After saying Switch 2 Edition games won’t have native Switch 2 versions, another statement from Nintendo now says the exact opposite.
Earlier this week, a brouhaha kicked off when it was reported that physical versions of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games (upgraded re-releases of Switch 1 games) technically didn’t exist.
According to a Nintendo customer support representative, physical copies come with the Switch 1 version and a download code for the upgrade. This quickly garnered a lot of outrage from fans and even accusations of false advertising.
However, a new statement from Nintendo says the exact opposite and yet there’s still uncertainty around the issue and a number of other important details from last week’s Nintendo Direct.
When we contacted Nintendo UK this week, for clarification on Switch 2 Edition games, they were unable to either confirm or deny whether physical Switch 2 Edition games would just be the Switch 1 versions plus a download code or an actual Switch 2 cartridge.
Australian outlet Vooks received a very different and more concrete answer, presumably from Nintendo Australia: ‘Physical versions of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games will include the original Nintendo Switch game and its upgrade pack all on the same game card (i.e. they are exclusively Nintendo Switch 2 game cards, with no download code).’
They also added, ‘Some publishers may release Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games as download codes in physical packaging, with no game card.’ Although so far no third party Switch 2 Edition games have been announced.
Taken at face value, physical Switch 2 Editions published by Nintendo will have the complete package on the cartridge, with no additional download required.
However, there’s no obvious reason to think that Nintendo Australia are correct and the support representative isn’t, especially as the wording on the box cover is very ambiguous. Nintendo UK’s inability to either confirm or deny the situation also suggests that the matter is far from settled.
Why Nintendo didn’t just make the situation clear from the start, or at least once the controversary began, is a mystery. If Nintendo Australia know what’s going on why doesn’t everyone else, and if Nintendo Australia is wrong why hasn’t a more senior division clarified the situation?
It may be that the rules are different depending on the region, but that would be very strange. What’s more likely is that most regions do not know, or have been told not to say, and either Australia is guessing or is speaking out of turn (from Nintendo of Japan’s point of view).
This isn’t the only example of Nintendo withholding information and inspiring wild speculation. Nintendo never revealed how much Switch 2 games cost during last week’s showcase, which left everyone scouring the internet for information and for a time many American fans mistakenly believed the games would cost as much as $90, based on a direct conversion of the European prices.
At the time of writing, only two Switch 2 exclusives have official UK prices: Mario Kart World at £74.99 physically and £66.99 digitally, and Donkey Kong Bananza at £66.99 physically and £58.99 digitally.
At the same time as we asked about the Switch 2 Editions we asked Nintendo about the price of Welcome Tour (which has been announced for other regions), Drag X Drive, and other titles but were told simply, ‘We don’t have anything to announce on that topic.’
Switch 2 Editions will cost £66.99 physically, but there’s no clue how much they will be digitally or what the upgrade cost is in the UK (we also asked about that). In the US, the two Legend Of Zelda games cost $10 each to upgrade, which would be about £8 each in the UK, but that’s only an estimation.
Considering Nintendo has talked a lot about embracing variable pricing for its games, it’s assumed that some games, like Kirby: Air Riders and the new Hyrule Warriors, will cost less – perhaps around £50. If that’s true it would make it clearer that Mario Kart World is something of an exceptional case, but because Nintendo won’t reveal the other prices nobody knows for sure.
Even things like the new wireless GameCube controller haven’t been thoroughly explained. Only recently was it discovered that the fine print for its announcement mentions that it’s only compatible with GameCube games on the Nintendo Switch Online service and thus can’t be used with Switch 2 games.
It’s possible this is inaccurate, since Nintendo has said the same thing about previous retro controllers, which did turn out to work, but that only makes things worse.
Between a lack of specific details (Nintendo didn’t even say how much the console cost during the showcase) and conflicting statements, the only thing that’s clear is that Nintendo has fumbled the ball and turned what should have been an exciting start to its next generation into an aggravating slog of ambiguous statements and educated guesses.
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