Nintendo President justifies $70 price tag for Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

It has been confirmed that Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will retail for $70 USD, and the President of Nintendo America just defended the price increase, arguing its value is justified. 

The much-anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, is slated for a May 2023 release, and Zelda fans are hyped. Except for the recent price increase for the game. 

Back in February, there were leaks that showed Tears of the Kingdom retailing for $70, and the price was eventually confirmed as correct by Nintendo. However, some were not exactly pleased with the $10 price increase. 

In an interview with AP News, the President of Nintendo America, Doug Bowser, justified the price hike, saying, “the price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game.” 

He said that the game’s price can be justified as its an “incredibly full, deeply immersive experience.”

Bowsers continued on to say that the $70 price is not going to be implemented across all Nintendo titles moving forward. He also stressed how the $70 price tag is fairly common in Europe and other parts of the world outside of the US already. Which is true, although he did not mention currency exchange rates when it comes to international pricing of triple-A games. 

As of writing, Tears of the Kingdom is the only Nintendo game that is being sold for $70. Other upcoming titles such as Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Pikmin 4 are all retailing for the standard $60 in the United States. 

The price increase is part of a growing trend in triple-A games increasing their price by $10. It started in late 2022 when games such as God of War Ragnorok and Call of Duty Modern Warfare II retailed for $70. on new-gen hardware. Other recently released games in 2023, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Forspoken, and Wild Hearts all retailed for $70 as well.