That's a good point but holy shit does it reveal a lot about the state of the industry. I think In read somewhere there was already market data to show that $70 is slowing the sales of video games. I don't think the industry will be able to make money if $80 is the cheap option. The whole thing has been on a decline since 2022 and those target prices means people just won't buy games.
This kind of shit reminds me of the North American comic book industry. It's been pointed out that at one point your average Spider-Man or whoever comic was less than a dollar, kids could buy in bulk. and of course, those were the days when comics had some mainstream relevance.
Then the industry got full of itself, decided it was "art," started printing issues on expensive paper and charging five bucks a pop for a sixty page pamphlet.... and of course, sales dropped off (the actual
content of the rags didn't help, either). Why would I pay $5.99 for part 1 of 12 when I can get a full paperback novel for the same price? And then of course graphic novels are always premium items as well.
I've always thought this was the true reason manga overtook comics: because they were affordable, not because they were necessarily better. You can tell me all you want that Batman And the Art of Breathing In Space is some sort of highbrow epic, but when I look at the asking price of $60, then realize I could get ten volumes of Detective Conan for the same price....
I imagine a similar deal will happen with gaming. Suddenly all these expensive games will start to flounder in sales, meanwhile cheapie games are going to get more and more traction. I find myself wondering if it will lead to the same place it landed Marvel and DC, where rather than Nintendo being a game company, they exist to just license out their IPs for movie deals in a last bid to maintain relevance.
I agree that Nintendo's biggest issue is pride, and as they say, Pride goeth before a fall.