to delete something to add extra space or then you'd still be paying and swapping memory cards.

I wonder if they'll put a little place to put a micro SD card in the box? That would be a nice extra knife in the back of their customers!

@GameOtaku last night I deleted (archived) 10 titles. I also purchased 5 more titles - including Xenoblade which is quite large. I have 2 kids play the same switch as me, and the little one alone plays 5+ games in a session ... None of which I play. I am playing dark souls at the moment, but couldn't a couple of days ago as the cartridge was lost when one of the kids swapped in Mario Odyssey. I have a handful of retail titles, and I wish that number was 0.

No sale! I also hate the games that you have to download a huge chunk to play even with the card.

Haha, now all you physical-only people must feel really stupid. 😆
Digital-only is the only the way to go, the only way that is sustainable long-term and the way of the future.
Stop buying those nonsensical physical releases already!

I guess I'll get it digitally then.

@Dirty0814 that is simply absurd. Even games that are unable to be sold legally can be redownloaded by owners. I encourage you to buy games however you see fit, but a fallacy is a fallacy.

Digital only is the way of the future. Slowly but surely becoming the norm. ^^

There really should be a way to transfer a digital title from one account to another... The same way you can gift someone a game, except that you lose it after gifting it.

There ain't any excuse why this feature doesn't exist...

@GrandScribe Carts don't really go bad either. Unless you're grossly negligent with them, they will last a long time.

Digital downloads are actually really bad for consumers on consoles. I imagine with Xbox and PlayStation having pc hardware ghis gen and likely going forward they will be fine. Nintendo we aren't sure of. Then again, there was no reason to have to repurchase Wii titles on Wii U since it was still power PC architecture.

The real reason for digital downloads is to prevent a secondary market and increase profit.

People were pissed at Microsoft about this before the xb1 came out, but now they're fine with it?

@graysoncharles you forgot scale of economy. Once tooling is set up to produce the item, the more that are made the cheaper each individual item is.

So pointless, may aswell be download only. Who the hell wants Just a box? Can't collect or trade download codes. Screw bethesda

Code in box, oh dear.... It's so the game gets exposure at retail. This will count for little however as a large proportion of games are brought online. But then again it could fool a few who are unaware, like what happened with Fortnite.... They are probably hoping that this will happen.
For me I go physical wherever possible. Once this is in sale which will happen as both Bethesda's Wolf 2 and Skyrim are currently I will buy it.....

For me this isn't and issues.. I really think everyone is over reacting considering that they have been there to help support the switch in a big way... Just get over it and move with the times

@Mince yes...

I dont like this move. It seems dishonest.

@NotTelevision While I agree with most of what you are saying, it really is because of the consumers that Bethesda would make a decision like this. Quite literally, Bethesda knows that enough sales will be made to consumers on this all digital Switch port to justify porting the game to switch and make a profit. They made this decision because they believe that they understand their market. They also believe that printing carts would be an unprofitable decision to make, otherwise they would have spent money on creating and distributing physical media. Literally, if a business knows that consumers will bite on a product (physical media), and the sales will result in an overall profit that covers the cost of producing the media, then why wouldn't they go through with producing the media? Businesses make all of their decisions with the profit motive in mind, and profits are achieved through serving the needs of consumers. If there are not enough consumers who are willing to buy physical media, then the costs of producing that physical media will not be covered, and the company will lose money on that decision. Bethesda must believe that not enough consumers would buy the physical media for this game, otherwise common sense business strategy would say that they should sell the physical media to create additional profit.

@Sunsy all the Wii vc games u own u can't download no more.all the Wii u games u own digital u won't be able to download them when they shut the Wii u shop down.which will happens as the Wii did.

@Slim1999 Will be honest, that is the downside to an all digital future, it is a worry that comes to mind too. When it comes to indie and smaller games, digital is really the only option. Most of my digital games are those.

As for Wii digital games, they can be copied to an SD card in the system settings menu. They can be copied back to the Wii too.

@Sunsy will microsoft is also making a big mistake as well by making one of their new xbox model disc less and the problem is there quite abit of people who live in areas that have bad internet connection reason why microsoft or any game developer should be forcing us buy digital.

LOL, why bother, then? Even if it comes to U$ 10 I’d still have second thoughts about it.

I can see it causing problem for the store especially in regards to parents/grandparents buying the game for their child. Already, we are seeing backlash for this. I just don't understand why they don't just sell it as a digital download instead of this perceived deceptive sell.

