Players on the Nintendo Switch have used a trick to buy a game at a lower price. Shortly after, it was among the top 100 bestsellers in the USA. We at MeinMMO reveal what is behind it.
What game is it about? “Let’s Build a Zoo” is a game where you – as the name suggests – have to build your own zoo. The title features a pixel art style. The world design slightly resembles the old Pokémon games on the Game Boy Advance.
“Let’s Build a Zoo” was released on September 29, 2022, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on Steam.
Normally, the game is supposed to cost $19.99 in the USA, writes the online magazine gonintendo.com. However, as Mike Rose, the developer of “Let’s Build a Zoo,” noted on Twitter, the team behind the game decided to offer the title at a reduced price at the pre-order launch on September 22. As a result, pre-orders of Let’s Build a Zoo cost 15% less.
If you want to get a first impression of “Let’s Build a Zoo,” we embed the console launch trailer here:
Buyers use price tourism to shop cheaply
What trick did the buyers use? The trick is called “price tourism,” suspects Mike Rose. According to him, he was already looking forward to strong sales figures when he noticed that 85% of the pre-orders came from Argentina.
I went to bed when the pre-orders started coming in. When I woke up and checked the sales figures… holy… So many pre-orders! So I did a little victory dance. Then I checked where the pre-orders were coming from […]. 85% of our pre-orders came from Argentina.
Mike Rose via Twitter
In Argentina, the game costs only about $1.50. Mike Rose therefore suspects that buyers likely changed the region of the Nintendo eShop to get the game at a lower price.
This kind of trick, to buy a game at a reduced price, is called price tourism. Buyers often use software or change the region of the shop if it is possible to do so without any issues.
There are two major problems.
Mike Rose via Twitter
1. The purchases obviously did not really come from Argentina. People obviously just switched the region and set their eShop region to Argentina to get the cheapest price.
2. This ‘cheapest price’ was about $1.50 due to the exchange rates.
Let’s Build a Zoo climbs the charts of the US eShop
Why is the game now a bestseller? As Mike Rose mentioned on Twitter, he noticed at the end of the second day of pre-orders that “Let’s Build a Zoo” had slipped into the list of the top 100 bestsellers on the US eShop overnight.
He further explains that the shop assesses the entire American region collectively: “The US eShop is not the US eShop. It is the ‘America’ eShop. All sales in North and South America are considered as sales for the entire region (via Twitter).”
The joint assessment of the American region has now led, according to Ross, to the numerous Argentine purchases boosting the game into the top 100 bestsellers in the US eShop.
What are the consequences? Mike Rose also addresses some of the consequences of the situation on Twitter. He states that “Let’s Build a Zoo” attracted noticeably more US players during its proper launch on September 29 because the game garnered more attention due to its high position among the bestsellers.
Furthermore, the game has reportedly been prominently featured in the EU eShop and the Australian eShop because the success of the title in the US eShop was likely noticed by the teams (via Twitter).
What do you think about the curious success of “Let’s Build a Zoo”? Are you checking out the game? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
Did you find the information shared by Mike Rose interesting and now want to read another story from a developer? Then check out the story of indie developer Fabrice Breton, who exposed a nasty scheme by scammers:
