Nintendo Confirms New Pricing For AAA Games, And It’s Bad News

Well, it looks like we were on the money with this one. After rumours of a price hike for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the February 8 Nintendo Direct confirmed it as fact.

While bringing a new-gen Nintendo game in line with Sony and Microsoft’s other AAA offerings has raised few eyebrows, the House of Mario has confirmed whether the rest of its blockbuster IPs will be following suit.

Is $70 The New Nintendo Norm?

At least forspoken will be $10 before long. Zelda will be $70 for the next 5 years lol

— Stephen, Shock Rifle CEO (@Sonnie_Slim) February 8, 2023

Physical games tend to be cheaper than their digital counterparts, as you stroll into the local swap shop, then sell it on when you’ve completed it. Digital games are largely locked to a publisher’s storefront, and as we already groan about Nintendo’s pricing, gamers are asking whether it’s about to get worse. 

Game Informer grilled Nintendo on a possible raise across the board, when a spokesperson confirmed it would be on a “case-by-case basis.” Hmm, we guess that could be worse. 

When asked why Tears of the Kingdom sets a new Nintendo high of $69.99, Nintendo said, “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.” As for this becoming the new norm, it added, “No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

With the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet being marred by bugs and glitches galore, we imagine Nintendo would’ve dragged over the coals if it had suggested charging $70 for it. Still, it leaves us wondering about what titles will follow in Zelda’s footsteps.

As we look to the inevitable future of Mario and whether there will a Super Mario Odyssey sequel, the portly plumber’s next mainline outing will surely hit this upper echelon. 2017’s Odyssey is still up there at $59.99/£49.99 on the Switch store, which is baffling considering it’s five years old. 

Sony And Microsoft Are Ushering In A New Era

It’s true that we had it good for a while, as whole generations passed by with video game prices holding steady. That all changed with a boom in the digital marketplace, with Nintendo being a particular culprit in refusing to slash its prices.

Sony and Microsoft are already paving the way for premium price points, with us recently covering the jaw-dropping Redfall price leak that left us questioning how the big three can justify its pricing. It’s an expensive year to be an Xbox owner, as Starfield is also expected to follow suit.

A Microsoft Xbox spokesperson has previously defended a hike, saying,” This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles.” Sony’s Jim Ryan has said much the same for PlayStation, but it doesn’t make this bitter pill any easier to swallow.

We’d better start saving, but as some pointed out, Tears of the Kingdom looks as ambitious as something like God of War Ragnarok. So, why wouldn’t Nintendo’s price be the same as Sony’s goliath? Still, we’ll be damned if we’re paying $70/£70 for a Raving Rabbids game.