We all know The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a genre-defining classic, yet does its highly-anticipated sequel deserve a $10 premium over the original? Nintendo of America President, Doug Bowser, certainly seems to think so, defending the decision simply because of how “deeply immersive” the experience will be.
A price hike is always unwelcome news, but just reserve judgement for a second and hear the man out. In an extensive interview with the Associated Press, Bowser explained, “I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game.”
Begrudgingly, I would have to sadly admit that he has a point. Sony has priced PS5 games at a $70 premium since launch and Microsoft says that the higher price for Redfall and Starfield reflects the “content, scale, and technical complexity” of such titles. Coupled with rising inflation, plus the sheer time, effort and wads of cash required to create a stellar triple A title, game costs are only headed in one direction.
Thankfully, a $70 premium for a Nintendo first-party title won’t be the new standard going forward, you’d have to debut a new console for that (shot’s fired). Rather, the company will examine the retail price of its titles and scale them on a “case-by-case” basis.
Bowser reiterated the company’s sentiments by adding “this isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. 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.”
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to release May 12, 2023, exclusively for Switch. Despite the price hike, one can only hope that its worth the six-year-long wait.
