NBA 2K21 PS5 and Series X versions will cost $ 69.99

2K Games has announced that it will sell the next generation versions of PS5 and Xbox Series X of the next NBA 2K21 for $ 69.99, a $ 10 increase to current versions of the game for Xbox One and PS4. And it’s the first indication that Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 may be bringing a price increase from the standard $ 60 that major video games were sold in for years when they arrive this fall.

Most video games have sold at a price of $ 60 since the era of the “seventh generation” console for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii, which was a $ 10 price increase from the $ 50 standard that had preceded it. But yes NBA 2K21 It’s an indication that the $ 60 era is about to end: Assuming other game studios follow suit with 2K Games here, the PS5 and Xbox Series X could see $ 70 games become the new one. standard for AAA titles.

The price increase is not unexpected: As games become increasingly complex and detailed, it becomes increasingly costly for developers to create a single title. And we’ve already started to see prices progressively increasing in the current generation with more expensive “luxury” or “gold” title editions that include bonus bonus content, cosmetics, or DLC.

But for gamers who are about to spend hundreds of dollars on a new console, it’s not exactly exciting to see that all the new games coming out could also be even more expensive.

Even more frustrating is the fact that in addition to the current-generation $ 60 and next-generation $ 70 versions, 2K Games will also sell a special $ 99.99 “Mamba Forever Edition”, which includes cross-generation copies. As the 2K press release explains, “buy Mamba Forever Edition on current or next-generation platforms, it provides a copy of the other generation’s standard edition game at no additional cost, within the same family of consoles. “

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s virtually identical to the Smart Delivery program Microsoft offers for Xbox Series X and Xbox One or the free updates that studios like CD Projekt Red or Bungie have promised. Cyberpunk 2077 and Destiny 2. But Instead of offering those cross-generation updates for free, 2K Games is charging players an additional $ 30 or $ 40 for the privilege.

It is even more restrictive than EA’s “Dual Titlement” program to Madden 21, which offers gamers a free next-gen update but attaches a time limit to the offering. (Players will have until the launch of Madden 22 to take advantage.)