I certainly don't mind digital games as some folks here do, but I can't help but agree that releasing a game box with a download code in it is stupid and waiting for retailers to let the cat out of the bag before admitting it was even stupider.

I mean, I can see what's happening here, this "physical" release is to keep retailers happy by giving them something to throw up on store shelves. It's not Bethesda's fault that they have to throw retailers a bone, nor is it their fault if putting the game on a cartridge would up the price on Switch and they wanted to avoid that, but it's certainly their fault they weren't upfront about all this from the beginning.

@oninowon If the kid's too young to understand how to use a download code, they're too young to be playing this game.

That doesn't excuse anything, but if a parent or grandparent is buying Wolfenstein for their young child, there's other problems than the fact there's only a download code in the box.

@graysoncharles How on EARTH will you ever fit a BluRay disc in a Nintendo Switch? Also multiple games have been 32GB right now. Nintendo isn't to blame at all here. Just publisher wanting to cheap out. Well, not from my wallet.

@RiasGremory I agree with that as the old town where I use to live had slower DSL internet. A 2GB download took two hours for me in my old house. I have faster cable internet where I live now and downloads are quicker.

I'd personally like to see both physical and digital exist together. I still like physical games and buy them, but will still buy a digital game if it interests me. Also, physical is an option for those who have slower internet.

@RiasGremory You say it right, MS is making ONE model of XBOX download only. Every other model will take discs. And I see the next generation still use discs (100GB discs, 4 layers BluRay) as well.

But I also see the next generation as the last disc based game console generation. Simply because there won't be a new "medium" to compete with the BluRay discs. And with flash based memory getting cheaper, they don't need to.

A download only future, however, won't be for 2 generations.

@graysoncharles Adding more storage to the system would

Increase the price by 50 dollar for 64GB, 100 dollar for 128GB, and that would still not be enough.

Nobody would buy a 400-450 dollar Switch.

Also this wouldn't eliminate the problem of the cartridges. Since you can NEVER build a BluRay drive into a Switch like console. And even if you could you would still need internal storage of 512+ GB for it to last long enough, because using BluRay means installing onto internal storage. Because portable bluray drives won't be fast and could skip all the time.

Meaning a Switch like that would cost 600+ dollar.

And I can't comment on the price Nintendo asks for these game cartridges. But seeing that has never been a problem on the NES, SNES, N64, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, DS or 3DS I can't see that being a problem on the Switch.

So please stop blaming Nintendo for something that A. isn't a problem and B. couldn't be fixed without changing the entire Switch system into a gray box like the PS4 or XBOX ONE.

@graysoncharles True, but you can say the same about PC games being exclusive to the Epic Game Store. It's up to the publisher.

But it's also up to the consumer to vote with their wallets.

In terms of environmental issues this is pretty disgusting. What's the point? Just release the game on the eshop and be done with it. I guess on the up side, there'll be lots of empty box copies left on the shelves which hopefully means a big drop in price quite quickly.

@retro_player_22
You don't even need to leave gaming for good. You can still play thousands of games already available in physical form for like 30 years straight.

Nope. This is possibly due to card size limitations rather that everyoen assuming the digital plague has landed, either way i won't be opting for it.

@Cathousemaster
You did actually try to look for it before calling it a loss right and try to teach the kid to take better care of things right? Your kid just could've easily lost your sd card it's even smaller! Digital games are not assured for the future, licenses expire and could be removed from the shop and even prevent you from redownloading it. Heck there's even a possibility of the company sending out a kill switch to erase the game from your system in a update (unlikely but it could still happen in this supposed utopian digital future).

I was going to preorder, now I won't get it at all.

@subpopz Without that piece of plastic you can't play the game once the switch servers are shutdown. I play an original copy of tetris regularly.

@JaxonH Not buying the games is what would change this.

If you buy the games you are saying this is ok and you want it to continue.

Doesn't hurt me in any fashion. My entire 155 game collection on my Switch is digital. Game "Collectors" have to understand that games will be going all digital, just like movies and music before it.

I will not support digital only releases. Therefore, I will not be buying this game.

People that are all for digital-only collections will find that they have no way to play those games they purchased twenty years from now when their nostalgia starts kicking in.

@JaxonH "I don’t think there’s anything misleading or confusing about that."

Really? So if you went to the store and bought a gallon of milk, then when you poured it out a piece of paper came out on it saying if you type the code into your PC they'd mail you the actual milk, you'd be OK w/ that?

