News
Nintendo’s Price Scam
Cordova, TN; May 15, in the year of our Lord 2017--Family
Friendly Gaming, the industry leader in covering the family
friendly video games is addressing the giant elephant in the
video game room. This topic has been gently touched in the past
when it came to Amiibos. Nintendo corrected that during Black
Friday 2016. Maybe that was their plan all along. Maybe they
listened to Family Friendly Gaming and took action. God knows
what is in their hearts, and the motives behind their actions.
The problem from Nintendo continues this year in 2017. It may be
part of their SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) to keep
supplies low so the prices stay high. In fact we have noticed
Nintendo games that do not sell get taken from store shelves and
then prices increase because Nintendo cut off the supply.
Some might think calling this a scam is too strong. If you think
that is too strong then we can agree to disagree. I have been a
consumer rights advocate for a very long time. That means
certain people within certain video game companies do not want
to hear my opinion. When I point out the NES Classic is
discontinued when it is constantly selling, or Amiibos are out
of stock and there still is a demand; some people do not want me
to point that out. They want me to focus on their next product.
They want everyone to obsess about whatever they are trying to
sell us next. Not everyone likes to buy brand new, or stand in
long lines waiting to purchase something. Some of us utilize
this thing called patience. Many of us like waiting for used
products since they come down in price. I believe Nintendo is
trying to kill off the used market by limited supply. Consumers
are less likely to sell theirs if they know it cannot be found
again. Unless they are holding the products with the hopes they
will be able to turn a profit on them.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Game on the Wii U is a
great example. It was an abysmal failure in terms of sales for
Nintendo. The Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio
2016 Olympic Game actually outsold the Wii U version. Yet prices
for Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Game Wii U soared
awhile after the launch. How does that happen? I looked around
at retailers and could not find a new or used copy at any of the
local retailers. The only thing that makes logical sense to me
is Nintendo pulled it. Stores were going to clearance the game,
and thus give consumers a fair deal. Maybe some stores did
clearance them, and maybe you got in on a fair deal. After all
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Game on the Wii U came out
very overpriced. Sales have been flat which also bolsters my
theory that Nintendo pulled the game. There is still some demand
for this game. I wish Nintendo has left it on the market and
lowered the price. They would have gotten more sales, and maybe
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Game would have caught on.
Do you think I am right? Do you think I am wrong? Have you
noticed Nintendo is one of the few companies without massive
prices drops on their games very quickly? Have you ever wondered
how they achieve that? Is it because Nintendo’s games are so
much better than everyone else? Nintendo has released their
stinkers in the past. Is Nintendo scamming customers on prices
with their business practices? I am just trying to provoke some
thought and discussion within the video game industry. I am also
focused on consumer rights over the greed of mega corporations
that already have billions in the bank.
God bless,
Paul Bury
Family Friendly Gaming