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[Skittzo0413]

True, but how can the game be 7 GB if it`s way bigger on other platforms?

Devs can choose to do extra compression if they want to bring the game size down, especially with audio. That can reduce the file size by a very huge amount. They have literally no reason to do this with the other platforms when storage on other consoles isn't an issue whatsoever (nor is space on Blu-Ray discs).

 

[Waluigilicious]

Right...

I'm confused now.

I think it's clear that the situation is how we first thought and that the person interviewed is either a bit confused, or trying to be smart.

 

[ggx2ac]

True, but how can the game be 7 GB if it`s way bigger on other platforms?

Because they wouldn't need to worry about doing compression on Blu-ray discs since those don't come in variable sizes like the Switch Game Cards.

 

[Gamezone]

Still have my fingers crossed it's a typo and it's really 1.3GB.

I was looking forward to this as I completely missed it on Wii U, but if this is the case I can wait longer to pick up used. I don't want to punish the developers, but I need to cut with my wallet if WB needs to know that this bullshit isn't acceptable.

Was the internet required thing also a typo?

 

[*Splinter]

True, but how can the game be 7 GB if it`s way bigger on other platforms?

Lower quality textures + compression I guess. The real mystery is how you can have an optional update that's twice the size of the full game.

Maybe that's it? The update replaces every texture with a higher quality version? Something weird like that.

 

[Rafus]

"Players who purchase Lego City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail do not need to download the game to play," a company spokesperson told us.

They say THE GAME, not anything.

UPDATE 2.30pm: Lego City Undercover publisher Warner Bros. has provided us with this short statement on the game's cartridge version, which suggests you will be able to play without downloading anything.

 

[Waluigilicious]

Lower quality textures + compression I guess. The real mystery is how you can have an optional update that's twice the size of the full game.

Maybe that's it? The update replaces every texture with a higher quality version? Something weird like that.

Internet connection required =/= optional.

 

[March of the Crabs]

This shit is downright MYSTERIOUS

 

[TwistedFreeze]

Devs can choose to do extra compression if they want to bring the game size down, especially with audio. That can reduce the file size by a very huge amount. They have literally no reason to do this with the other platforms when storage on other consoles isn't an issue whatsoever (nor is space on Blu-Ray discs).

But doesn't the Switch have cartridges that hold at least 20 GB?

 

[Waluigilicious]

Devs can choose to do extra compression if they want to bring the game size down, especially with audio. That can reduce the file size by a very huge amount. They have literally no reason to do this with the other platforms when storage on other consoles isn't an issue whatsoever (nor is space on Blu-Ray discs).

Would it not be a selling point at all what so ever if your game took up less space and therefore was also quicker to download? Surely at least a few people would care about game size on the blue ray platforms. I know storage space isn't really an issue but still..

 

[JaseC]

Very much this

either we can start it and play a little while it downloads....Or play it fully without the big download
but then why is the switch version so small compared to the console?

Given the game's Wii U origins and the fact the digital version thereof requires around 20GB (a little less or a little more, depending on the region), I can't imagine it's anything other than being able to play the game without the download but not having access to all of the content.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

The Wii U version was over 20 gigs. I'll be shocked if this game only requires 7 gigs of space.

No-video no-voice edition?

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Is it more believable that the current eshop listing is wrong? As others have noted, even the Xbox One version comes in at under 20Gb (17Gb in this case).

Do eShop file sizes include patches or just the base game? The 13 gig install would essentially be a massive day one patch.

 

[Plum]

I'm gonna put my money on the required download being 1.3gb instead of 13. I can't see the game requiring a download that puts it at a higher overall size than the X1 version.

Still confused af though.

 

[Gamezone]

These statements. This is why it should be possible to Eurogamer to just phone them and get a solid answer.

 

[Fredrik]

Nope. That statement just sounds like it might be possible to run some of the game out of the box. It could be just a damn tutorial of some kind to cover their ass so they could say the game is playable out of the box. Even that is iffy from the statement. It's not a denial of having to download the rest of the actual game or a confirmation that the full game is on the cart itself.

They say that you don't need to download the patch to play the game. What else can they say? That you can 100-percent it without the patch? Nobody says that. I trust them on this, it's just a gigantic day 1 patch.

