It is an understatement to say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a highly anticipated video game. Since its premiere announcement back at E3 2019, the upcoming title has been making waves in the gaming community, with many still debating to this day on what the game could even be about.
ToK’s recent video announcements have done nothing to quell the growing hype and interest in Link’s latest adventure, and many are left with more questions than answers with each successive update fans get.
What is NOT debated so thoroughly, however, is ToK’s hefty price tag of $70. Needless to say, that is cause for concern among many gamers, especially in these economically stringent times. It is already hard enough to justify paying upwards of $70 for games that are next-gen; Tears of the Kingdom is releasing onto a platform that has been showing its age since its inception.
Breath of the Wild, ToK’s predecessor, struggles to run the game consistently in both modes of function, handheld and docked, when encountering effect/entity intensive sequences in BOTW, causing the machine to have various hiccups in performance, affecting gameplay and presentation. For a game with a robustly creative combat/exploration suite like BOTW, every viable frame matters. Also, having a game that struggles to run smoothly just makes for an unpleasant overall experience.
ToK is also probably going to be built on top of the foundation and architecture set by BOTW, given that the inspiration behind ToK in the first place was the originally planned DLC for BOTW. Because the DLC ideas became too dramatically different/big for what BOTW was capable of handling, ToK became its own standalone title to give these big ideas the breathing room they needed.
Various other Nintendo games have gone through the same development process, Super Mario Galaxy 2 being the prime example. It was originally going to be new levels for the base game but was quickly expanded into a sequel due to the same issue ToK faced. Thanks to the innovations and dedication put into SMG2, it became one of the most beloved titles in the Mario franchise.
That bodes well for ToK from a gameplay standpoint, as all teasers so far show a clear departure from its prequel, with focuses on strange vehicles, Link’s arm augmentation, the emphasis on the sky, and the weird Twili-eqsue tendrils.
But does it justify the $70 price tag?
$70 is going to be a tough pill to swallow. While it is true that video games have increased in price over the years, $70 is a significant jump from the previous standard price of $60 across all Nintendo titles. This price increase may be difficult for some gamers to justify, especially if they are on a tight budget. In addition, the high price may discourage some potential buyers from purchasing the game, which could result in lower than projected sales for the game’s developers, especially with how anticipated this game was since its original announcement.
Furthermore, $70 is a price seemingly designated for next-gen experiences on similarly expensive hardwares that “warrants” the price hike. Though we do not condone it, it is somewhat understandable to see games like Atomic Heart or the Dead Space Remake with that price tag when they try to make the most of the powerful hardware at their disposal, elevating the experience beyond what was previously available or possible.
However, this is $70 for a game on the Switch, a device heading into its sixth year of active service as Nintendo’s flagship console. It has managed to still carve a place for itself in the current market thanks to the draw of its exclusive and lucrative library of first-party titles and franchises and the machine’s dual-mode of function not offered by its competitors. It is NOT known for being able to blow people’s minds with next-gen power; that was never its intended purpose.
So, how can ToK be marketed at next-gen price?
In a brief set of inquiries with Game Informer, Nintendo has made several comments regarding questions sent their way related to ToK’s slated price.
According to Nintendo, the reasoning behind the price tag was due to a “case-by-case basis.” What this means is not entirely clear as the $70 listing has not been used prior on any of Nintendo’s first-party titles. Nintendo has also made clear that $70 will NOT be standard moving forward, hence the “case-by-case” byline.
It could mean that ToK has substantially more content than BOTW, or any other previous Nintendo game for that matter, that justifies this price. ToK is looking rather ambitious, with every trailer showcasing something new and unique, setting the game apart from its predecessor in vividly different ways. Also, with how hesitant Nintendo is with showing WHAT the game is about, the story department of ToK could also be something revolutionary for Zelda games as a whole. Or, it could totally fall flat and be the reason why barely any story is being featured in the first place, though this is probably not likely.
A more cynical, jaded reason could be Nintendo trying to recupe for the resources that went into making ToK to ensure that the game breaks even through sales for its development time and investment, especially considering that this game had to endure the COVID-19 pandemic durings its development cycle, potentially impacting the process.
All of this is speculation regarding the price tag and Nintendo’s vague description on what its “case-by-case” clause entails, so please take it with a grain of salt.
Whatever its price tag, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is still going to sell like hotcakes. It’s a Zelda game, for crying out loud! Hopefully by the time it launches, Nintendo will provide a more concrete reason to justify its hefty price tag because as of right now, outside of name alone, we just cannot see it.
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