The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Might Cost $70

Ahead of today's Nintendo Direct, we may have learned something new about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Yesterday evening, the Nintendo Switch eShop showed a $69.99 price for the highly anticipated sequel. The price has since been removed from the eShop, but Best Buy's backend system has also listed Tears of the Kingdom for $69.99, according to an image shared by Wario64.

Not long after the $70 price point circulated on social media, every major retailer stopped taking preorders for Tears of the Kingdom. The game had been available to preorder for $60 since last summer, so retailers may have wanted to stop the flood of orders at the lower price ahead of a potential announcement during today's Nintendo Direct.

It's also worth noting that Amazon is no longer taking Metroid Prime 4 preorders, which is rather significant considering the long-awaited sequel had been available to preorder for nearly five years at the $60 price point.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would be the first Nintendo-published Switch game to sell for $70. PlayStation has sold its exclusives for $70 since the PS5 released in 2021. In December, Microsoft announced a price increase to $70 for its first-party titles starting in 2023. Third-party studios such as EA and Ubisoft have also adopted this pricing model for current-gen consoles. However, third-party Nintendo Switch titles have yet to be included in that strategy.

Given the fact that most major publishers have or will soon shift to this pricing model, it wouldn't be surprising to see Nintendo join the club. If so, there probably wouldn't be a better opportunity to start than with arguably the most anticipated Nintendo Switch game to date.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12. A fresh look at Link's next adventure is expected to be featured during the Nintendo Direct, which airs today, February 8, at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. Hopefully the pricing situation is cleared up then.