Surprise! Doom Eternal Is Getting A Limited Run Physical Release On Switch

Very tempted. Both this and DOOM 2016 run very well on Switch.

the higher than normal price tag for Doom Eternal tells me that the ENTIRE game will be on cartridge, without an additional download.
that makes it a must-buy for me 💸

Not necessarily too little, but way too late, and I wouldn’t want to pay that extra EXTRA Switch tax, either…

At least LRG is doing what these developers and publishers simply refuse to do for Switch physicals. Props to them.

Got a hunch it’s gonna be a small card and a biiig download. Hope I’m wrong.

Took a while for them to rip and tear this into a cartridge, and I wasn't expecting this to release until the universe ended, but hey, at least it's done.

@RobotReptile most LRG games sell for $35 or $40. Doom Eternal is going for $60. So it's a safe bet to say the extra cost covers manufacturing of a bigger cartridge.

Both the base game and the two expansion packs better be on the cartridge especially for that price.

Like others have said, I really hope the the entire game is on the cart.
If Bethesda had released the game on cart when it first came out I would have bought it.

I want to be excited, but here’s the thing... the complete game (plus patches/DLC) is 33.3GB in the eShop, and unless Bethesda issue an update to reduce the size or otherwise produce a tailor-made build for LRG’s release that is somehow able to remove superfluous data in order to bring the game down to under 32GB, I can’t help but suspect that this is going to somehow be a compromised release, and would set an especially troubling precedent for a company that purportedly prides itself on preservation.

But if they use the long-fabled 64GB cart and - because of the abundance of free space - throw in 2016 DOOM for good measure (without any download requirements), then this would not only be the best physical release of Eternal (with zero download requirements and all DLC on a single cart), but the best of 2016 as well. But I doubt the latter would be the case, otherwise LRG would have surely boasted about its inclusion.

Another issue with only including the base version of Eternal (which I wouldn’t buy if that were the case) is that the software updates include the DLC content regardless of whether you’ve purchased the DLC or not. Purchasing the DLC merely unlocks the ability to access it. And including only the base game, when the base game would have required a 32GB cart regardless, is completely asinine.

But say it includes absolutely everything (software updates + DLC). If Bethesda issues any form of patch after the fact, however small/negligible, you’ll have to download the entire 14GB or so worth of data as the base game was about 18GB, with the updates bloating the rest of the game to 33.3GB).

Without some transparency about how this is going to be handled, it’s really, really difficult to muster any kind of enthusiasm.

For a boutique label that only produces units on demand for which they are paid up-front, there are zero excuses for producing a substandard product.

Yes finally! As someone who owns Doom 2016 on cartridge and loved it, I would've been so sad for Eternal to be stuck as download only on Switch. That just feels wrong to me. I've not pre-ordered a game since Xenoblade Chronicles X in 2015, but I think I'll make an exception here.

I have been waiting for this since its launch, but I caved and bought Doom Eternal and DLC digitally earlier this year at a deep discount. I'll choose whether to buy when we have details about what's on the cartridge.

QUESTION: If the cartridge only contains the base game, will it sync up with my existing digital purchases of DLC?

Anyone know how the loading times are for Doom Eternal on Switch?

And Microsoft actually approved of this...?

Upon reading LRG's page for the game, I suspect that this is a standalone tailor-made physical-exclusive build of only the base game. English is listed as the only supported language, which suggests that perhaps the others languages have been cut in order to bring the size of the base game down to a 16GB cartridge (and perhaps the developers have trimmed some of the fat as well, so to speak).

If my theory is correct, then the expansion packs will likely follow at a later date as their own physical-exclusive standalone release (which will excise all of the base game content and other languages in order to keep the size down to a 16GB cart as well).

If this turns out to be the case, then I am okay with having two separate releases, but I would overwhelmingly prefer a premium release with absolutely everything on a single cart, but this is a compromise that I can live with.

And if I am right, then unfortunately, no, @nib0 the games will not sync with LRG's releases as they will be considered to be separate units of software (with separate save data).

Either way, the suspense is killing me.

Cool, but LRG tax+ shipping tax + switch tax are a lot of taxes.

@Silly_G Thanks for the explainer, mate. I figured it would be a separate software situation. I think I'll give it a miss.

@ModdedInkling Every Doom game is physically available through Limited Run Games so yeah pretty sure they got a healthy partnership with Microsoft. The fact that Cuphead is not a part of this gives me hope that Cuphead won't have a limited physical release and would just be a normal physical release after its DLC is done.

@SenseiDje LRG and shipping aren't even taxes. Those are service and product price you must pay in order to get the product to you. Switch tax is the only tax and every console had those. If you live in the same area as LRG you don't even need to pay for shipping, just go and pick it up at their place once your order is available.

