Nintendo, a globally recognized and adored video game firm, has declared the price of its much-anticipated title, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The launch of this game has been eagerly awaited by fans of the franchise, and the publisher has now confirmed a price point of $69.99.
The price increase comes as a surprise as the Switch owner hasn’t released any new hardware. Thankfully, not all of Nintendo’s future offerings will be $69.99. Other games such as Pikmin 4, slated for a July release, and Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, set to arrive in April, will still have the standard $59.99 price tag.
This suggests that Nintendo has intentionally set the price for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom higher, with the expectation that players will still opt to purchase it despite the elevated cost. Zelda is one of the most anticipated games of this year and possibly a serious GOTY contender. Nintendo thinks that it can get away with the price increase, which it probably can.
Nintendo has recently reported a dip in its operating profit for the first nine months of the 2023 fiscal year. The decline has been attributed to shifts in the global economy and a substantial reduction in hardware sales. Despite this setback, the company has continued to perform well in software sales, with hits like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet selling more than 20 million copies during the same time frame.
Price Increase from Other Companies
The recent surge in cost of Nintendo's in-house produced games aligns with pricing strategies of other leading video game publishers. In 2023, Microsoft raised the prices of its first-party games from $59.99 to $69.99. Other prominent publishers, including Sony Interactive Entertainment and Take-Two Interactive, have also been selling new titles, like God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, and the corresponding NBA 2K series, at the same $69.99 rate.
So, what do you think? Are you excited about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Have you played the first game in the series yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
