Nintendo has removed a loophole used to buy cheaper games on the eShop, restricting users' ability to change their location. This officially stops many Switch owners from buying their games on the Argentinian eShop, which after currency conversion, often worked out significantly cheaper.

Following complaints online, we tested this ourselves and can confirm that switching a Nintendo account's location from the UK to Argentina removes pre-saved payment options. It also wouldn't accept a British debit card as a form of payment, and it wouldn't support PayPal at all. This will make it significantly harder for Nintendo fans looking for cheaper deals, but thankfully, keep the prices in Argentina intact for those that live there.

This development was initially spotted by Felipe Lima, editor-in-chief of Universo Nintendo (thanks, ResetEra). Here, it was noted that Brazillian cards would not work on the Argentinian eShop, closing an exploit some would use to get the same games at a cheaper price.

We can confirm that this is the case for bank cards issued in the UK as well. The location change removed my previous card details and the option to sign into PayPal. It remains to be seen which other countries have been affected by this change.

🚨 IMPORTANTE: Nintendo atualizou página do erro de compra 2813-2470 e a eShop deixou de aceitar compras com cartões emitidos em países de fora da região da loja

Exp.: Cartões Brasileiros NÃO FUNCIONARÃO na eShop Argentina pic.twitter.com/jQn1g7YcXH

— 'Necro' Felipe #UnivNintendo (@necrolipe) August 18, 2023

As a Brit who has just moved to Ireland, I went to see if this limited how I used the eShop normally. In this case, though, I was fine. Switching my location from the UK to the Republic of Ireland didn't remove my previous payment options, and I was able to purchase a title without issue. On a related note, I am now the proud owner of Wash Simulator, which set me back 99 cents. Fantastic.

Of course, this suggests that the change was very much in aid of combatting users who try to get cheaper deals. That said, there has been a warning on the Nintendo site for some time against doing this, so it might be rolled out in further regions soon.

"If a Nintendo eShop exists for your region, credit cards issued from your region will not work in a different region’s eShop. (For example, credit cards issued for the U.S. will only work in the Nintendo eShop for North America.)"

As frustrating as this may be for some players, it's certainly a better move than the alternative. Another route that some publishers have taken is keeping the price tag the same regardless of the region's circumstances. This saw Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launching in Argentina at $95, against an average monthly wage of around $427. Instead, Nintendo is keeping prices reasonable for locals, making gaming more accessible.



Posted: Aug 23, 2023 9:49 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-eshop-change-location-cheaper-games-argentina/