Additional costs for the production of a game cartridge for Switch may be the reason that multiplatform releases on the new Nintendo console will cost more than on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
According to Eurogamer, the Switch versions of the games Rime and Puyo Puyo Tetris are more expensive than their counterparts on other platforms by £10. Rime developers from Tequila Works studio previously said that the prices of their projects are based on the cost of development and publishing for each individual platform.
The publication assumes that the disparity in prices for the same product is explained by the difference in the cost of disks and cartridges. The capacity of the latter varies from 1 to 32 gigabytes, and more capacious media are more expensive.
This circumstance may also encourage developers to reduce the size of games for Switch, although the problem can also be solved by better optimization. The price of cartridges can be reduced by ordering them in bulk, but this option is unprofitable for indie developers with small print runs.
Nintendo’s policy requires equal prices for a digital copy of the game and its version on physical media, this condition can lead both to an increase in the cost of both options, and to the refusal of the developer to release anything on cartridges.
Source: MCV