Nintendo has a very unique grasp on the gaming market. They are kind of in a world of their own because there are some people that ONLY play Nintendo and don't even contemplate getting anything else because of, I dunno, just because that is what they have always done.
$20 would be a good price point for this game but Nintendo knows that Zelda is one of the most revered franchises of all time and they can get away with selling 1 million of them at $60 instead of 3 million at $20 and still make the same profits.
$60 is too much for me for any game. I am only playing the games that my frivolously-spending friend purchased physical copies of.
I definitely agree, Nintendo has a unique position in the world of gaming.
Of the console manufacturer's, only Sony can touch that nostalgia but they don't have that fan support, nor titles on the level of Zelda that could support such a move as Nintendo did here.
I mean, early on, Sony did not bother with in house game development of characters or anything so they relied on outside companies to make exclusives. This leaves Sony with the heritage but nothing to show for it.
Crash Bandicoot is multiplatform, now owned by Microsoft, same for Spyro the Dragon. They have run Twisted Metal into the ground and their sports titles have never been all that amazing to me.
Sega, if they had played their cards right with Sonic could probably have gotten away with something similar but they have done one thing over the years that Nintendo hasn't.
They devalued their own properties too much.
I don't necesarily mean cost to fans but the quality on offer with Sonic - seemingly the only nostalgia icon they are willing to give new games to.
Nintendo has kept many of their classic IPs alive in some way, if not new games they have included them in things like Super Smash Bros. Something to tug at those nostalgia heartstrings.