$5 more on Switch

[neon_dawn]

So this game is releasing on Switch soon. At a price of $25.

Like, I don't mind paying full price but why the price hike? Same content, same game, higher price. It doesn't even have a physical version to justify the price hike.

If it doesn't have completely solid performance, that'll be even worse.

[Bunger With Bungus]

I was about to ask the same thing. Is the nintendo cut more than it is on steam or somthing?

[Grobzoula]

I'm not even sure there's any of the post-launch updates the PC version got.

[YouGotOwned]

Now it's $10 more... lmao hate the switch tax, scummy developers.

[Bunger With Bungus]

Originally posted by YouGotOwned:

Now it's $10 more... lmao hate the switch tax, scummy developers.

The fact they aint explaining it makes me want to buy it less too...

[DigiScot]

There doesn't seem to be any of the updates, it's riddled with old bugs.

[Sophie]

Honestly this is kind of suspicious...

[Bunger With Bungus]

Originally posted by MP-5 Chan:

Honestly this is kind of suspicious...

We need to make this topic more loud, we need to get more people to it. I was gunna buy it on switch for 19.99 not for 24.99 with all of the problems I've heard its had.

[TreasureCat]

What sort of bugs are in the Switch version that are fixed on PC?

[S_Jake]

Nintendo have historically charged a 'licensing fee' for games released on their consoles (hence the whole 'Licensed by Nintendo' thing). It's something of a relic from the aftermath of the great console crash of the early '80s.

I'm guessing that the devs are simply passing that charge to the Switch customers. It sucks, but what else are they supposed to do? It's also possible that they've signed an NDA, which could explain the silence on the issue.

[Grobzoula]

Originally posted by S_Jake:

I'm guessing that the devs are simply passing that charge to the Switch customers. It sucks, but what else are they supposed to do?

Well they could just not have increased the price. I have never seen another indie game on the eShop being more expensive than its other versions, outside of sales.

20$/€ is already an above average prince among indie games, so increasing it even more seems a little greedy. Besides, indie games tend to sell very well on Switch, more than on other platforms.

[neon_dawn]

Originally posted by S_Jake:

Nintendo have historically charged a 'licensing fee' for games released on their consoles (hence the whole 'Licensed by Nintendo' thing). It's something of a relic from the aftermath of the great console crash of the early '80s.

I'm guessing that the devs are simply passing that charge to the Switch customers. It sucks, but what else are they supposed to do? It's also possible that they've signed an NDA, which could explain the silence on the issue.

Nintendo hasn't charged heavy licensing fees to indies since before the Wii U days. By all accounts, Nintendo charges the same for publishing on their platform as Steam charges for publishing here: 30% of final sales.

https://developer.nintendo.com/faq

The fact most (almost all) other releases are the same prices as their PC/Steam versions supports this.

[S_Jake]

Originally posted by jres80:

Nintendo hasn't charged heavy licensing fees to indies since before the Wii U days. By all accounts, Nintendo charges the same for publishing on their platform as Steam charges for publishing here: 30% of final sales.

https://developer.nintendo.com/faq

The fact most (almost all) other releases are the same prices as their PC/Steam versions supports this.

I did a little research on this topic earlier and I don't believe this is entirely accurate. The 30% figure you quoted for Steam publishing seems to be accurate, but it appears that all the console manufacturers charge different fees, none of which appears to be publically available.

However, I do gather that there are some weird, unexpected costs associated with porting to consoles, such as payments to various ratings boards (e.g. PEGI) and insurance to cover against potential IP related claims. This is in addition to any costs associated with porting the code to the respective consoles (which varies depending on the game and the platform).

This obviously doesn't directly explain why Moonlighter is more expensive on Switch (£22.49) than PS4 (£15.99) and Steam (£15.49), but I would assume the most likely reason is that the developers have incurred some additional costs that they've felt obliged to pass onto their customers; Indie games are usually unprofitable and indie devs generally aren't rich, so it seems unlikely to me that the devs are trying to gouge Switch customers.

By the way, I'm not sure what the purpose of your link was: I checked and it took me to an FAQ that provided no relevent answers to the topic being discussed.

Edit: It's just struck me that the answer is probably related to the physical versions of the games on the PS4 and Switch: A physical Switch version will be more expensive than the PS4 because of the medium used. This is relevent because digital prices of games are usually tied to retail prices in order to keep the retailers happy.

[jotaESP]

Originally posted by Grobzoula:

I have never seen another indie game on the eShop being more expensive than its other versions

You are wrong. I mean:
-This is the police: Steam -> 14.99€; PS4/XboxOne -> 19.99€; Switch -> 29.99€
-Trine Enchanted Edition: Steam/PS4 -> 12.99€; Switch -> 14.99€ (acceptable increase, but increase at the end)
-Valiant Hearts: Steam/PS4/XboxOne -> 14.99€; Switch -> 19.99€
-Rogue Legacy: Steam/PS4 -> 12.99€; Switch/XboxOne -> 14.99€
-Hidden Folks: Steam -> 7.99€ (12.57€ with all dlcs); Switch -> 14.99€ (I guess it contains everything)
-Project Highrise: Steam -> 19.99€ (31.08 with all the content); Switch/PS4 -> 39.99€; XboxOne -> 69.99€
-Battle Chasers: Nightwar: Steam/PS4/XboxOne -> 29.99€; Switch -> 39.99€

These are some examples I saw on european Eshop (but must be the same worldwide).
And this is just searching for indies. Bethesta games are overpriced as hell: Skyrim, Doom and Wolfenstein 2 for 59.99€.

[timlucier]

Because it only just released. You need to consider the costs of developing it for Switch and the fact the game has been out for a while here but is new for Switch.

[RICHYROO2004]

Personally I think its just pure opportunism. Its no secret that indie games sell well on the switch, so devs just take advantage of this and feel they can increase the price.

I have this game on my Steam wishlist but I was waiting for the Switch version. After seeing the price, its put me off buying the game on EITHER platform. Its totally unacceptable in my eyes and I refuse to give any money to devs who try to ripp me off.

Perhaps the devolopers would actually like to explain why the Switch version is more expensive? If there is a genuine reason, then I shall apologise and purchase it. I'm not holding my breath though.

I do take some comfort in seeing that the game isnt riding as high up the charts as I was expecting it too. Perhaps they pushed that price point a bit too far.