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Do you foresee Limited Run Games' aftermarket prices going up or down?


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I've had my Nintendo Switch for 5 months now and I'm starting to feel like it may very well be my favorite console that I've ever owned, and I'd like to get physical copies of as many of the games that I really enjoy playing on it as I can. Of course some of those games were only released on a physical cartridge by Limited Run Games and Strictly Limited Games. From the Limited Run releases I'd like to pick up Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Outlast: Bundle of Terror & Outlast II and from Strictly Limited the only one I'm looking for is Fox 'N Forests.

 

In any case, every game I'd like to pick up from that little list was given a small print run and is no longer available from the manufacturer so eBay seems to be the only place to purchase them. With that in mind I've spent the last few days debating whether or not to pay the current going rate for these games on eBay (which tends to be between double and triple the original price from LRG/SRG) or wait and see if the aftermarket prices drop eventually, and I can't quite make up my mind.

 

So, where so you think the aftermarket prices for Limited Run Games' releases are going to go in the future? Would I be best off waiting to see if eBay prices go down eventually or should I just suck it up and pay the exorbitant asking prices for these games on eBay right now in case they only get more ridiculous in the future? I'd be interested in hearing you guys and gals' thoughts on the matter.

Edited by Jin
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I got Futuridium for Vita for quite cheap.

 

I think generally they will hold their value more due to their inherent rareness/low production runs, but really, the good games should go up, whereas the so-so games should go down a bit or stay even.

 

And limited run isn't above putting out some pretty questionable choices, just because "physical release!"

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And limited run isn't above putting out some pretty questionable choices, just because "physical release!"

 

I agree. They make a false market. Some games it's really neat to have a tangible copy of. Others it seems they are made just because, as you mentioned.

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I think some will go down, some up. Generally the LRG stuff that gets a BB release should likely stay lower because you have choice and can still get it physical at retail so the hype factor and paranoid over trolling scalpers is far less. But those that only have that buy it now or you're screwed factor only with no mass retail release, they'll stay up, more or less I would say a best chance on Switch because of the Nintendo factor. Not to diminish Sony or MS, but they don't quite have the idiotic fan base when it comes to long term got to have it stuff probably since Nintendo has always limited their systems storage caps which forced developers to not push out unfinished titles with that patch it later attitude. You get a few jerky devs like EA or 2K, but in general, what comes out, other than commonly quality of life fixes, works out of the box on Switch (and 3DS too had they gone there.) You can't say that about PS3/4 or XB360/One.

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Thank you for all the thoughtful replies everyone! It definitely makes sense that some Limited Run releases will go down in price and others will go up based on the popularity of the games in question, and unfortunately it seems everything I'm looking for is fairly popular. I think I'll make it my collecting goal for this summer to try and track down copies of the ones I want that I missed out on at the time of their release, capping what I'm willing to pay at 2X the original release price and seeing how it goes.

 

On the upside of things, Best Buy got stock of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and my local stores do have it in stock for $30 (the same price as it was from LRG) so that seems like a good place to start my collecting efforts. I'll head out to Best Buy this weekend to pick up a copy. :)

 

In the future I'm definitely going to be marking Limited Run releases for games I want on my calendar and making sure to set aside the money for them in advance, since it sure beats the heck out of paying double or triple to scalpers on eBay later down the line. You live, you learn.

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It is interesting that some Limited Run games have stayed the same or lowered.. at least for the PS4 and some for the Vita.

I would attribute that to the Vita itself being less popular than the Switch. I seem to recall hearing that a lot of LRG's Vita releases were selling simply by virtue of the fact that they were the only new releases available for a starved market, not necessarily because customers were clamoring for those particular games.

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10 hours ago, Jin said:

 

And already beat it once! I didn't buy it to look pretty on the shelf. ;)

Lol nice! I wish I could do the same, I want to open Ys and Night Trap so bad but just can't. Maybe I'll get duplicates...

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5 minutes ago, Zap! said:

Lol nice! I wish I could do the same, I want to open Ys and Night Trap so bad but just can't. Maybe I'll get duplicates...

