This Week in Games - Everyone Succumbs To Money

Welcome back, folks! You might have noticed that we published a game review yesterday; NIS America's Starbites. It's a turn-based RPG, and while I can probably make endless amounts of snark about that given the absolutely-exhausting discourse surrounding turn-based games, I honestly feel worse at the prospect that folks might not give it a shot. It's a fun game, coming off as a less-gritty Metal Max Xeno Reborn. There's a lot of charm to Starbites, I hope it finds an audience.

This is...

Nintendo Confirms Price Hike on Switch 2

This one's me being Booboo the Fool. I had really hoped it wouldn't come to this, but unfortunately, Nintendo has given the Switch 2 a $50 price hike, putting the Switch 2 at a MSRP of US$500. The price hike is to take effect in the United States this September 1.

With this, every major console in America has seen some kind of price hike over the last year. The PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X|S, and even the Switch 2's predecessor all cost more now than they did upon release. And in all cases, we know why. Worldwide manufacturing has seen a shortage of RAM chips since 2024, which is now starting to affect manufacturing of other components like motherboards. This has been caused by the rampant development of data centers for AI engines—many of which have been delayed, if not outright cancelled. The shortage of vital components has affected all manner of consumer electronics, not the least of which gaming consoles. And this also affects more boutique offerings, with some portable options like the Lenovo Go or the ROG Ally retailing for as much as US$1600—assuming they're even available, as as some offerings like Valve's Steam Deck still out-of-stock after months of waiting.

And for what it's worth, Nintendo is still coming out ahead, as it were; I'd make my "at least it's not US$450!" crack here, but while US$500 is a price to balk at, that's still cheaper than any other option on the market (especially considering the Steam Deck sells its docks separately). Not to mention, Nintendo announced the price hike several months in advance; if people still want to get their Switch 2 at the current price, they literally have all summer to do it and not the end of the week. There's time to get finances in order. We can also appreciate that it's a Switch 2 getting a price hike; it stings less that the newest console on the block is getting more expensive, compared to either Sony's or Microsoft's offerings which are both six years old. 

For what it's worth, Nintendo deserves some credit for holding back as long as they did. The Switch 2's launch was already besieged by President Trump's tariff shenanigans, and even then Nintendo was doing everything it can to shave down the Switch 2's price to that US$450 sweet spot, offloading as much of the price they could to accessories like the GameChat camera, the Joycon 2s and Amiibo. Folks balked at the Switch 2 not having an OLED screen out of the box, but it's pretty obvious that was out of the question if they wanted to keep the price down. This price hike comes in at over a year after the Switch 2's release. I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, but US$500 isn't too outrageous when Switch 2 bundles including Mario Kart World already retail for that price.

Image via x.com

© Nintendo

I had a whole screed prepared because I was offended—genuinely offended—that Nintendo would toss in this price hike without even giving people the dignity of a free digital code for a game while they were at it. Because even if the Switch 2 is the newest console on the market and, even at US$500, still cheaper than any of its competitors (and likely to stay that way), US$500 is a tall asking price. And make no mistake, I stand by that: nothing would make that extra $50 go down easier than at least a bundled-in digital copy of Mario Kart World. Remember when we got that neat Fire Emblem Awakening-themed 3DS with the neat coat of arms on the cover and a pre-installed copy of Fire Emblem Awakening? Man, what a console. But Nintendo was nice. Not kind, I'd say, but they were nice—East Coast Nice™ (I get to make that joke, I've lived in the Pacific Northwest for a decade now). Because Nintendo has announced that starting in June, select retailers will have the Choose Your Game bundle, which still retails for US$500, but now gives you added options for your choice of a digital game. So in addition to Mario Kart World, you can also get Donkey Kong: Bananza, a stellar 3D platformer; or Pokopia, which is very easily the killer app for the Switch 2, barring Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. Nintendo's website points out that the bundle is "limited time only," and make no mistake that I will join people in arguing that they could've just made this the default offering for the Nintendo Switch 2 and likely would've made a lot of people extremely happy. But as it stands, this is Nintendo making a Switch 2 version of the 3DS's Ambassador Program for the Nintendo Switch 2 in all but name: this is the new, higher price we're going with because we live in Hell World™, but if you act now before the axe drops in September you can get one of the best games on our console, one of the other best games on the console, or a solid racing game that just so happens to not be Kirby Air Riders.