Question is, what makes a day 1 patch 13GB in size? Lots of hires textures and movies? Something that makes the loading times shorter?
Makes you wonder how the game will be unpatched. :/

 

[Skittzo0413]

But doesn't the Switch have cartridges that hold at least 20 GB?

Yeah but they're clearly more expensive to manufacture than the 8GB ones are. I'd bet they have up to 64GB (or even higher) cards if need be, but again the cost rises with the rising storage.

Would it not be a selling point at all what so ever if your game took up less space and therefore was also quicker to download? Surely at least a few people would care about game size on the blue ray platforms. I know storage space isn't really an issue but still..

It's not worth the money and time the developers would spend on doing that compression. And it could also result in lower quality audio for those versions, which devs would want to avoid. It doesn't seem worth it at all unless it directly impacts manufacturing costs.

 

[Brofield]

Was the internet required thing also a typo?

A 1.3GB patch is a lot easier to swallow, plus while I'm in this reality of denial it would be a good standard for publishers to inform consumers of the minimum data required for the day one patch if this is how we're moving forward in the industry, and in subsequent reprints of the game either include the patches on the cartridge or reflect what the new patch size total has now become.

 

[Gamezone]

I'm gonna put my money on the required download being 1.3gb instead of 13. I can't see the game requiring a download that puts it at a higher overall size than the X1 version.

Still confused af though.

But then you have the "Internet Required" thing that left me even more confused.

 

[Minsc]

They say THE GAME, not anything.

Well, it's confusing, but I'd argue if the 13GBs of THE GAME are needed to be downloaded for it to work, their statement would be entirely false, no?

They say retail copies "do not need to download the game to play," how can that be true if 13GBs of "the game" are needed to be downloaded to play?

And how can the eShop listing be 7GBs if it is larger than that?

I guess that's why this is so confusing, who knows.

 

[Pandy]

Not a clue what that message means in this situation. I also can't think of any other games that have that message to give more context to this situation. Looking around, even games like Overwatch and FFXIV don't seem to have that on the front of the box.



Is it more believable that the current eshop listing is wrong? As others have noted, even the Xbox One version comes in at under 20Gb (17Gb in this case).

I doubt the e-shop listing is 'wrong', it'll just be a digital version of the cartridge. (In the UK store it's listed as 8.2GB)

The 13GB would be delivered as an 'update', which wouldn't usually be listed as part of the total.

Not a clue on that one! But why would a day one patch bring the Switch version to a bigger file size than the Xbox One version? The logic there just doesn't add up.
.

I'm not an expert in such matters, but my understanding from previous threads is that patches often overlap existing data. It may be that the digital Switch version will come in at around the same as the XB1 version once installed, but the physical version technically amounts to more because some of the update data is duplicating/replacing stuff on the game card.

 

[Waluigilicious]

They say that you don't need to download the patch to play the game. What else can they say? That you can 100-percent it without the patch? Nobody says that. I trust them on this, it's just a gigantic day 1 patch.

Question is, what makes a day 1 patch 13GB in size? Lots of hires textures and movies? Something that makes the loading times shorter?
Makes you wonder how the game will be unpatched. :/

Where did he pay patch?

 

[Okami Haundo]

Do eShop file sizes include patches or just the base game? The 13 gig install would essentially be a massive day one patch.

Not a clue on that one! But why would a day one patch bring the Switch version to a bigger file size than the Xbox One version? The logic there just doesn't add up.

But then you have the "Internet Required" thing that left me even more confused.

Do we even have context for what that message means? I've been looking around and didn't see it on boxes for Overwatch or FFXV which are online games...

 

[Interfectum]

Do eShop file sizes include patches or just the base game? The 13 gig install would essentially be a massive day one patch.

That would be insane and something Nintendo needs to stop asap, third party relations be damned. That's basically lying on the eShop store for how much memory is needed.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Not a clue on that one! But why would a day one patch bring the Switch version to a bigger file size than the Xbox One version? The logic there just doesn't add up.

Perhaps the XB1 version also has a large day one patch we don't know about. Which, to be fair, seems unlikely.

