Was browsing the newly released eShop prices for the Switch 2 games on Nintendo.de:
https://www.nintendo.com/de-de/Suche-/Suche-299117.html?f=147394-14-73-6951-15-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-10355-109227

To my surprise at the end of the list Madden 26 was there without a cover:

https://www.nintendo.com/de-de/Spiele/Nintendo-Switch-2-Spiele/EA-SPORTS-Madden-NFL-26-2807738.html

Looks like EA wants to charge 80€, just as much as Mario Kart World, for the base game and the deluxe edition is only 110€... cheap, what a deal !

And then found this other link:
https://videogamesplus.ca/collections/all-nintendo-switch-2/products/madden-nfl-26-nintendo-switch-2-pre-order-free-shipping

The physical version is also a game key card. BINGO !!!

Third parties are jumping head over heels for the game-key cards

EDIT: All saved as it's 70usd where it counts, and only 100usd for the deluxe version:

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ea-sports-madden-nfl-26-switch-2/

EDIT2: Surprised to see these prices are normal elsewhere:

PS5 standard 80eur https://store.playstation.com/nl-nl/product/UP0006-PPSA26127_00-MADDENNFL26GAME0/

PS5 deluxe 110eur https://store.playstation.com/nl-nl/product/UP0006-PPSA26127_00-MADDEN26DELUXE00/

Xbox standard 70 usd https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/ea-sports-madden-nfl-26-standard-edition/9p7sz6gthpmk

Xbox deluxe 100usd https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/ea-sports-madden-nfl-26-standard-edition/9p7sz6gthpmk

Guess games are just expensive everywhere now...

For over twenty years we hear the complaints from third parties about rising costs. Their counter measure was to squeeze out extra money in the form of lazy cash grabs, soulless sequels, horse armour DLCs, gamble addiction inducing loot boxes and infuriating micro transactions (with the worst offender being EA themselves). So now, if we reach a level of revenue by paying higher base game prices, we might finally be able to leave all that predatory garbage behind!

But yeah, well, who am I kidding.

We were truly nostalgic for pricing of games in 90's obviously+ all the extra bullshit(except for expansions/DLCs) added on top.

What double standards. All these complaints about Mario Kart World, and now here with Madden I see none.

It can be two things, these video game prices are normalized or no one cares about this case because it is EA.
Which one is it?

Anyone who buys a yearly sports game as full price is a fucking idiot. Wait like 3 months and it's under 20 bucks. Play last years while you wait. They go down in price so fast.

Want to know something crazy? I remember PS1 games usually being $40 which was much lower than N64 games. With inflation. Those PS1 games in 2025 would be 80 bucks. However while it wasn't good even then, I think wages with the cost of living are more aligned than they are now.

That could be it, contrary to that Nintendo games rarely get discounted and they do only if they bomb.

If it’s 80 the least they could’ve done was actually put the game on a cart. But EA is EA I guess, why expect different from the scummiest company around.

If they shipped it on a cart they probably would have charged €80 for digital and €90 for Physical like MKW. €80/$70 is just standard modern game pricing. It's if they jump to €90 for physical or $80 in the US like MKW that will be something to note. This €80 price is just business as usual this generation.

For Third Party so far:

Cyberpunk: Cartridge

Hitman: Game Key
Streetfighter: Game Key
Bravely Default: Game Key
Yakuza 0: Game Key
Sonic Generations: Game Key
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2: Game Key
Raidou: Game Key
Wild Hearts: Game Key
Daemon x Machina: Game Key
Madden 26: Game Key
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess: Game Key
Survival Kids: Game Key
Nobunaga's Ambition: Game Key
Shine Post Be Your Idol: Game Key
Suikoden HD: Game Key

AFAIK that's all the titles we know about. 15/16 3rd party titles are not on cartridge. It happened on Switch 1 but not to this extent. Switch 2 cartridge prices must be high for third party to be avoiding them to this extent, and could explain why Nintendo is charging higher for physical than digital in EU.

Not good for storage space though if even if you buy boxed you're gonna have to download all the data onto the internal.

These prices have been normal since years. PS5 games commonly cost €80 at launch. Sports games have commonly multiple SKUs at launch and €110 isn't even that obscene when the NBA 2k series had already €140 editions. Donkey Kong Bananza costing €80 for the physical version merely means that it costs as much as a PS5 game.

The point that people miss about Mario Kart World is a deliberate FOMO effect on Nintendo's part. A hardware bundle with MKW that isn't only labeled as being in production for only a limited time, but also provides the game for only $50/€40 as opposed to $80/€80; that's without a doubt a great deal for Switch 2's first must-have title.