The physical version is still that little bit more but will have a bonus.
When it was announced that RiME would be coming to the Switch we were happy. Then it was announced it would be delayed, well that’s a grumble.
Then we learned it would be $20AU more expensive on the Switch, well that wasn’t on. Developers Greybox has listened to the fans and dropped the price of the game to parity with the other consoles, but only for the digital release. The new price is $US29.99 / €34.99 / £29.99. We’ll try and find out in the morning if the price applies to the Australian digital copy as well, regardless we can just switch eShop now and pick it up. Thanks, region free!
The physical version of the game will remain the same as it was before ($US39.99 / €44.99 / £39.99 ) and $79.95 here in Australia. To help cushion the blow there will be a download code in the game’s box to get the official soundtrack. Greybox says “On the physical side, we can’t lower the price without selling at a loss, but we can add more value to the package. And that’s what we’re doing.”
Here’s the full blog post;
Back in March, we announced that the Nintendo Switch version of RiME was going to be released at $39.99 / €44.99 / £39.99. The reason for the higher price was due to the additional development, manufacturing, and publishing costs involved with that port.While some were understanding of these go-to-market costs, there were still a number of folks who weren’t happy. We totally understand: nobody wants to pay higher prices.
At Grey Box, we are determined to provide a fair deal for everyone around. And so we discussed how we could do that, without simply selling at a loss, all while also being fair to our retail partners. So, here’s what we’re doing.
First off, the digital version of RiME on Nintendo Switch will now cost $29.99 / €34.99 / £29.99, the same price as the game on other platforms. So, that’s straightforward enough.
On the physical side, we can’t lower the price without selling at a loss, but we can add more value to the package. And that’s what we’re doing. For the Nintendo Switch version of RiME, all physical copies will include a printed code for a download of the complete, beautiful soundtrack by David García (a sample of which you can find here). You will be able to download the music via Bandcamp in one of the multiple high-quality formats. The soundtrack is planned on being sold separately for $10 in the US (and equivalent prices elsewhere), and so the value you’re going to get out of this will be the same as somebody who purchased a different version of RiME, and then bought the soundtrack.
AdvertisementLike I said, Grey Box’s goals are to provide a great product at a great value. We hope you’ll find this new offering to be fair. Personally, we’re excited about it, because we want as many people as possible to hear David’s music! Regardless, we can assure you that no matter which version of RiME you play – and we hope to have a Switch version release date announced shortly – you’re going to have an amazing and touching experience. Thanks very much for your support!
What do you think of this change to pricing, if the ‘Switch tax’ is removed from the digital price here it should make the game $59.95AU on the eShop. Is this enough to get you to buy the game now if you weren’t before?
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