There are cards if they want to sell a download code at retail, boxes are to put things in. It's nice the guy came out to clarify that now but it probably should have been mentioned at the beginning that there is no physical edition OF THE GAME. A box is not a game any more than a box is milk.

"I don’t think they ever announced it as being physical"

It was announced being physical in the official announcement saying it was an empty box.

"The physical version of Wolfenstein: Youngblood will be a digital download code in the box with no game cartridge."

They are lieing right there. There is no physical version if it's just a code in a box. A physical box is not a physical game. A box is a box. Have you ever told someone, or some told told you, "I'm buying that game phsycially.", then they bought one of those cards w/ a code on it to download the game? A card w/ a code on it is a digital game, not a physical game, we all know that. A code in a box is the same digital game as a code on a card, it's nto a physical game no matter what their official announcement might say.

Maybe in 10 years ALL games will be sold on cards or as codes in empty boxes and people might refer to that as buying the game physically, but for now a code is a code for a digital game, it's not a code for a physical game. It just isn't.

Again, I'm not opposed to them selling the game that way, there are people who like boxes for display purposes, giving boxes as gifts, there are reasons for codes in boxes, just as there are reasons for the cards w/ codes on them, but they can't call a code a physical game b/c it isn't a physical game, it's a digital game, so that's a lie.

It won't be an issue anymore for me when i'll buy a 400gb micro sdxc card for my switch. I'll soon switch (pun intended) so i don't have to deal with fake physical games anymore. start the download overnight and play it the next day. simple. the only physical games i will bother to buy will be nintendo exclusives. much less trouble to go digital only with third party games on switch anyway.

@rjejr
If I went to the store to buy a gallon of milk and the milk carton said in big bold letters "NO MILK, ONLY PAPER INSIDE" then no, I wouldn't be so stupid to purchase it.

If I went to the store because I needed milk for cooking and it said "POWDERED MILK INSIDE" I might not care, because itll work all the same.

If I go to the store for a game and see Wolfenstein and it says "NO CARTRIDGE INSIDE, ONLY GAME DOWNLOAD CODE" then I'm not going to be so stupid to buy it if I only want a cartridge. It says right there on the box what you're getting. Buy it or dont, but there's nothing confusing about that. Plenty of games have been sold as codes in a box. That's why it says "CODE INSIDE" on the box

I for one am glad to see that there is so much backlash over this. I do believe that gamers complain too much, but this is case in which it is well-warranted. It is dishonest, greedy business, and fortunately, consumers are opting out, at least if what I'm reading is any means accurate.

The pro-digital people in these comments insulting those who want physical and giving reasons that the pro-physical people are wrong/stupid really demonstrate that they don't get it at all why the pro-physical people want physical cartridges.

Most the times, the reasons that the pro-digital folks THINK the pro-physical are the way they are... aren't the actual reasons.

@subpopz

Well, that's unfortunate. I for one think it's quite a shaft on consumers. But, thanks for putting it into perspective.

@BlueOcean Very true. Without the updates, you can still at least play the majority of the games on PS4 and XBOX but a lot of third-party games won't even boot on the Switch without them. I was kind of just speaking more generally about the nature of downloads for physical games as a whole but there definitely is a distinction between the two.

@GameOtaku sure, I found it eventually. But if it was digital, the issue wouldn't exist. As for your other concerns - I find it's the exact opposite. I'm sick of physical "junk" cluttering my house. I don't buy CDs, DVDs, or books. Hell, I can't even give away my bookcase full of CDs.. I'll have to throw them.

Games are no different. I would own close to 100 (approx) switch games. I already have a bookcase full of Wii games which are taking up space, and never get used. Luckily only a fraction of my Wii U collection is physical... That's taking less space. And there is DS, Gameboy, 3DS ... Heck I still have a handful of VHS tapes which haven't been thrown. And last year I sold my entire Gamecube collection.

I'm not telling you or anyone else what to do ... But for me the choice is clear. Digital only baby. I have a Netflix and Google music subscription ... And once the quality is good enough I'll be moving to a game rental system.

As for "kill switch" theories... That ain't keeping me up at night. By the time I won't be able to download and play my switch games, the system will be way obsolete and I'll be onto something else ... Or in the dirt

@rjejr
Sorry for having switched (heh) back to lurker mode last time I've chimed in, but I'm dealing with this nasty piece of work and half of my face is frozen: as a result, I'm wearing an eyepatch just to keep the damn eye closed. You know, nothing too bad thankfully, but also a great annoyance to be sure.