Image via www.polygon.com

© Koei Tecmo, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, Nintendo

People smarter than me have pointed out that these prices aren't going back down. Even if something happens tomorrow and the AI bubble bursts overnight and suddenly someone finds a whole warehouse full of industrial-grade RAM chips, people aren't going to make these consoles cheaper again. We have to wait years for the dust to settle to see if we'll ever see a Nintendo console for under US$400 again. Sony and Microsoft are lost causes, they'll cling to their teraflops and cloud streaming until broadband is finally available across the entire continental US (long after I've shuffled off this mortal coil), but they'll look you in the eye and insist that a four-figure console is just "the way of the future." They'll look you in the eye and wax faux-poetic about how "the dreams of developers are greater than can be supported in 60 frames per second," or some other Blast Processing guff. But if there's one thing I can appreciate, it's that while the Switch 2 is still the "cheap" alternative to any other console on the market, US$500 is more than I'd ever be able to justify for a console when I was a kid. Kid-me from 20 years ago would've stuck with his Game Boy Advance and his copies of Boktai and Golden Sun and figured he could get a few more years out of his GBA if he ever managed to track down a copy of Shining Soul (never did get a chance to play that one!). Kid Jean-Karlo could go to a game shop and pick up DS games for US$40, not even caring that a complete copy of Izuna would later run US$150—it was all about trying Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors because his best friend's wife said it was good. Kid Jean-Karlo probably spent less on his copy of Astro Boy: Omega Factor than adult Jean-Karlo has on some Uber deliveries—and the former would wind up shaping his life. The world kid-Jean-Karlo grew up in where he could use pocket money to buy games doesn't exist anymore. I don't care that this means my games cost more, I'm gainfully employed. I care that this means other kids can't afford them, because there's a kid out there who deserves their own Pokémon adventure, who deserves experiencing the rush of mastering the perfect Need For Speed lap. There's no room for that kid in this industry anymore. And as a guy whose job is to get onto the Internet and get people excited for upcoming games, the fact that the barrier of entry is keeping kids like I was out of the industry pisses me the fuck off.

What are we even doing anymore.

Takashi Tezuka to Retire from Nintendo

In other Nintendo news, fans were struck by the news of a changing of the guard at Nintendo: longtime Nintendo executive Takashi Tezuka is leaving the company this June 26.

Image via gameinformer.com

Tezuka has worked at Nintendo since 1984, where he got his start handling some of the art for Super Punch Out!!. From there, Tezuka teamed up with Shigeru Miyamoto and Kōji Kondō, leading to an absolute murderer's row of titles from the three creators. Name a first-party Nintendo title, and Tezuka has likely worked on it on some capacity, be it as a Supervisor or as a director. Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!... Takashi Tezuka has credits with Nintendo leading all the way up to the Switch 2's updated version of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It's no exaggeration to say that Tezuka has been every bit as important to Nintendo's reputation and output for these past 40 years as Shigeru Miyamoto.

Tezuka's retirement is a big deal, considering he's the first of his generation of Nintendo old-bloods to do so. We can thank our lucky stars that he's retiring on his own terms. This nevertheless marks a momentous transition for the company. I've said it before, but the Switch 2 will be the last console with many of Nintendo's established old guard at the helm. While the company has put a ton of work into ensuring that its generational knowledge is properly passed down to its newer talents (that's the only way you get titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder)... yeah, it's still scary to think of what's going to happen to a Nintendo where the music isn't composed by Kōji Kondō, or where Shigeru Miyamoto isn't in the credits.

We thank Takashi Tezuka for his decades of work, and we hope he enjoys his retirement. He's more than earned it. People have pointed out that Tezuka is probably underappreciated in the industry. I agree, but something tells me that he's been happy to work on the sidelines. Job well done, big guy. 

Sega "Super Game" Cancelled

The deadest of horses one can levy at Sega is their mismanagement of their old, beloved franchises that aren't Sonic the Hedgehog or Like A Dragon. Anyone who still loves the likes of Phantasy Star or Ristar or even OutRun does so with the knowledge that Sega will never do more for them than maybe make a sideways allusion to the franchise with a costume or a remixed song. The best a Sega franchise can hope for is a stage in a Sonic Racing game. They can't even add Sega characters to those anymore, CAPCOM and Nickelodeon crossovers take precedence over Sketch Turner or Alis Landale.

To those that miss Jet Set Radio or Crazy Taxi, Sega offered a promising vision with a proposed "Super Game" back in 2021. The details on the title were scarce, other than that it would resurrect various Sega IP, be infinitely scalable, and reunite your divorced parents. Of course, this was promised back in 2021, and even I had forgotten that this was ever a "thing." So it's no surprise that the "Super Game" has been cancelled after five years of development. That we don't even have screenshots of the game makes me think that this thing never really made any kind of meaningful progress past pre-production. This wouldn't be too unusual, even with the game featuring a budget of $600 million (your eyes would boggle at the number of films that have been in production hell for ages).

What makes the Super Game so egregious is that the Super Game was operating off of a five-year plan. Many theorize that this Super Game was going to be some kind of Fortnite-esque omni-game featuring multiple modes based off of Sega's IP, which would've been perfect for Sega's arcade games—After Burner, Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5, you can see how these would work in a major live-service games, especially since Fortnite has a whole Guitar Hero mode. And Sega did have some proposed remakes for some of these IP, which Sega insists are still happening regardless of the fate of the "Super Game." But also: what the heck are we doing when we can't make a new Crazy Taxi in a space of five years.

Sega clarified some of their reasoning for the cancellation with GameFile; long story short, the volatile nature of the "games-as-a-service" market gave them cold feet. And I don't blame them, it's a horrible time to be making any kind of live-service game. Sega confirmed that cancelling the game won't cost them extra money, which is for the best; they might as well quit while they're ahead. I'm not going to pretend that they could've and should've just made a Sakura Wars game instead... but jeez, a new Sakura Wars couldn't have lost them any more money than the "Super Game" did.

