During the Nintendo Direct, the Japanese manufacturer revealed that the next Zelda game would be sold for 70 dollars in the United States, a price never before reached on the American market.
The French players were scared. For the past few days, rumors around the price of the next Zelda game have been intriguing. During the Nintendo Direct, the Japanese manufacturer indicated that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would be marketed at a price of 70 dollars. This is the first time that a title published by Nintendo has reached this price.
At this announcement, the fear of an increase in the prices of video games in France spread like wildfire. The price of the second opus of the Zelda license on Nintendo Switch had been discovered before the event by American media. Calculations were then made to anticipate the sum claimed in France to acquire it.
Now three games at 70 euros
Since its release in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch generally asks for 60 euros to obtain a game published by the Japanese manufacturer. Only two titles were previously offered at 70 euros: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild And Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
But the rise in prices in the United States led to believe that it would be the same in France. Currently the games are sold across the Atlantic at 60 dollars. As indicated, there is therefore a difference of 10 euros with the most expensive titles. But by making The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom the first game to reach 70 dollars, many feared that this increase would reverberate in France. Players have speculated and feared that the price of the next Zelda will rise to 80 euros.
Ultimately, it is nothing. On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will join the very restricted club of titles billed at 70 euros. A price that could be prohibitive for some. However, there is a trick to get it cheaper.
Prices assessed on a case-by-case basis
However, games for Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox have already reached the price of 80 euros. But what is criticized for the Nintendo Switch is to reach a technical ceiling. Despite its commercial success, the console was released in March 2017 and is beginning to show its limits.
In a note from Asymmetric Advisors, strategist Amir Anvarzadeh opined that “the Switch urgently needs an upgrade, at least to its GPU”. He also explains there that there is “little room for growth” at the console.
Asked by polygon on a general increase in future Nintendo titles, the manufacturer assured that “the suggested retail price of each Nintendo product is assessed on a case-by-case basis”.
Nevertheless, Japanese analysts explained to Bloomberg that this price hike could be a test. “If there’s a game that allows Nintendo to test the waters, it’s this one,” says analyst Serkan Toto. But nothing for the moment suggests that the French prices of Switch games could explode.
