Prior to yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, many noticed that the page for the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom listed the game at $69.99. This pricing isn’t typical for Nintendo Switch games so many speculated that perhaps Nintendo is following the next-gen trend of big AAA games costing the same price. Take-Two and PlayStation started selling their games for $69.99 when the PlayStation 5 was released back in 2020. Last year, Xbox and Ubisoft announced that their games will start to be $69.99 going forward. During the Direct, Nintendo confirmed the new pricing. Following the latest presentation, Nintendo said that the new $69.99 price tag for the game will not be for all Nintendo first-party games going forward, it will be on case-by-case basis.
Microsoft Gaming CEO talked about increasing prices for their games last year. “”Pricing is always something that we’re conscious of and the impact it has on our customers. Given our economic realities right now, something had to give in terms of us continuing to run the business with the increased cost basis that we had.” Talking to Game Informer about Tears of the Kingdom’s new price, Nintendo said “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.” On if this is a trend for Nintendo titles going forward, they said “No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
Nintendo recently introduced Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers for Nintendo Switch Online members. They can be redeemed for a digital game in the voucher catalog to score savings. Vouchers are redeemable for 12 months from the date of purchase and don’t need to be used at the same time. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is part of the voucher catalog. New games are regularly added, including upcoming releases.
The Nintendo Direct yesterday was full of new trailers and release dates for games coming to the Nintendo Switch for the first half of the year. Notable highlights include Metro Prime Remastered, which was shadow-dropped yesterday, and the announcement of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles joining Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass. The Direct ended with new gameplay footage of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. They also revealed a Collector’s Edition for the game which costs $129.99. It comes with a physical version of the game, an artbook with concept art, a Steelbook case, an Iconart steel poster, and a set of four-pin badges. A new amiibo figure of Link from the game will also be available separately that grants access to materials and weapons, as well as a special fabric for Link’s paraglider.