2K Games earlier revealed the price tag of the PS5 and Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21 to be $69.99 and now it appears like more publishers are going to follow suit. Since NBA 2K21 is the first next-gen to increase its next-gen price, it has paved way for other developers as well who will also now price their AAA titles to cost $69.99 catering to increased development costs over the years.
This information was released by the research company IDG who stated that this decision to raise the game’s price was not just by 2K Games but this was a joint decision of major publishers of the video game industry. You can now expect the base price for all AAA titles on PS5 and Xbox Series X to be $69.99 however each publisher will confirm the price of their own next-gen titles at their own pace. We do have some developers who are even offering free upgrades of their current-gen titles to their next-gen versions such as Rainbow Six Siege and Cyberpunk 2077.
IDG President and CEO Yoshio Osaki gave an exclusive interview to GameIndustry.biz in which he shared further details that the cost of development has increased between 200% and 300% however the cost of the games has remained flat for a long time.
The last time that next-gen launch software pricing went up was in 2005 and 2006, when it went from $49.99 to $59.99 at the start of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. During that time, the costs and prices in other affiliated verticals have gone up.
Even with the increase to $69.99 for next-gen, that price increase from 2005 to 2020 next-gen is only up 17%, far lower than the other comparisons. While the cost of development and publishing have gone up, and pricing in other entertainment verticals has also gone up substantially, next-gen software pricing has not reflected these increases. $59.99 to $69.99 does not even cover these other cost increases completely but does move it more in the proper direction.
He further continued:
IDG works with all major game publishers, and our channel checks indicate that other publishers are also exploring moving their next-gen pricing up on certain franchises, for the same reasons outlined above. Not every game should garner the $69.99 price point on next-gen, but flagship AAAs such as NBA 2K merit this pricing more than others.
What do you think about the $10 increase for next-gen AAA titles? Do you think that this increase is justified? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
