As we get closer to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s release this May, fans have a new dilemma to tackle before saving Hyrule yet again – and that’s putting down an extra $10 to play the game at launch.
After confirmation from this month’s Nintendo Direct, the price increase was discussed between analyzing a new trailer, freaking out about pre-ordering a fancy Collector’s Edition, and adding yet another The Legend of Zelda amiibo to our collections. Game Informer reached out to Nintendo for comment about the price point during their coverage. While a comment wasn’t available at the time of publishing, Nintendo did answer after the fact. Game Informer has since updated their article with the following comments from Nintendo:
On the reasoning for the $69.99 price tag for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:
“We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”On if this is the trend for Nintendo titles going forward:
“No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
The price increase first came to light on Tuesday, February 7th when the game’s listing page on the official Nintendo website switched from “Releasing in 2023” to $69.99. On Wednesday, February 8th (the day of the Nintendo Direct), it was confirmed via a Nintendo press release that the standard edition of the game would be $69.99 (instead of the typical $59.99 price point). There was no price change for the title’s Collector’s Edition ($129.99) when compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Master Edition (BoTW had multiple editions, plus released on two different consoles).
Of course, the price increase has been a hot topic to discuss, especially with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa commenting earlier this week that the company does not plan on raising prices on hardware and software at this time, though they would consider it if circumstances demanded (as reported by Reuters). Ultimately, there are a few things to keep in mind with this price hike: Breath of the Wild sold over 30 million copies between the Wii U and Nintendo Switch, Tears of the Kingdom was delayed (just like BoTW), and competitors in the market have successfully launched AAA games for $69.99. With software unit sales dropping consistently in North America, that extra $10 is one attempt to make up for expected losses.
Only time will tell if Nintendo decides to make all 1st-party releases get the $69.99 MSRP treatment. Pikmin 4 would be the next major title to keep an eye on, and $69.99 might just destroy any projected Day 1 sales figures.
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Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
