Nintendo's Wii U seems like a cool gaming system in theory, but as it currently stands nobody really knows what games will look like running on the new home console. A few games have been confirmed to be currently under, or entering, development, but gamers everywhere have no idea what these games may look like. Now, at least we now know how much they'll cost.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has released information on a rough price range for games releasing on the Wii U. Iwata confirmed the price range in a recent interview with Gamasutra, stating that there is already an "indication" that Wii U games will maintain the $50 price tag "trend" that has been established by Nintendo's current console, the Wii. However, he does go on to say that games with an established fan base (i.e. Call of Duty) will likely cost the PS3 and 360 industry standard of $60.

"I think there is already some indication that the [current pricing] trend is going to stay here. When you consider some of the most popular franchise — such as Call of Duty or Madden - the publishers can afford to affix a rather expensive price tag on that because the franchise has a premium value. On the other hand, … without an established franchise, they cannot afford to keep that expensive price tag. I believe there will be a wider price range."

If Nintendo can manage to keep the costs of the Wii U's software down below what Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games cost, then they will have a serious advantage over their competition. Ten dollars may not seem like that much of a difference, but it certainly adds up to a significant amount of savings over time. Sure, companies like Activision probably won't be willing to give gamers a discount on their games made for the Wii U, but if first party titles (such as Mario and Zelda) can maintain a $50 price tag, then Nintendo's new console just became a lot more favorable to casual and hardcore gamers alike.

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Source: Gamasutra