Almost a year after it came to every other platform, Skyrim: Anniversary Edition surprise-launched on the Nintendo Switch today. The newest version of the beloved 2011 open-world RPG includes a bunch of DLC, mod content, and fishing. It’s also $70 on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid. Gotham Knights and Callisto Protocol aren’t coming to Switch, but apparently the price point is, at least in this one odd instance.
Bethesda has released a ton of ports and updates to The Elder Scrolls V. Since it originally released on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, it’s also come to each new generation of consoles, as well as phones, streaming platforms, and of course, the Nintendo Switch. Last year, the publisher unveiled the new $50 Anniversary Edition, not to be confused with the existing Special Edition. The main difference was that it had more mod content and fishing. Players could pay $20 to upgrade their existing Special Editions. Except on Switch.
The 2017 version on Nintendo’s handheld that included a special Breath of the Wild costume wasn’t upgradable until today. Nintendo announced the surprise news in a tweet, but it didn’t take long for people to start balking at the price:
G/O Media may get a commission
While Switch games are often priced at a premium, Skyrim: Anniversary Edition is the first one that’s not an anthology, deluxe edition, or DLC bundle to break the $60 barrier. Games are now regularly doing this on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, presumably because blockbuster production costs nearly double every console cycle. The Switch is five years old though, and Skyrim is even older.
Plus, the Anniversary Edition is only $50 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S where the new-gen upgrades were free. And it’s nothing to do with the cost of Switch SD cards either, since the $70 price is for the digital download. (People who do already own Skyrim on Switch can now, like their PlayStation and Xbox brethren, upgrade to the Anniversary Edition for $20.)
My only guess? The regular version of Skyrim is still priced at $60 on Switch, and instead of reducing that price by $10, Bethesda decided to just add it on to the new sale price. That’s all speculation of course. As you may have guessed if you’ve been around these parts long, Bethesda did not respond to a request for comment.