 

[Waluigilicious]

A 1.3GB patch is a lot easier to swallow, plus while I'm in this reality of denial it would be a good standard for publishers to inform consumers of the minimum data required for the day one patch if this is how we're moving forward in the industry, and in subsequent reprints of the game either include the patches on the cartridge or reflect what the new patch size total has now become.

But then it begs the question... A patch that is required for you to play a game you purchased? Don't forget on the case it says required.

 

[Gamezone]

I wish that guy on Reddit would just test this.

 

[Ridley327]

I wish that guy on Reddit would just test this.

Since the picture looked like it came from a warehouse, I imagine it was an employee that came across it while packing/unpacking. Not really much they can do but look at it and take pictures of it.

 

[Plum]

But then you have the "Internet Required" thing that left me even more confused.

I still think there will be a required download, just not a 13gb one.

I just can't see an absurd 13gb download being required now that we know the size of the X1 version. It's not like game cases can't have typos on them, after all.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hope I'm right because I'd love to get this game for the Switch.

 

[Waluigilicious]

I still think there will be a required download, just not a 13gb one.

I just can't see an absurd 13gb download being required now that we know the size of the X1 version. It's not like game cases are always free of typos.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hope I'm right because I'd love to get this game for the Switch.

Whether the download is 13gb or 0.1mb sure it makes it better storage wise but if it is a required download even if your console is offline then the principle still stands.

 

[*Splinter]

I still think there will be a required download, just not a 13gb one.

I just can't see an absurd 13gb download being required now that we know the size of the X1 version. It's not like game cases are always free of typos.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hope I'm right because I'd love to get this game for the Switch.

I thought this was a port of the Wii U version which is 20GB?

 

[Gamezone]

I still think there will be a required download, just not a 13gb one.

I just can't see an absurd 13gb download being required now that we know the size of the X1 version. It's not like game cases are always free of typos.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hope I'm right because I'd love to get this game for the Switch.

I still hope it isn`t required. Required downloads haven`t happened before. If this gets trough, who`s going to stop publishers? They might even save a few pennies by not including a second Bluray disc when games get huge.

 

[Zedark]

I still think there will be a required download, just not a 13gb one.

I just can't see an absurd 13gb download being required now that we know the size of the X1 version. It's not like game cases can't have typos on them, after all.

We'll just have to wait and see. Hope I'm right because I'd love to get this game for the Switch.

A 1.3 GB download would put it comfortably in the day one patch region. That would rhyme with the spokesperson saying you don't need the download to play. Nothing but the original premise can the 'internet required' expect it being an awkward phrasing for 'there is a day one patch you would want to download, ergo you need an internet connection'.

I am gonna take the wait and see approach here, I don't think a clear solution can come either way before further clarification.

 

[Adam Prime]

You know what's funny.

Nintendo Land has the same requirement. It REQUIRES an update when you boot up the disc, or else it will NOT start, at all. That patch is only about a gig, but same principle.

 

[cluderi]

Players who purchase Lego City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail do not need to download the game to play," a company spokesperson told us.

Yeah.. Given WB Games history I'm sticking with a significant amount of content is download only and that it's still a 13gb download and they went for the cheaper cartridge to save a few quid.

 

[LordKano]

I still hope it isn`t required. Required downloads haven`t happened before. If this gets trough, who`s going to stop publishers? They might even save a few pennies by not including a second Bluray disc when games get huge.

Required downloads happened before. You couldn't play Halo MCC multiplayer without downloading a 25GB patch for the exact same reason as you listed : they didn't want to use a second blu-ray.

 

[Brofield]

But then it begs the question... A patch that is required for you to play a game you purchased? Don't forget on the case it says required.

...you are making it very difficult to defend WBIE in my delusion.

Old boxart mockup and since changed days before release?

 

[Gamezone]

Required downloads happened before. You couldn't play Halo MCC multiplayer without downloading a 25GB patch for the exact same reason as you listed : they didn't want to use a second blu-ray.

You wouldn`t exactly be able to play the game online without an internet connecting anyway. You can`t mix these required with the multiplayer portion of games.

 

[Plum]

I thought this was a port of the Wii U version which is 20GB?

