The COO of Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse says he hopes Grand Theft Auto 6 will “pave the way” for other triple-A video games to raise their prices.
Like many Nintendo (6,765 articles)” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/”>Nintendo, GTA 6 will launch at the top price of $80 when it releases next month – and according to Rockstar Games (561 articles)” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/take-two-interactive/rockstar-games/”>Take-Two Interactive, parent of Rockstar (1,028 articles)” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/take-two-interactive/”>Take-Two, its most expensive edition at $100 is its bestseller.
Warhorse co-founder Martin Klima told PC Gamer in a recent interview that while the Grand Theft Auto series “doesn’t appeal to me at all,” he hopes it does well so other developers can benefit from its previous pricing.
“The last thing you can do is increase the unit price,” Klima said, speaking of the recent problems facing the video game industry, ravaged by layoffs and closures.
“It would help a lot, but everyone is afraid of it. Now let’s hope GTA leads the way and allows us to increase costs.”
Rockstar and Take-Two are the only ones “that can afford, or dare, to increase the price of games, which I think is long overdue and also necessary for the survival of this company,” Klima said. “So I wish them luck.”
The video game industry is facing pressure to raise prices as the cost of triple-A development continues to rise, while inflation has reduced the value of the traditional price point by $60 to $70.
However, according to a recent survey, 62% of the most engaged video game players no longer purchase full-price versions, instead waiting for discounts in the weeks and months following the games’ initial release.
Commenting on the findings, Karl Stewart of the Generations in Play report said that Gen
“As you look at Gen Z, who live in a world of platforms…gaming doesn’t stop, but social and community networking is becoming an important part of their DNA. So they want to be part of a community where they can say, ‘I’m the most informed. I know this game best.”
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