Nintendo Switch Online Game Vouchers Might Be Returning To North America

can't wait to use these for Zelda ToK and other Nintendo Upcoming games. i'll probably use them on games that i've missed out on as well (Splatoon 3, Xenoblade 2, etc.)

FINALLY

These are such a good value. And stacked on top of eshop credit discounts? I hope they're back for good.

Just announce this alongside Advance Wars. I'm ready.

Where's the great deal in this? In the UK it's two games for £84 but I picked up a physical copy of Fire Emblem Engage for £43. I would want 3 or 4 digital games for £84! Physical is king!!!

Why did they remove them, what do they have to lose? lol.
I usually only buy main releases in europe with the voucher system. Easy 20-30 bucks saved.

And now I will get replys from angry physical-tryhards, it seems to be inevitable on here. Cant say anything good about digital without making all of them angry. Enjoy your 1 game on cartridge collections and leave me be.

That's nice, been wanting this to return to NA.

Huh, that’s… actually a good deal on Nintendo’s part. I could definitely see this being briefly showcased in the upcoming Direct.

I kinda like this. Good games for a good value

I can't think of any possible explanation for why they had dropped the vouchers other than American retailers being somehow to blame.

This is exciting if true, though I wonder what other Switch exclusive they list (aside from hopefully TotK) I may want to use them for. Maybe something to be announced soon.

Did… anyone else forget these existed? Not like this is a bad thing but still

This has been running for years in Australia, I assumed it was across North America and European countries.

God I hope so, those were amazing while they lasted.

I can't believe how many people are over the moon about a $20 discount which in all reality is simply Nintendo making you believe you're getting something special when in all actuality you're guaranteeing them that you're spending more money on a product that has absolutely no resale or collective value.

Color me surprised to see so many positive comments about these. They feel pretty scammy to me. Save for a few notable exceptions, Nintendo is notoriously tight-lipped about their release schedule. If I remember correctly, these vouchers expire and fairly quickly. Unless you want games that are already out or that are coming soon and you miraculously know about them far enough in advance, it’s a big gamble that you’ll even use them before they expire on something you actually want. And I won’t even get started on the fact that these are digital-only.

@scoot They expire after a year, I wouldn't call that quick. But more to the point, most people only bought one if there's two games already out or with release dates they want, rather than buy it and hold onto it in hopes something will come out. Like... that's the point of them? I dunno anyone who gambled on them.

The Game Vouchers should’ve never went away. And tbh they should never expire, especially when Nintendo doesn’t do many Directs to let you know what’s upcoming and when for certain in the coming year. It’s good value if you tend to buy first-party games at launch, but I tend to wait for sales often now due to an already large backlog to work through.. so I likely wouldn’t get vouchers too often anymore.

If they come back soon for NA I’ll probably pick up a pair though because I know I’ll get Zelda TOTK at launch and I anticipate a new Mario game within the next year too so it’d probably be more of a safe bet and worth it.

… Wun can only hope.

Wonder if they'll reveal this in a future Direct...?!

About freaking time they brought them back. Why did they even make them a limited time offer in the North American eShops in the first place? They've been a thing in Japan since years ago as far as I know.

Hope that Tears Of The Kingdom will be buyable with vouchers. May probably get Bayonetta Origins with one of these.

@GameAndLuke Program still active in Jpn,euro region and many others.

@Parker55 I never knew they existed in the first place

@Sethdedun They are a great deal if you routinely buy digital games though. That's generally what I get so given that the whole resale value thing means nothing to me, I'm saving $20 compared to what I would be paying.

This is better than the CostCo eshop cards in Canada, where $100 of cards you can get for $90.

But I think I already own all of the eligible games that I'm interested in...

This is a terrible deal in the uk.

I can get 2x of these games about £70 physically compared to this “deal” at £84!

What annoys me is digital pricing should be cheaper than physical in the first place as costs are lower. Not to mention physical has resale value.

Nintendo really need to learn the definition of “deal.”

I usually buy physical (so I can loan out games), but I did use them for Animal Crossing and Mario Maker 2.

@Hayter They lose selling you a digital game at full price.

Advance Wars incoming!

Zelda TofK + Pikmin 4 + Bayonetta Origins + Kirby.
Easy $200 from me. It would had been only $120 for the first two.

Edit: oh, and Advance Wars! It will need a pair…

This is interesting to me. I always buy the big games in physical editions because they have trade in/resale value in case I didn’t love them. I never understood why people would pay the same $59.99 for a digital copy with no value once purchased. Digital copies SHOULD be cheaper for a couple of different reasons, so this is an interesting deal. As someone from North America I genuinely had no idea these were ever a thing.

I liked them, but I am no longer buying digital copies of 1st party Nintendo games. Not after they delisted the Wii U and 3DS eshops. I simply no longer trust Nintendo to maintain access to my purchased content long-term

I'm glad it appears this promotion is returning; it's pretty useful for digital aficionados. They unfortunately ended this in NA before I got a Switch, so I never took advantage of it before.

@Sam_TSM @Mando44646 I don’t understand this particular outcry over the eShop closures. I somewhat understand the disappointment over not being able to buy new copies of digital-only games, but for anything you’ve already bought, the closure doesn’t affect anything you’ve already downloaded. It’s not like physical copies give you unlimited copies either.. if you lose or damage your physical game card, you can’t get it back again unless you buy another copy. Why is a game downloaded on an SD card so much worse than a game printed on a game card?

