Nintendo has announced The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be its first product priced at US $69.99 (AU $101), following apparent leaks from retailers. The collector’s edition, which includes a steel box, poster, and badges, will retail for US $129.99 (AU $187.54).

This is the first time since the 2017 release of the Nintendo Switch that Nintendo has priced a game in the United States at more than the standard US $59.99. The increase has not been attributed to any particular cause, but inflation is a likely suspect.

As a result of worldwide economic developments, Nintendo recently reported a drop in operating profit for Q1-Q3 FY23. This loss was caused in large part by a precipitous fall in hardware sales, despite persistent growth in software sales because to blockbuster titles like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which together sold 20.61 million copies in the year under review.

After its release on May 12, 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is expected to achieve equal success, if not greater. However, players will have to consider the higher price tag that could potentially limit the game’s widespread popularity.

Strangely, the US Nintendo eShop also received a new release date for Pikmin 4, although the game is still listed at its regular price of $59.99. That points to Nintendo perhaps setting a special price for Tears of the Kingdom, with the expectation that people will still buy it despite the higher cost.

Despite the fact that it is a reasonable response to the world economy (inflation means games need a bigger profit to break even), it seems like an odd decision, especially when preorders have already been made available at the regular price in several worldwide locations.

It is currently unclear how this ruling would affect small businesses as of this writing. Pricing for Tears of the Kingdom in Australia ranges from AU $79 to AU $74.99 on Amazon. Preorders at EB Games’ high AU $89.95 pricing point are par for the course for the business.

The massive US $10 increase does not appear to have been fully passed on, however there is a tiny increase in these preorder costs.

The current state of Pikmin 4 casts doubt on whether Nintendo will continue to pursue its newly established, higher pricing point for future game releases, but as economic volatility persist, change may be here to stay.