Nintendo has confirmed that new Switch games could cost $70 in the future on a “case-by-case basis” according to a new statement. Yesterday, following the Nintendo Direct, the publisher confirmed via press release that Zelda Tears of the Kingdom does have a $70 price tag, the first Switch game to be at that price point as a first-party title.
Nintendo says $70 price tag is not the start of a trend
Nintendo explains their reasoning behind the $70 price tag for Zelda Tears of the Kingdom in a short response to Game Informer. It writes: “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
The publisher also denies that the $70 price tag is a trend for Switch games moving forward.
So far in 2023, Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Engage only cost $60. For the near future, both Pikmin 4 and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe have the $60 price point as well in terms of the pre-orders for the game on the eShop. It also seems that Metroid Prime 4 has a $60 price tag as well given the pre-order at Best Buy and Amazon (but those have since been taken down).
So thus far, it looks like Nintendo is telling the truth that the $70 price tag may be specific to Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, at least when it comes to its first-party games releasing this year.
For those assessing the wider market, it’s worth noting that Xbox and PlayStation have already increased the prices of many of their current-gen first-party games to $70.
