Nintendo Switch owners who want to grab a copy of “Lego City Undercover” should consider buying a large microSD card, as the game requires a 13GB installation before you can play it. The third-party port isn’t due until April 4, but early copies are already turning some players off. Switch owners have since expressed their disappointment on Reddit, saying that the game’s box indicates that it requires an internet connection, even to play the cartridge. As of this writing, it’s unclear if it’s just for the pre-game install or for other applications.
Additional installs enrage players
“Forcing physical card buyers to download half of the game is totally unacceptable,” Reddit user anh86 wrote. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One games on retail have long required additional installs, but a caveat on the Nintendo Switch is that it’s capped at 32GB. “Lego City Undercover” requires 13GB, which is a sizable portion of the console’s hard drive.
Other Nintendo fans accused the publisher of basically ripping off gamers, pointing out that “publishers cheap out on the physical card size” just to get consumers to download the whole game. This has left many fans baffled, one of them commenting, “Are they out of their minds?”
Why third-party games end up getting expensive
Gaming enthusiasts over at Eurogamer tried to explain the process behind Nintendo Switch cartridges.
Noting the size ranges of cartridges, the report stated that the cost for individual cartridges rises for manufacturers depending on its capacity. The result is a more expensive third-party game since publishers have to weigh certain variables such as potential sales and game size.
The flak isn’t the first for Nintendo, as other third-Party Games for its brand new console also received backlash.
“Minecraft: Story Mode” and “Rime” requires players to pay more compared to other platforms, when in fact, it offers the same content.
While “Lego City Undercover” for the Nintendo Switch shares the same price as with the PS4 and Xbox One, the required install may be the reason why it’ll suffer poor sales. The game was first released on Wii U in 2013, and Nintendo has since included it on Switch’s budget-priced Selects program for $19.99. Its remaster, which has exclusive features to go with a co-op mode, will be sold for $59.99.
