For a lot of 2024, an odd pattern has dominated Amazon’s listings: Nintendo first-party video games have been conspicuously absent from the retailer, each bodily and digitally, for preorders and after launch. Rather than being bought and shipped by Amazon, main Switch titles have been restricted to third-party sellers solely. This prolonged absence has additionally included Nintendo’s digital choices — no Nintendo Switch Online memberships, reward playing cards, or digital sport codes have appeared on Amazon’s storefront since early this 12 months.
But, that seemingly ends with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This newest Zelda title has turn out to be the primary Nintendo first-party sport of 2024 to be bought and shipped instantly by Amazon, marking a major change in Amazon’s current Nintendo choices. Although it comes over a month after The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s launch, the itemizing alerts optimistic indicators after months of silence from each Amazon and Nintendo relating to these absences.
As reported by GameRant, and mentioned on the Nintendo Switch subreddit, some Nintendo preorders like Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door earlier within the 12 months had been additionally inexplicably canceled, leaving followers questioning concerning the retailer’s allegedly strained relationship with Nintendo.
This freeze has been particular to Amazon, as Nintendo video games like Mario & Luigi: Brothership and digital gadgets stay obtainable at different main retailers corresponding to Best Buy, GameStop, and Target. Up till now, Amazon has been a veritable ghost city for Nintendo merchandise, missing even the digital storefront presence that many avid gamers count on.
There’s additionally nonetheless no indication from both Nintendo or Amazon as to why this freeze-out occurred, and on the time of this text’s publication it hadn’t been absolutely reversed. Currently, solely Echoes of Wisdom is out there instantly from Amazon, with no signal of digital gadgets like Switch Online or reward playing cards returning for now.
For Switch followers keen to purchase Nintendo titles from Amazon’s official inventory, the reappearance of first-party video games hints at a possible shift simply as the vacation buying season ramps up — particularly with a Nintendo Switch successor announcement on the horizon.
With Black Friday across the nook, there’s additionally hope that this modification might sign a return to Amazon offers on well-liked Switch video games by month’s finish. By no means, nonetheless, is Amazon presently the most cost effective place to select up Echoes of Wisdom proper now going into the sale season. Woot, an Amazon-owned retailer (however handled as a separate enterprise unit), has had the sport constantly on sale for over a month. It’s presently listed for simply $49.99 ($10 off the MSRP).
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch)
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Robert Anderson is a offers skilled and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can comply with him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
