The Switch 2‘s release was met with almost universal praise, with everything from performance to graphics being improved across the board for almost every game imaginable. However, in a lot of cases, if you wanted to access those upgrades, it meant buying the game all over again, and that left many people wondering if it was worth the money. But now, with Cult of the Lamb, if you own the Switch version, you will automatically receive the upgrade for free on October 22, 2026, which raises questions about which games should be charging for fairly small improvements between console generations.
In Nintendo’s case, they are more than happy to keep their high premiums for their first-party titles, even if they aren’t exactly struggling for money. However, for indie developers, the discussion around whether to charge for these upgrades is much broader, as some titles may have found massive success, like Cult of the Lamb, and be able to push out a free upgrade, while others may struggle to justify putting in all that work for no cost. With that said, if an independent developer is happy to do it, then it makes the situation pretty awkward for larger studios, who will end up looking like they are just out for more money, instead of doing a service for their players.
Cult of the Lamb’s Free Switch 2 Upgrade Sets Quite the Precedent
Gaming has become quite an expensive hobby in recent times, and one of the drivers behind the increase in cost is video game prices. Back in the day, the concept of a $70 was reserved for deluxe editions with additional DLC content, but now, it seems more games are approaching triple digit prices, with no sign of slowing down. For Switch games, because of the new console, a lot of older games have now been ported to an upgraded version, often charging the same or even more to play the game with slightly better visuals and performance.
Yet not all developers are taking this route, and in the case of Cult of the Lamb, so long as you already own the Switch version, the Switch 2 copy will be free to download. This is a very welcome decision from a much smaller team compared to titans like Nintendo, as, rather than having to pay full price for functionally the same experience, you get all the benefits of the Switch 2 edition without having to spend a penny. Also, with the release of the Woolhaven expansion earlier this year, if you wanted to play the DLC with the improvements of the newer version, then you would have to buy both, instead of checking out the expansion alone.
Some titles may have found massive success, like Cult of the Lamb, and be able to push out a free upgrade, while others may struggle to justify putting in all that work for no cost.
By releasing the Switch 2 version in this way, it makes a statement regarding how the developers view their existing player base, as there is a very different situation depending on whether you already own the game or not. For people who have never played Cult of the Lamb and saw it was coming to Switch 2, they can just buy the game and enjoy it like anyone else. However, the developers clearly value those who bought the game on the original Switch, and they don’t want to create a rift in the player base, so by gifting them with a free upgrade to a game they already own, they have improved their already solid reputation and potentially made more sales as a result.
That’s because a lot of people may have just upgraded to a Switch 2 and realized they can now play Cult of the Lamb in an upgraded form, which, in turn, may lead to them grabbing the expansion and a couple of the other DLCs in the process. In any case, what this situation showcases is the difference in attitudes towards upgraded versions of existing games. A lot of devs have been eager to push out a Switch 2 version, hoping to cash in on a wave of people buying the console, but it does feel pretty terrible as a consumer to see an old game that I could pick up for less than $20 be re-packaged for over $50, with a list of improvements that could have very easily been patched in for free.
Price Never Equals Quality
Generational upgrades to games are far from a new idea, but it feels like this generation has seen far more revisions than any other. I don’t think it is absurd to say that, on the whole, the jump to the Switch 2 felt far less drastic than other console releases, and the same can be said for the newer versions of older games on it. It is obvious that the device is an improvement, as when you play games like Breath of the Wild at 60 FPS, you really start to see that additional processing power. But is it really worth paying an extra fee that arguably should be free for current owners?
Moving away from Switch 2 for a moment, The Witcher 3 just received a major remaster update that was released for free for all existing players. Now the update sits somewhere between a full remake and a modern console port, but it still came with a whole host of significant gameplay and QoL changes that CD Projekt Red could have very easily charged a premium for. Turning back to Cult of the Lamb, you have an indie developer that doesn’t have millions of dollars to spare, yet they are also giving away an upgraded version for free, something that not every publisher can afford to do. However, those that can still seem to think it is acceptable to force returning customers to pay.
The decision on how much to charge for these improvements will vary depending on the game and the developer, but I think it isn’t outrageous to say that it feels strange for a smaller dev team to be leading the charge on the Switch 2, when so many bigger games expect you to pay for a minor upgrade. It would surprise me if Cult of the Lamb manages to make any real shifts in publisher perceptions surrounding Switch 2 ports or other console versions, but I would hope that they at least feel pressure from their players who question why certain upgrades are free and nigh identical ones in terms of quality aren’t.
Cult of the Lamb
8/10
- Released
-
August 11, 2022
- ESRB
-
Teen / Blood, Violence.
- Developer(s)
-
Massive Monster
