Nintendo has announced that it will no longer provide European retailers with digital download codes for first party software from today. Previously you could purchase digital codes for Nintendo Switch games from retailers such as ShopTo and CDKeys at a cheaper price than the eShop. The company says that consumers can still purchase Nintendo Switch Online codes, Nintendo eShop funds and Expansion Passes.
“After careful examination of the evolving European marketplace in recent years, Nintendo has decided to end the availability of download codes for its own-published software via retailers, effective 1st July 2020.
“Customers will still be able to purchase Nintendo eShop funds, Nintendo Switch Online memberships, and add-on content such as the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass, at retailers across Europe. Download codes for Nintendo Switch software from other publishers will also still be available.
“We’re always investigating new avenues, and will continue to work on new methods to bring Nintendo eShop content to as many players as possible.”
😫 This was the best way to buy download gifts for people too. Not to mention get cheaper games myself. What a shame.
I guess the online members vouchers are probably the way to go now for digital first party.
Not a fan of removing things from retailers. Especially game retailers. This sucks because now the games I want to download will be £10+ more. Nintendo are awful for anything online.
Note to Brits, Shopto.net will usually get your game to you 1 or 2 days prior to release so you can play before “street” date + it’s always cheaper than GAME.
Breaking News: Nintendo wants more money!!!
Oh yes everyone, this is clearly Nintendo being greedy and not at all a necessary result of tax and trade regulations. Do be sure and ignore that this is only happening in one region for a reason, and that Nintendo would obviously prefer to sell its products in as many places as it can.
SE lets you buy European and Japanese FFXIV codes from retailers, but not American codes.
But this isn’t true. What tax and trade regulation are you referring to?
They’re still continuing to sell Switch Online memberships through these retailers, just not the eshop games. The same “tax and trade” regulation – that I honestly think you’ve made up, would apply to those Switch Online Membership codes too. This is Nintendo being Nintendo as per usual.
I love their games but they treat their consumers like crap.
“[We] will continue to work on new methods to bring Nintendo eShop content to as many players as possible.”
“Nintendo has decided to end the availability of download codes for its own-published software via retailers”
Those two things cannot possibly be true at the same time about the same thing