The upcoming remake of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch will cost $60, and fans are not sure what to think about it.
The Nintendo Store listing for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD — a remake of the Nintendo Wii original that was also ported to the Nintendo 3DS — has revealed a $60 price tag. While many say that’s too much for a game that originally released in 2010, others are okay with it.
“To no one’s surprise,” wrote linkling1039 on Reddit post discussing the cost. “It’s definitely too expensive,” shadow0wolf0 said. “I expected $40.” X/Twitter user @myriad_truths agrees: “$60 for Donkey Kong Country Returns is f**king absurd, by the way. I don’t care how good the game is.”
Many were hoping for a $40 price tag because Metroid Prime: Remastered, which ported the original GameCube game to the Nintendo Switch with HD graphics and scored a 10/10 in IGN’s review, sold for that amount.
This came on the same day that Nintendo announced that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would be their first $70 game, and many believe that Metroid Prime: Remastered was released at a lower price to compensate a bit. “They wanted to release it as proof that they would be releasing games at different price points,” TackoftheEndless said on Reddit. “To never do something so generous again.”
Other fans understand and accept the $60 price tag, but emphasize that Metroid is not as recognizable a franchise as Donkey Kong, among others. “It probably helps that DK was the main focus of the latest Mario movie, got his own section in the Mario theme park, and is very recognizable,” OK-Flow5292 said in Reddit. “Metroid, however, doesn’t have the same reach and generally pulls in smaller numbers compared to Nintendo’s biggest hits”
Another commented on the realities of the extreme costs of video game development. “As a consumer, I would obviously want cheap games. But as a lifelong fan, I would also like a sustainable industry,” falconpunch1989 said.
Nintendo isn’t the only one releasing $60 remakes. Disney’s Epic Mickey: Rebrushed will release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch and PC on September 24, 2024, also priced at $60. A collector’s edition is also sold for $200.
Another remake of a Wii title, Epic Mickey, sparked similar ire due to its price tag. “I was looking forward to it, but $60?” Lukar asked Reset Era. “Epic Mickey is destined to die again.” But regardless of your opinion, this is a game published by Embracer Group’s THQ Nordic and at least shows that companies other than Nintendo are charging the same price.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day long.