Compression can drastically reduce a game's filesize, especially if there is a financial incentive (i.e. cheaper carts) for the Publisher. We know that the X1 version is around 17gb and that's on a console that, by default, has around 50gbs available on its discs. A Switch version at around 8.5-9gb with lower-res textures, compressed FMVs and Audio is entirely plausible.

 

[kyle-777-]

I'm sorry, but high capacity microSD cards from Samsung and Sandusky are regularly on sale for $16. This practice aside, most of you knew what the storage was for some time now, stop being stubborn, spend a few bucks and get an SD card. Complaining isn't going to fix it at this point.

Yeah, because the only place in the whole world is the USA.

FYI a 128GB card in Brazil is $90.00. No, thanks. There are people who may buy a Switch and don't have a good internet connection and expect to play physical game without having to download 13GB.

 

[LordKano]

You wouldn`t exactly be able to play the game online without an internet connecting anyway. You can`t mix these required with the multiplayer portion of games.

Point taken. However I'm sure we already had day 0 patch that were mandatory to launch the game, or to play it past some point.
It's just the sad continuation of this practice. Soon game boxes will end up like the physical releases of PC games : an 8MB installer and nothing else.

 

[E_Darkness]

Players who purchase Lego City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail do not need to download the game to play

Good thing you're not downloading the game, just a chunk of it so you can play it.

Spoiler

I'm waiting for the actual release before I believe that.

 

[Fredrik]

Required downloads happened before. You couldn't play Halo MCC multiplayer without downloading a 25GB patch for the exact same reason as you listed : they didn't want to use a second blu-ray.

The XB1 console itself needed a day 1 patch to work iirc. Some games are nearly unplayable without a day 1 patch. This isn't new, most of are just always connected and don't think much about it. The collectors at 2050 will have huge problems with many games and consoles, if the servers are shut down which seems to be what everyone is scared of.

 

[*Splinter]

Compression can drastically reduce a game's filesize, especially if there is a financial incentive (i.e. cheaper carts) for the Publisher. We know that the X1 version is around 17gb and that's on a console that, by default, has around 50gbs available on its discs. A Switch version at around 8.5-9gb with lower-res textures, compressed FMVs and Audio is entirely plausible.

Sure it's possible, but 7 + 13 = 20 so just considering Occam's razor here...

 

[nubbe]

That WB statement don't clarify anything
it is over 20GB on WiiU too

 

[Interfectum]

The XB1 console itself needed a day 1 patch to work iirc. Some games are nearly unplayable without a day 1 patch. This isn't new, most of are just always connected and don't think much about it. The collectors at 2050 will have huge problems with many games and consoles, if the servers are shut down which seems to be what everyone is scared of.

Yeah, I do find it a bit odd the amount of people scared they wont be able to play Lego City on Switch in 10-20 years if this day one patch is required. I'd imagine there will be a lot of unplayable games across all systems when servers shutdown and platform holders and publishers move on to the next thing. You'll just have to rebuy Lego City on Switch 2 Pro in 2030.

 

[Candescence]

It's not worth the money and time the developers would spend on doing that compression. And it could also result in lower quality audio for those versions, which devs would want to avoid. It doesn't seem worth it at all unless it directly impacts manufacturing costs.

Asset compression isn't that hard or time-consuming, nor does it have a large impact on quality unless you're using a shit format - audio quality of uncompressed audio in particular is massively overblown, and the benefits of compression with a decent format vastly outweigh the potential quality loss, which is usually nonexistent, especially with a good lossless codec.

 

[March of the Crabs]

Required downloads happened before. You couldn't play Halo MCC multiplayer without downloading a 25GB patch for the exact same reason as you listed : they didn't want to use a second blu-ray.

Yeah that's a big one. There are other games that require significant day 1 patches to be in a playable state as well (I know No Man's Sky was one of them). That sucks and so does this.

 

[daxgame]

pre-order cancellation uncancelled!

Spoiler

I'll wait and see

 

[Plum]

Sure it's possible, but 7 + 13 = 20 so just considering Occam's razor here...

Why would a likely-720p port on an underpowered platform have a larger overall file size than a 1080p port on something a good few times more powerful than it?