Nintendo Says Switch 2 ‘Breath Of The Wild’ Is $90 With DLC

Nintendo has had one of the worst reveals of a new console in recent memory, even if ultimately, it’s more than likely the Switch 2 will be a hit.

First, a $450 hardware price, more than most were expecting. Then, the $80 charge for Mario Kart World, beyond what any other game costs in the industry. Then, the Xbox One-era quote from Doug Bowser that if you can’t afford a Switch 2, you can simply use a Switch 1. Amazing.

Now, here’s another smaller example of Nintendo annoying its fans, but it’s frustrating all the same. This has to do with its exhausting pricing scheme for old games, in this case, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

• The original Breath of the Wild cost $60. The DLC cost $20. You can play this on Switch 2 via backward compatibility.
• However, there’s an Switch 2 “enhanced” edition of the game with better performance and graphics. If you own Switch 1 Breath of the Wild, you can pay $10 to “upgrade.” So over the course of it’s lifespan, you will have paid $90.
• If you do not have the original, Switch 2 Breath of the Wild costs $70. However, it does not include the DLC for the now eight year-old game, which would be $20 extra, for again, a $90 total purchase.

The operative word here from fans is “greed.” Yes, that may be a similar cost to the OG players who paid for the DLC separately. But it’s 2025 and when you make a “final” new-gen version of a game that quite literally was also launched on the Wii U in 2017, it’s pretty understandable that fans would be upset there’s simply not a “complete” version of the game for a reasonable cost. $90 for a game this old just to get the finalized experience is ridiculous.

Nintendo is no stranger to pricing controversies, but the fact that it’s in the middle of two other ones right at the same moment here, especially the $80 price for Mario Kart World with no explanation other than “we think it’s worth that much,” it’s just icing. It’s yet another thing fans can point to and perhaps start giving Nintendo less slack than they used to, as they push further into becoming somewhat anti-consumer with prices this high, when previously, the $300 Switch was one of the lowest entry points into quality gaming. It’s an annoying trend that does not seem like it’s getting reversed any time soon.

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