Katsuhiro Harada Joins SNK, Founds VS Studio

Famed Tekken header Katsuhiro Harada turned heads a few months ago when he announced he would be stepping down from his longtime role as series director for Tekken, as well as Bandai Namco entirely. Considering the decades he had been working at the company, folks took this for a retirement. But Harada is still young enough to work in game development and offer his skills somewhere. And his choice was... SNK. Not only is he now working for the house Terry Bogard built, he formed his own studio to do it: "VS Studio."

Image via www.videogameschronicle.com

The name has a lot of fans abuzz, and I can't help but think it's a bit premature; some have taken the name to mean that obviously he's working on a CAPCOM Vs. SNK revival of some sort, but uh... it's not like Koji Igarashi founded Bloodstained Studios to make the Bloodstained games. Harada's explanation behind the name is that it represents "Video game Soft" and "the spirit of challenging tradition." 

Deciding to work with SNK is... a choice. Sure, you're guaranteed a big bag of money for your trouble (don't mind the red stuff), but I get the feeling the money will run out once certain figures learn that you can't actually pay people enough to like you. And it's hard to buy into any claim that Harada will have any kind of creative freedom when the last major game SNK made needed to upend its own roster to include a few friends from SNK's owner.

Now, I have respect for Harada. You don't spend 31 years in the game industry without learning a few things. And while there are a number of subjects where I massively disagree with him, you absolutely cannot deny the man has and will back up his findings with facts, figures and hard data taken from on-the-ground investigation and understanding of the fighting game audience. That said: the places where Harada faltered are kinda major. While Tekken 8 does feature rollback netcode, this was no thanks to Harada, who was infamously very resistant towards incorporating rollback even in sight of its genuine benefits for any kind of online play. And while Tekken 7 sold gangbusters, both it and Tekken 8 aren't on Nintendo's platforms. I know the obvious answer: the Switch and Switch 2 are too "weak" to keep Tekken looking good. The Tekken games are all about their visual fidelity, and all of the fancy particle effects from the characters clobbering each other would be highly compromised on the Switch. You'll probably even bring up that infamous screenshot of Mortal Kombat 1 on the Switch. My counterpoint is that Mortal Kombat 1 actually sold on the Switch. Some numbers: Tekken 7 sold 12 million units over its decade-year lifespan. Those are impressive numbers... but also, ten years of support is not usual for a game. Tekken 8 has some solid sales numbers, clocking in 3 million sales as of February 2025, following its release in 2024. Mortal Kombat 1, as of April 9 of this year, has sold 8 million copies across all of its platforms, after having released in 2023. That's an extra five million units within a difference of one year. And Mortal Kombat 1 isn't even a good Mortal Kombat game. Now, sales figures for the Switch version currently aren't available. But I'd bet that a good, healthy chunk of those eight million sales included Switch versions. Because even if Mortal Kombat 1 on the Switch is the worst-looking version of the game, it's still a version people can buy. And people that own a Switch and go into Target and see Liu Kang on the cover will go, "Hey! Mortal Kombat 1 on the Switch! I or someone I know likes Mortal Kombat and owns a Nintendo Switch! This is a good purchase!" A compromised version of a game is still a version of the game someone can buy. And some sales of something are more than no sales of something.

Not to mention, Harada's departure from Bandai Namco was... fraught. Tekken 8's latest updates were extremely controversial among fans, completely changing the nature of the game to something way more twitchy and offense-heavy, where it's too easy for someone to roll their face on a controller and wipe out half your life bar. And while Bandai Namco made numerous claims that they were looking into the subject, I'm not sure if they've actually managed to address those complaints. How much of that is Harada's fault? I can't say. Games aren't made by one person. But the man is known to be bullish about stuff. When Harada's right, he's right. And sometimes, the stuff he locks his knees over tend to be tremendous points of disparity with the rest of the fanbase. You take what you can get with the guy.

I'm usually of the sentiment of "We'll see how this plays out" when it comes to these kinds of hirings or studio formations. As we've sadly learned from Nagoshi Studios, fortunes change on a dime. I can see why folks would be apprehensive. I can see why folks would be excited. But, as with many things, this gets a massive "more to follow."

Let's wrap up with some quick tidbits:

That'll do it for this week. While there are games and manga to look forward to in the future, this weekend presents me with a fun opportunity: a local theater is holding an OVA festival. They've declined to tell us what OVAs they'll be playing, but I look forward to being impressed. There's a thriving local anime scene and every time I go to a theater to watch the likes of Angel's Egg or Dirty Pair: Project Eden, I'm stunned at how many people are piled into the room to join in on the fun. Don't be afraid of going to the movies alone—I don't know why the stigma exists, but it's a good time and a nice way to unwind. Be good to each other, I'll see you in seven.

This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with Anime News Network, Jean-Karlo can be found playing Japanese RPGs, eating popcorn, watching VTuber content, and watching tokusatsu. You can keep up with him at @ventcard.bsky.social.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors.