Nintendo has defended its $70 price tag for 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom'.

Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser has insisted the hefty cost of the game "reflects" the "deeply immersive experience" players will have.

He is quoted by GamesRadar.com as saying: "We look at what the game has to offer. I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game."

Bowser insisted: "This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself."

Nintendo delayed the sequel to the 2017's 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild', which was due to be released last year because more time was needed to provide a "special" experience for fans.

Producer Eiji Aonuma announced in a YouTube clip: "As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above. However, the expanded world goes beyond that, and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy, including new encounters and new gameplay elements.

"In order to make this game's experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer."

It will come to the Nintendo Switch on May 12.