Nintendo America President Justifies $70 Price Tag For ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom’: “The Price Point Reflects The Type Of Experience That Fans Can Expect”
Ryan Pearson
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Nintendo of America’s President has justified The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom costing $70, claiming that it will “reflect” the experience players will have.
Link faces off against a giant made of stone blocks via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
Talks about AAA games becoming $70 came three years ago, as 2K Games charged 2k Games charged $69.99 RRP for NBA 2K21 for the then-upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Bloomberg also reported that year that gaming executives had been pushing to raise the “standard” price of a game for years.
While the conversation had centered around those next-gen consoles, the less graphically powerful Nintendo Switch was overlooked, until Nintendo revealed this February that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would have an Recommended Retail Price of $69.99.
Link grinds on rails on a mountain, towards a wooden platform with Bokoblins and a Moblin via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
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“We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Game Informer. When asked if this would be a trend going forward, the spokesperson replied, “No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser has recently offered further justification in an interview with The Associated Press, explaining, “We look at what the game has to offer. I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience,” in response to a question asking about Tears of the Kingdom‘s $70 price figure.
Link faces off against a pack of Moblins, some wearing a shell-like helmet on their head or armed with shields via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
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“The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles,” Bowser emphasized, before arguing, “It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself.”
When asked if The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had sale goals, Bowser only answered, “There are, but they’re not publicly disclosed yet.”
Link flies through the sky on a metal grate with fans attached by a strange power via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom promises to continue the story from 2017’s Breath of the Wild. After awakening a terrible force (many fans suspecting it to be Ganondorf), players will be venturing across Hyrule’s fields, mountains, forests, and floating islands in the sky above.
Link’s corrupted arm will allow him to access a set of abilities that even include joining objects together to construct vehicles — a new mechanic that builds upon the object-moving and time manipulating abilities established in Breath of the Wild. Though details are scant, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to launch May 12th on Nintendo Switch.
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