Black Friday Observations

I was perusing the Black Friday flyers when I noticed some interesting things about the video game deals this year. Keep in mind that I have no knowledge of why these deals happen or the back-room discussions that bring these savings to consumers, I can only speculate.

If you'd like to see all the deals, check out this website for a handy rundown of everything so far.

Wii U is Practically M.I.A.

I noticed something very odd about the Walmart flyer. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One are well represented in the mega retailer’s ad this year, however, the Wii U is nowhere to be found. I thought this was strange, so I clicked over to check out the ads for Target and K-Mart and again, Nintendo’s struggling console is absent.

In fact, after looking through other retailer’s flyers, the only deals on the system that I could find are $40 off the Skylander’s bundle at Toys R’ Us and $50 off the Super Mario 3D World/ Nintendo Land bundle at Best Buy. Great deals for sure, but I can’t help but think that Activision is bearing the brunt of that Skylander’s deal and 3D World and Nintendo Land are year old games whose value has depreciated significantly. Meanwhile, Amiibos – Nintendo’s answer to Disney Infinity and Skylanders – are not featured in any of the flyers, despite the fact that the line of figures launched today, just ahead of Black Friday.

Even when Walmart decided to offer consumers to build their own bundle, the deal included every relevant video game system on shelves, EXCEPT for the Wii U. Something smells fishy in the mushroom kingdom, no?

Either Nintendo can’t afford to offer consumers blockbuster deals this holiday season, or they have enough confidence in their brand to not make any drastic moves just yet.

Speaking of Drastic Moves: Xbox One is Nearly Half the Price That It Retailed For in 2013…

…At least at one retailer, anyway. But that retailer is a big one. Target is selling the Xbox One Assassin’s Creed bundle for $329 along with a $50 Target gift card. Not even counting the cost saved on the games, that’s essentially an Xbox One for $279. I’ll do the math for you. That’s $221 less than it sold for only a year ago. Granted, you’re not getting the Kinect with that bundle, but it’s still an incredible deal.

"I noticed something odd about the Walmart flyer: the Wii U is nowhere to be found."

Microsoft is doubling down on the deals this holiday season, which seems like a well-timed strategy when combined with the release of excellent exclusives like Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, and Halo: Master Chief Collection. However, it could also be seen as desperation, with the Playstation 4 outpacing it nearly 2:1 throughout most of 2014. Either way, the strategy already seems to be working.

Expect to See a Slew of Triple-A Games Join PS Plus and Games With Gold Soon

This one is more an educated guess than an observation. I’ve noticed a trend in the past few years that finds an interesting connection between Black Friday deals and the free game offerings from hardware manufacturers. In previous years, games like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Bioshock Infinite were sold at huge discounts on Black Friday only a few months before they became available for free download on PS Plus.

Members of these services have been antsy recently, waiting for Tiple-A games – as opposed to indie titles – to go on offer for the new-gen systems. There seems to be good news on the way for these people, with Sony announcing that Injustice: Gods Among Us will be available on PS Plus in December, becoming the first Triple-A PS4 game on the service. And with retailers marking down games like Killzone: Shadow Fall, Dead Rising 3, Watch_Dogs, Evil Within, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Wolfenstein: A New Order to as low as $20, expect to see some or all of these on your perspective monthly service sooner rather than later.

New-Gen Systems Are Being Bundled With Old-Gen Games

The big Xbox One release this holiday season is a collection of old games from its flagship franchise, Halo. Granted, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is an admirable effort in game preservation and the Halo 2 remaster seems especially well-done, but it’s still a collection of old games. The Xbox One is prominently bundled with this package at many retailers for $329, which is an exceptional deal, but a bit telling for the current state of the industry.

Xbox isn’t the only console being bundled with updated versions of old games though. People looking for a PS4 will find that system bundled with The Last of Us Remastered and the updated Grand Theft Auto V for $399 at several retailers. Another great deal for anyone who doesn’t mind re-purchasing games they have probably already played. Then again, consumers have shown a willingness to spend money on games they’ve already played.

Hopefully you found this interesting and helpful, especially if you’re still looking to buy a new-gen system this holiday season. Let me know in the comments below, if you have any other observations about Black Friday or the holiday deals in general.