Effective July 1st 2020,Nintendohas changed its policy for the sale of game codes in EMEA territories (Europe, Middle East, and Asia). Third party retailers will no longer be able to sell game codes for anyNintendopublished title.
This change only affects the EMEA market for now, and it will not affect the sale of DLC and non-Nintendo games running on its hardware, nor will it prevent customers from purchasing eShop funds via gift cards. Customers in other places, such as North America, can still acquire slightly cheaper titles via 3rd partyretailers like Best Buyand Newegg. How long that will be the case remains to be seen.
RELATED:Here Are All the Big Game Releases of July 2020
The decision was made because Nintendo has been noting changes in “the evolving European marketplace in recent years.” What factors led to that decision are unclear, but with people being encouraged tostay home and play video gamesduring the COVID-19 pandemic, the move against third party retailers raises a few eyebrows.
The most wholesome games Nintendo has to offerwill still be available in the eShop for customers in Europe and Asia. They’ll just have to buy them directly for the full price as a digital copy through the eStore or as a physical copy.
Unfortunately, theNintendo Switch game voucher programended July 31st,f 2019, so customers in Europe who have not acquired one already will have to look for other ways to save on their favorite Nintendo products. Or they can just wait for the next sale.
Customer reactions to the news were predominantly negative. Considering the price difference between the eShop and other retails is typically less than $3 for a $60 game, some consider this move to be Nintendo pinching pennies. Others argue that 3rd party retailers have no business undercutting prices on products that Nintendo owns and produces.
A lot of people are strained right now, and the gap between the haves and the have-nots seems to have been growing exponentially for decades. Companies which have seen record profits in recent months are coming under scrutiny, andindustry leaders like Xbox’s Phil Spencerhave vowed to avoid exploiting the circumstances. As of this publication Nintendo’s net worth is reported by Forbes to be $49.7 Billion, and that puts the company squarely in the sights of critics who fear companies taking advantage of people whose budgets are already stretched thin.