I know what you mean. My point was rather about the fact it's still - mainly - third-party support, and I'm not going to spit in my dining plate as long as there is one: the support we're getting is still far more than the Wii U days - hell, just ask the same smug-faced Bethesda about those Wii U days.

@AlexSora89 No, the support is certainly better. But when things are at 0% and they move up to 50% better I'm still going to argue for the other 50% better as well.

Good luck w/ whatever ails you, I'm not even clicking on the link until after I eat lunch.

@rjejr
It's merely a palsy, which is thankfully, finally starting to wear off.
My poor eye - on the paralyzed side - is being kept forcefully open, meaning I've needed an eyepatch for quite some time now. At the moment things have gotten better, which is why, as you can tell, I've only picked up my notebook again today.

@AlexSora89 No worries. My swiss cheese short term memory is so bad these days I don't really remember any of this conversation. When I looked at the date I thought it was going to be 2 or 3 months ago but it was only 3 weeks. That's not good.

I grew up w/ a great memory, not photographic but memorizing a phone or social security number just happened first time I heard or saw it. Anything I saw or read I remembered. And I still can for almost anything that happened more than 10 years ago. Now, my kids have had phones for 5 years and no matter how many times I look I still can't remember them. Kids eat your brains. Too much stressful worrying I think. I wish I could blame it on drugs or alcohol but I don't partake. Though if things keep going like this I might as well start.

@rjejr
You poor soul, get some rest! I can relate as well, despite merely turning 30 next tuesday - my ADHD is just as bad as ever, and coupled with my long hiatuses between each period of NL activity... yeah. My decision to work on a revision to my novel as of late turned out to be very ill-advised as it did not help my eye.
We'll see how it all ends later down the line, I guess!

@AlexSora89 I do need rest, no denying that. Not just for my memory but my awful quick to snap extremely short fuse mental state. Considering developing a drug addiction so I can go mellow at a rehab place for a couple of months.

OK, drug addiction isn't something to be joking about, but I could use a few months of internet free rest.

And you get the rest you need as well.

@rjejr
If anything, go for light stuff. You know, the whole "stoned but relaxed" family, not the "smoke and go Mr. Hyde on people" kind of substances.

@AlexSora89 I did enough of the violent stuff in the 80's, I'm all about the mellow now.

@rjejr
Atta... uh... boy, I guess.

@AlexSora89 I rage quit Yoshi today. I need to get much much more mellow.

@rjejr
How do you rage quit Yoshi?!
Oh wait.

@AlexSora89 "How do you rage quit Yoshi?!"

Have you played it? I'll try to avoid spoilers.

I was playing a level that had a mini-boss and 3 part puzzle near the end of a long level. I died twice trying to solve the 3rd part and kept getting sent back to the check point. I turned on mellow mode to try and fly out of it but they wouldn't let me so I died again. Then I said "f*** y** Yoshi" and turned off the game. Then sent a pic to twitter of the checkpoint and wrote #badgamedesign b/c everyone knows if you have a boss the check point should be right before the boss, not way back there. Next day I looked it up online to solve the puzzle. So stupid that I didn't see it.

@rjejr
Yeah, checkpoints are often placed way too early in levels and that proves to be detrimental to the level's design more often than not.

@AlexSora89 I'm almost done w/ the game and for the most part I have liked the checkpoints. I die often enough so I see them alot, and they usually are pretty good. This 1 just bothered me b/c of the mini-boss aspect combined w/ the puzzle aspect. Well I suppose the puzzle was the mini-boss, the mini-boss himself was basically just a button to hit, but that made it worse. We shouldn't be penalized for failing to solve a puzzle to get sent back that far. A 3 part puzzle should just have us replay the puzzle, put us back right outside the door.

Oh well, I'm back to enjoying the game again, at least I got past the puzzle. Never did get past that falling bridge while riding the rhino section in world 2 level 2 of DKC.

@rjejr
We can all agree that nothing can be worse than the early portions of the final Yoshi's Island DS world.

@AlexSora89 Almost 100% certain I never played that one on any platform. I did play the supposedly way too easy Yoshi's Story and died way too often but I did manage to make it through the final level. Didn't do anything extra, just made it to the end.

@rjejr
If I recall correctly, this is the level I was talking about. Seriously, World 5 - even by final world standards - made Yoshi's Island DS much harder than it needed to be.