Other game publishers are considering raising the price of games for PS5 and Xbox Series X, says research research firm IDG Consulting.
Follow the news that NBA 2K21 will be priced at $ 69.99 on upcoming consoles, $ 10 more expensive than on current devices.
Talking with GamesIndustry.bizIDG President and CEO Yoshio Osaki says the price of games has been stable since 2005, while the price of television and movies has increased significantly.
“The last time prices for next-gen launch software 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,” he says.
“During that time, costs and prices at other affiliated verticals have increased.”
Osaki says that production costs for next-gen console games have risen between 200% and 300%, depending on IP, studio, and genre, but prices have remained at $ 59.99. Meanwhile, movie ticket prices have increased 39%, Netflix subscription costs have increased 100%, and cable TV packages have increased 105%.
“Even with the increase to $ 69.99 for the next generation, that next-generation price increase from 2005 to 2020 is only 17%, much lower than the other comparisons. While the cost of development and publishing has increased, and prices in other entertainment verticals have also increased substantially, the price of next-generation software has not reflected these increases. $ 59.99 to $ 69.99 doesn’t even cover these other cost increases entirely, but it moves more in the direction correct. “
He continues: “IDG works with all the major game publishers, and our channel checks indicate that other publishers are also exploring the possibility of increasing their next-gen pricing in certain franchises, for the same reasons outlined above.
“Not all games should be priced at $ 69.99 in the next generation, but iconic AAA’s like NBA 2K deserve this price more than others.”
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