Summary
In case you missed it,during last week’s Nintendo Direct, it was announced that Donkey Kong Country Returnswould be making its way to the Nintendo Switch in early 2025. It’s good news for Nintendo fans starving for more Donkey Kong content, but it’s bad news for the wallet. That’s because whenDonkey Kong Country Returns HDreleases on June 30, 2025, it’ll cost $59.99.
While $59.99 and $69.99 have become the standard price points for modern game releases, it’s important to note thatDonkey Kong Country Returns came out in 2010. For those counting, that’s 14 years ago. And while the HD versionwill include the levels from the 3DS port, it’s still a decade-plus old game. As expected, fans are less than enthused about paying top tier prices for a remake.
Nintendo Fans Wish Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Was Cheaper
This wouldn’t be the first time that Nintendo has charged new release money for a port. In fact, Nintendo has a penchant for doing exactly that. Titles like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the re-release of Pokken Tournament and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, among others, have all launched at that price point.
That said, whenMetroid Prime Remasteredshadow dropped last year, it retailed at a modest $39.99. In other words, Nintendo does have the capability to charge less, it simply chooses not to. And fans are rightfully upset. “Not a surprise it’s Nintendo, they love to charge full price [for] yrs old games (and their games barely get any huge cut on sales). The fans will, as usual, come in droves to buy it,“one user wrote on a Reddit discussion of Donkey Kong’s price.
“I was looking forward to this but at $60 that’s a hard pass. Not paying that much to basically avoid Wii waggle controls,“another user commented.
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that no matter the price point, Nintendo knows the product will sell. For example, the re-release of New Super Mario Bros. U has over 17 million sold units,according to Nintendo’s website. The port of Mario Kart is the console’s best-selling titleat 61 million units and counting. In other words, Donkey Kong will probably achieve similar numbers over its lifetime, if not, at least a couple million, which will more than justify its cost.
Still, it’s an unfortunate development in a seemingly console-long issue when it comes to ports. If $59.99 isn’t your fancy,then know that both the original Wii title and the 3DS port can be had for under $20 each. And if you need a pick-me-up,then know that Donkey Kong could’ve been called Kong Dong. No, we’re not joking.