I say it as it is:
I have a massive problem with Limited Run and their business model.
They are creating an 'artificial' scarcity for tons of different games. This will affect the collectors market in a bad, almost manipulating, way.

I believe this will be the base game without dlc, otherwise they would have advertised it with dlc. Getting it either way, I haven't bought the digital version in anticipation of this.

@Zuljaras "Finally I will have ALL DooM games on the Switch physically!"

Same here! I'm all in for this one.

@Zuljaras exactly. It's not artificial scarcity: they make as many copies as are ordered in the pre-order window, and no more. Sounds pretty sensible to me: make as many as you've been paid for and no spare ones!
Day 1 for me as well 🤪

Hell yes.. I'll double dip for a physical of this. I own all the other Doom games physically on Switch after all. Doom 2016, Doom 64 and Doom: The Classics Collection.

As long as the main single player game is on the cart im good.

@Silly_G I wouldn't say its the best physical release at all because while may contain everything its still the "worst" version of the game.

Poor little Bethesda obviously couldn't afford to produce the Switch carts. Thank heavens for Limited Run Games...

@WallyWest : I specifically said “best physical release” for a reason. No mandatory downloads or installations as well as being portable would easily make such a product the best overall in terms of the value proposition to the customer, and the fact that physical product itself actually contains the entirety of what is advertised on the proverbial tin.

I made no inference to it being the best version in terms of its audio/visual presentation. And after having played DOOM 2016 on PC after completing it on Switch, I was far less impressed with the “best” version when a significantly less capable device was able to replicate the experience on a device that I can play at my convenience (and comfort).

@Serpenterror
As you guess, I’m not able to pickup, I find their overseas shipping quite intense, as their prices.

I applause physical release, but I vomit artificial scarcity

Great news, providing the full game is actually on the cart. If not, what's the point...
When you go out your way to pick up a extremely limited physical version, you should expect the full game on the cart.

Excellent, now I’ll take the plunge on this. Should all be on cart unlike Doom 2016

About damn time.

I'll grab it.

Game is awesome on Switch with gyro.

@SenseiDje
I'm not sure where you're getting "artificial scarcity" from but that makes no sense at all.

Limited Run creates exactly as many copies as is preordered. Open preorder windows for everyone, and then they order exactly as many as needed.

I keep hearing people repeat this and its just wrong. That's not what artificial scarcity is.

Of these releases if Doom Eternal + both DLC are all fit on the cartridge; there's a huge big market for those bigger memory cart editions. I buy nearly all digital but for games with the dlc and all that space saved.. huge market over normal physical sales model. However. Pushing for it.

The fairly high price doesn't necessarily mean that this will be a big cartridge (or 'artificial scarcity' - lol), it might just reflect the predicted low manufacturing volumes, which will automatically mean a higher unit production cost and therefore retail price.

I almost gave up on this physical cartridge port! So glad I was stupid enough not to buy on another platform or buy digitally on Switch!

Now it would have been super nice if the game actually came out in March 2020 as I would have had something to play then during that terrible content drought (I didn't care for Animal Crossing) but better late than never.

@Zuljaras I didnt realise that, I have it myself and see my mistake, says in the small print for multiplayer and other langs needs 9GB. Nice to know I have it all on cart, I hate those where its about 4GB on cart then a massive download after

LA Noire being an example - I really like that game but needs a large DL

@Axecon I almost gave up too but then remembered that with LRG there was still some hope....looks like I was right! 😅

I never understood how all of these no name games were getting physical carts but DOOM...one of gaming's biggest franchises was stuck on digital..

@ModdedInkling Eternal is already on Switch. Not like this is a new release, per say.

I am so glad I held off on buying DOOM Eternal on the Switch! With how id Software and LRG were collaborating on other DOOM games, I figured it was only a matter of time before Eternal saw a physical release through LRG. I love being right, but also, it would have been cooler if I didn't have to wait half a year after the pre-orders close. Oh well, I have all these other Doom games I haven't even touched since I bought them, maybe I'll play them while I wait lol (I'm a bad gamer, with a very sizable backlog)

Nice! Glad I waited. I only buy physical switch tax or not. I like my gaming collection to be real. Not virtual.

I might get it, only to have both Doom games to display on their boxes. Most likely, full game will be included in the card, DLC will have to be downloaded. Loved this game, I still need to complete my Nightmare round on the first expansion.

@EVIL-C
I'm talking about how physical releases were done by 3rd-parties, but Doom 2016 was done officially.

With the risk of my comment being deleted: LRG? No, thanks! See ya!