Motion Picture Money Prop Image from Ibeliy on Amazon
One thing that bothers me when it comes to purchasing a video game is the difference in how they treat the digital marketplace from a physical in-store one. If you were to go to any retailer that is selling a game, the price of the game would be adjusted according to how long it has been out - unless it was made by Nintendo. While I understand some stores will have a game for $20 while another has it for $25, why is that same game running for $60 on the platform’s digital store?
We are entering an age where many gamers won’t even have physical copies of games anymore. There are literally digital-only versions for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. If we are entering an age where retailers aren’t going to be as necessary as they once were, then the digital marketplace needs to start adjusting the prices in the same way as a retailer would.
I’m tired of waiting until the $60 game goes on sale for “70% off” just to get it for the same price I could get it any day at Walmart or Target. It is absurd and it is not a real sale offer! These fake deals get so many people to purchase games they wouldn’t have bought outside of the sale, but in reality, it isn’t on sale, it was just lowered to the same price as any retail store is offering that same game for in a physical format. At least if you got the physical version of the game you lend it to a friend or re-sell it at a later date!
It’s just a giant scam that is run on all digital platforms and it needs to come to an end. The last game I purchased and noticed this issue was when I bought Pokemon Sword for my wife on the Nintendo eShop for $60 and then saw it at Walmart the next day for $50. If I had known it was cheaper in the store, I would have just purchased it there! Now, I always double-check the store before purchasing a game, even if it is on sale, and I suggest you do the same.
How do you feel about there being a difference between a game’s price when it comes to getting a physical or digital version? What was the last game you bought online only to find it was cheaper in the store for literally no reason?