@Shadowkiller97 because the ability to download will also eventually disappear. This was on top of Sony cutting access to the PS3 and Vita PS Stores as well. The Wii eshop help page explicitly says that downloading owned content is not guaranteed in the future (https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27560/~/wii-shop-channel-discontinuation)

Physical games can be stored and saved, or even repaired. Digital games have no consumer protection. Corporations can steal them back at any time for any reason. And if Sony and Nintendo won't honor past purchases, I have no faith in the digital ecosystem.

@Mando44646 Yes, the ability to re-download goes away. But once you have it downloaded (before the store closes), they can’t go and zap it off of your SD card. Once it’s been downloaded, it’s no different than a physical copy (except if you try to resell).

“And if Sony and Nintendo won't honor past purchases, I have no faith in the digital ecosystem.” If you buy a physical game from Best Buy, and you break it, lose it, destroy it, etc., you can’t go back to Best Buy indefinitely and demand they honor your past purchase and give you another copy. Why then do the eShops have to indefinitely honor your past purchase and let you download another copy if you delete it?

@Shadowkiller97 If I lose a physical copy, I can buy a new one. If we all move to digital and physical goes away, there is no buying another copy of a game. If I lose my SD card, or it goes bad, or the game is on the internal HDD of the console and the hardware goes bad, guess what? No playing that owned game ever again. Can't just buy a new SD card with the same games and content tied to my account again.

I have a copy of Fire Emblem Fates with all three routes. Digitally, the third route is extra DLC that can only be purchased. If Nintendo hadn't sold a special edition with the DLC on the card, no new player ever again would be able to play the full game. And if I owned the DLC and lost my SD card without the ability to redownload content, I also would not be able to play it ever again.

A company should be legally required to always provide access to purchased content, period. If they are the gatekeeper. Now, if it is sold without DRM and can be easily stored/backed up locally, I have no problem. I could source another copy of a game I bought digitally in a legal method.

Woopdedoo, that's practically full price.

@Mando44646 You cannot buy a new physical copy if they’ve stopped printing copies. We’re talking years after the console has been retired.. Neither Nintendo nor other big third party publishers are making new physical copies of Wii or 3DS games.

You mentioned SD cards or HDDs going bad.. well discs can get scratched and game cards are just as likely to go bad as SD cards..

Keep in mind that whether you buy a physical game or a digital game, you’re buying one single copy. It’s absurd any way you look at it to expect any company to provide you with access to unlimited copies of anything.

Always thought of them as pointless, but seeing how they work now, they sound pretty awesome!

@Shadowkiller97 Huh? I just bought a Gamecube game the other day. What are you high on that you can't go buy a physical copy of an old out of print game? Or do you seriously think I am only talking about "new" unopened copies as if used games simply disappear after use?

A physical game has infinite uses and can be resold at any time without the need for a license. If I lose my 3DS card and cannot redownload a digital game,. then there is no way to recover it because it was tied to my account. You cannot rebuy an out of print digital game.

Its not even comparable and I don't understand why you're trying to argue otherwise. Go buy a delisted digital copy of a game 20 years from now and let me know how that goes for you. Because according to you, it'll be exactly as easy as just buying an old physical copy from ebay

@Mando44646 Are you upset that you can’t make any new purchases from a store that closed down or are you upset that you can’t download additional copies of a previous purchase forever into the future. Because at first you had mentioned the latter… and the former is just like Toys R Us shutting down. Nothing lasts forever. And if you’re okay with rebuying games, many of the best games get ported anyways. The ones that don’t probably aren’t that great anyways 😉.

And just like you can buy used physical games, you could buy a used downloaded game.. you would just have to buy the entire used console and attached account. 😝

There’s some old classic games I own that I want to replay but I barely have time to keep up with all the new stuff that is coming out.. Yes, I may not be able to easily buy a delisted digital game 20 years from now… but I’d imagine I have many more better, newer things to buy and play in 20 years than an old game with such little staying power that it wasn’t remade or re-released haha 🤪.

Hmm never heard of them but sound cool. Would be nice to get overpriced and rarely discounted games like Pikimin 3 Deluxe and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. The games are worth it if you haven’t played them before but not if you have

@andyg1412 Be glad your buying power is high because games are 79.99 + 15% tax here which comes up to almost 92 a game.

@Mando44646 It is easier if you go to Archive.org lol.

@Jokerwolf what's easier?

@Mando44646 Piracy yo

Just about anything to do with the subject of digital games just gets to be so utterly tiresome around here. If people prefer to buy physical games then awesome, great for them, you do you, but it does get incredibly annoying having constant, "Digital games are bad and you're bad for buying them," speeches literally every single time the subject comes up.

Some people see resellability and physical packaging as important to their purchases, some don't, neither's right and neither's wrong. There don't need to be books written about it daily.

@MontyCircus Well, with this type of deal I’m thinking you could combine the two honestly. Use the gift cards to purchase the vouchers. Win-Win (if you’re buying digital of course).

@goomba478 "Well, with this type of deal I’m thinking you could combine the two honestly. Use the gift cards to purchase the vouchers. Win-Win (if you’re buying digital of course)."

Good idea!

I usually get discounts on my eshop credit, like 20% off, so getting two games for $40 each instead of $60 each is a major deal

These are officially up on Nintendo's online store as of now.

@Sam_TSM my counter to your anecdote about working cartridges is that I still have a working gameboy advance 🤪… by the time my system stops working it will probably be too costly/challenging to buy a new system anyways because it will be long out of production and I’ll probably be playing the New Super Ultra Switch 128 😉.

Also, with Wii U and 3DS, you couldn’t buy a new system and easily re-download your games even when the eShop was active 🤪. Games were tied to the hardware not to your account.

This is the most exciting thing on ages for switch! It was great when they introduced it and gutting when they took it away. Hopefully they're not going to take it away again!

@Sam_TSM No, the Switch is thankfully account-based.