The price of the Ocarina of Time remake doesn't matter any more than GTA 6

While the official price for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake hasn't been announced yet, I already feel like I know how the conversation will go whenever Nintendo finally reveals it. If it's $69.99, most people will probably accept that as the going rate for the main release Switch 2. If it's $79.99, people will complain and honestly, I don't blame them. Games are getting more and more expensive, Nintendo isn't exactly known for generous pricing, and the idea of ​​paying that much for a remake of a Nintendo 64 game will naturally piss off some gamers.

However, it is more than likely that many of the same players will still buy it. That might not be the most flattering thing to admit, but it's true. Ocarina of Time is one of those games where the price conversation almost starts elsewhere because this isn't just some random remake. This is a remake Ocarina of Time we're talking about one of the most important games of all time here. And after GTA 6 has officially pushed its own standard edition to $79.99, Zelda may now be staring at the same uncomfortable truth that some games are so big that their price can become a debate, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker.

Ocarina of Time has the same advantage that GTA 6 already has

One of the things I find kind of funny about gaming discourse is the way everyone acts like they're going to fundamentally oppose expensive games until the expensive game becomes the games they've been waiting years for. To be fair, there are plenty of games that would be badly hurt by a higher price, and most new releases can't afford to ask players for more money and then expect their name alone to carry them. However, GTA 6 it can, and that's a big part of the whole point I'm trying to make here.

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GTA 6 is the first news Grand Theft Auto game since then GTA 5and after more than a decade of waiting, it became less of a regular release and more of an industry-wide appointment. People can criticize the price, and a lot of them will and will, but the idea that GTA 6 will suddenly be troubled because players are angry at launch, it's hard to take seriously. The truth is, people will complain about going to the digital store and will continue to complain while they click “Add to Cart” and then enter the numbers on their nearly maxed out credit cards.

Ocarina of Time clearly does not share the same audience or cultural footprint as GTA 6but still has a similar kind of price protection. Sure, it's popular Zelda game, but perhaps more than that, it's one of those games that people often bring up when talking about the medium itself. Even now, almost three decades later, Ocarina of Time it still carries the reputation of being one of Nintendo's — nay, gaming — defining achievements.

Because of that Ocarina of Time a remake doesn't have to fight the same battle that most remakes have to fight. A normal remake needs to convince the player why it exists in the first place, but Ocarina of Time already has this answer built into the title. Gamers have been imagining a fully modern remake of this game for years, and now that it's actually happening, the price is likely to be a frustration before it even becomes a real obstacle—if it ever becomes one.

I'm not saying people will love the price if it ends up being higher than expected, because the fact is they won't. If Nintendo asks for $79.99, there is an immediate loud reaction and GTA 6 the comparison basically writes itself. Oddly enough, these comparisons may actually make Nintendo look less reckless than they would otherwise because GTA 6 has already dragged the industry into the next phase of the premium price conversation.

Once one of the biggest games in history crosses that line, every other major release will be judged against it. Ocarina of Time is one of the few games Nintendo has that can stand anywhere near that conversation and not look completely absurd. Most remakes would be laughed out of the room, but Ocarina of Time he can at least argue.

Zelda fans have already made room for this remake

it's about Ocarina of Time it doesn't just rely on nostalgia like most remakes do. Nostalgia helps, of course, and Nintendo knows exactly how powerful it is. Still, this remake has a much stronger pull than the usual “remember this old game?” idea. For many players, Ocarina of Time is Zelda a game they've wanted to see rebuilt for modern hardware ever since Nintendo's consoles became powerful enough to make the dream feel like it wasn't out of reach.

Older fans will no doubt want to see Nintendo remake one of their favorite games, and newer fans who came Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will want to finally experience the legendary Zelda the game everyone is talking about without having to experience the 1998 release on its own terms. Parents who played it as kids will want to pass it on to their own kids and say, “That's the one.”

All of these reasons are emotional, and emotional reasons are exactly why pricing debates around games like this are so messy. People can know the game is expensive and still feel they need to be there. They may not like it and still make the purchase. They can complain about Nintendo charging too much and they'll decide anyway Ocarina of Time it is worth making an exception.

Image via Nintendo

Nintendo has a lot of games with strong names, but Ocarina of Time is different. AND Princess Twilight remaster would sell. AND The Wind Waker remaster would sell. Brand new Zelda the game would obviously sell. But Ocarina of Time to remake from the ground up is something else entirely, as it looks like Nintendo has touched one of the most protected pieces of its own history.

The price debate probably won't stop Ocarina of Time

The most interesting on Ocarina of Time the ultimate cost of a remake is that it doesn't have to change much in the end. A lower price would make people happier, more confident, and a higher price would make things more annoying than anything else. In any case, this is still a full remake Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2 nearly 30 years after the original game's release, and that sentence alone is probably enough to sell it.

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I expect a lot of gamers will say they'll wait for a sale, but Nintendo games aren't exactly known for dropping prices quickly. Others will say they have already played Ocarina of Time enough times that you don't have to buy it again. Maybe some of them will be serious. It's hard to believe that it's wider Zelda the audience will look at one of the most desirable remakes Nintendo could make, and together they will decide where the line is drawn for the award.

GTA 6 it has the same kind of performance, just on a much bigger and louder scale. People can argue about whether $79.99 for the standard edition is too much, and they should. They can talk about what this means for the future of game pricing, and they should. But none of this changes the obvious reality GTA 6 it will be massive because it is after all GTA 6.

Ocarina of Time it already looks like Nintendo's version of the same idea. There's no need to defend the remake as some risky experiment, and there's no need to beg players to care because the name has already done the job. So when Nintendo finally reveals the price, the reaction will likely be immediate. If it's reasonable, fans will move on quickly. If it's high, everyone will be talking about it and GTA 6 comparison cannot be avoided. But after all the arguments, jokes, frustrations and pieces of thinking, the same truth will still sit there: this is Ocarina of Timeand people will buy it.

Systems

Released

2026

Developers

Nintendo

Publishers

Nintendo

Number of players

For one player