For a short period while it was available on the Nintendo eShop, the listing for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drew the eyes of many Nintendo enthusiasts. After being hit with a minor delay, the Breath of the Wild sequel received a May 13 2023 release date, and now a price tag.
Ever since the game was announced, gamers have had the option to preorder the sequel to the critically acclaimed Zelda: Breath of the Wild through platforms such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Gamestop. But now those listings have been taken down. Which is somewhat understandable considering all three priced their pre-orders for Tears of the Kingdom at $69.99.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is priced at $69.99 according to eShop https://t.co/lNRCkuN5w3 pic.twitter.com/Hf0N8dhjSH
— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 8, 2023
Multiple sources such as known leaker Wario64 shared the game’s listing on social media platforms like Twitter. According to Benji-Sales, a Twitter games analyst, this prompted the aforementioned retailers to stop taking pre-orders for the game. This all but confirms the reported price hike but now the question remains if those who have already pre-ordered will pay the new price.
GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon have stopped taking pre-orders on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This follows Nintendo listing the game at $70 on the eShop before quickly taking it down. Looks like we'll be getting official announcement Nintendo is moving to $70 at tomorrow's Direct pic.twitter.com/ggCvkBFUSF
— Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) February 8, 2023
The game is still available at discounted prices in UK stores, but the Canadian webpage still carries the $89.99 price tag. Not only does this mean the game would cost upwards of $100 CAD after taxes, but it also means that a price reveal could be in the near future. Maybe in the Nintendo Direct presentation happening later today at 4 PM CT. It seems that new Tears of the Kingdom footage isn’t the only thing we will be getting.
Tune in at 2 p.m. PST tomorrow, Feb. 8, for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 40 minutes of information mostly focused on #NintendoSwitch games launching in the first half of 2023.
Watch it live here: https://t.co/8ce3reaEig pic.twitter.com/Pmf41dQWIw
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 7, 2023
Whenever this is confirmed, it will be a major price hike that could set a precedent in the AAA game industry. Tears of the Kingdom might be the last big game on the current Switch, but some Pokemon players are afraid if Nintendo might apply the same increase to all their newly released games. For what it's worth, with a Legend of Zelda animated movie also underway and a Legend of Zelda LEGO set rumored to be in production, fans of the franchise will have loads of content to choose from.