 

I suppose it just comes down to whether or not you plan to ever resell them. If you can't see yourself ever parting with them then the amount of money the game is worth sealed versus opened and played doesn't really matter, because you won't be exchanging the game for money. Even if you do think you might resell them someday, sealed copies of Limited Run releases for the Switch only fetch $10 or $15 more than opened and played copies as far as I can tell from looking at eBay sold listings. At that point it just becomes a question of whether or not you think you'd get $10 or $15 worth of fun out of playing the games if you opened them and then decided to resell them later on; and devaluing your game by $10 or $15 would save you a lot more money in the long run than buying a duplicate copy to play if you ever decided to resell them. :)

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9 minutes ago, Jin said:

 

I suppose it just comes down to whether or not you plan to ever resell them. If you can't see yourself ever parting with them then the amount of money the game is worth sealed versus opened and played doesn't really matter, because you won't be exchanging the game for money. Even if you do think you might resell them someday, sealed copies of Limited Run releases for the Switch only fetch $10 or $15 more than opened and played copies as far as I can tell from looking at eBay sold listings. At that point it just becomes a question of whether or not you think you'd get $10 or $15 worth of fun out of playing the games if you opened them and then decided to resell them later on; and devaluing your game by $10 or $15 would save you a lot more money in the long run than buying a duplicate copy to play if you ever decided to resell them. :)

Actually, I'm the furthest thing from a re-seller. I'm just a buyer, I hate selling unless they are duplicates that I bought in a lot. I even have two sealed Adventurevision games. :) I just can't bring myself to open these Limited Run games. Since duplicates aren't that high, I'll just go on eBay and get some there. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Four down, one to go! :D

 

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Fox n Forests was really rough on the wallet and is now the new most valuable video game I own, but I've been having a ton of fun playing it and I get why it costs an arm and a leg since it's a pretty darn good game and only 1,000 copies were produced worldwide.

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On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 6:42 PM, Austin said:

I think at first prices on many of these will go down, but down the road as more and more collectors start trying to track them down, I bet prices will go back up.

 

Based on what I've watched, the prices are a lil' wibbly- there's a big spike right at the get-go from the die-hards who didn't get in on the actual sale from LRG & hit up eBay to 'keep their collection complete'. Sometimes this is followed by a brief dip when the die-hards are done and the resellers mark things down to get rid of excess inventory. After that, standard market forces take over.

 

I would say, after that initial spike of activity, you can take your time on most LRG games, as long as you don't take TOO long. With the PS5/Scarlett on the horizon, the PS4 releases could see a drop as the console enters the 'dark era' of its lifecycle. Switch releases are probably going to be stable for awhile, but stock will dwindle over time so keep an eye on it. Vita games, buy sooner rather than later- that system's firmly into its twilight & has such a loyal fanbase I don't suspect many collections will get liquidated, so once the supply's gone, prices will go up.

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I have my issues with Limited Run Games. 

 

Overall, I love the concept of having a complete, physical copy of a game. Only problem is their selection can be weird at times. I realize it's mostly along the lines of "what they can get", but it wasn't that good at first IMO. Also their initial releases were about the worst time to want to support them. They had an insanely limited number of copies, and if you missed out on the first 30 minutes to an hour... you were just outta luck. 

 

Thankfully, this has greatly improved over time. They have a bit better variety of games, and they seem to be holding enough copies now that you can easily hit them up at any time on release day and find a copy. On top of that, most of the Switch games are now on pre-order and pretty easy to jump on. 

 

Honestly, I would love it if they did some re-releases down the line (as plausible) to get some of their older library back out there. Granted, my understanding is that the Vita cartridges are defunct as Sony stopped taking orders for them... or am I misunderstanding that? 

 

Vita is definitely going to go up in price. :lol:

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I like what they're doing - the idea of allowing developers to ensure their games exist in a physical medium is important to long-term preservation efforts, even if those games aren't necessarily great.

 

With that said, long term prices are going to go up as collectors come round to these platforms just by virtue of the lower print runs. Medium term, I don't think you have to worry about things getting unattainably expensive.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My quest to acquire all the limited release Switch games I wanted for my collection that I missed out on at the time of their release is now complete! :D

 

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Now I've just gotta keep up with the upcoming releases so I won't have to pay out the nose to eBay scalpers later down the line. Fortunately the only limited release Switch games on my wants list at this point are Raiden V: Director's Cut Limited Edition coming out July 25th, which I already have pre-ordered, then Night in the Woods that's scheduled for release at some point during the 4th quarter of this year. :)

 

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I'll go against the current here and claim that LRG and their imitators are the gaming equivalent of Beanie Babies. I could be wrong, but if companies are purposedly creating a niche market and "restrict" access to their products today, there won't be as many people looking for them in the future.

 

 

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