The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom costs $70 but not as expensive in Japan

Nintendo released new information about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom during the Nintendo Direct 2.8.2023. The game is now available for pre-order. Nintendo has often priced games at $59.99 in the past. However, this title is attracting a lot of attention as it will be the first $69.99 game for the Switch. In Japan, on the other hand, the price has increased only slightly.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the much anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Link, who has gained new powers, ventures through the sprawling landscapes of Hyrule and islands floating in the vast skies as he confronts the malevolent forces that threaten the kingdom.

Until now, $59.99 has been the full-price standard for Nintendo titles. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, and even the recent release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet all cost $59.99.

More and more games for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are selling for $69.99 these days. And although The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming out on the same console as its predecessor, which is priced at $59.99, and not on a new generation of consoles, it is also getting a $10 price increase.

In Japan, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is priced at 7,900 yen (around $60), while Breath of the Wild was priced at 7,678 yen (around $58), meaning the price has increased only slightly for the Japanese audience. In contrast, the price of Nintendo titles Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are even higher at 8,778 yen (around $67) , making them far closer to the $69.99 price tag.

It could be said that the pricing of Breath of the Wild was higher than that of the overseas price (considering the exchange rate at the time), while Tears of the Kingdom is cheaper given the current exchange rate. In any case, given the inflationary trend throughout the world, the prices of other Nintendo titles may be going up as well.

Nintendo told Game Informer that “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis” regarding the $69.99 price tag as well as the price of future releases.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is scheduled for release on May 12.

Written by. Connor Lawless based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-02-09 09:29 JST)