More Publishers Pondering PS5 Game Price Hikes - Push Square

Just like 2K Sports, more publishers are pondering price hikes for their PlayStation 5 software. The speculation comes courtesy of research firm IDG Consulting, which noted in an interview with Games Industry.biz that game pricing has remained relatively static since 2005 – despite development costs increasing between 200 and 300 per cent. Earlier today, it was revealed that NBA 2K21 will cost $69.99 on next-gen consoles – an increase of $10 compared to the PlayStation 4.

“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,” explained IDG’s boss Yoshio Osaki. “During that time, the costs and prices in other affiliated verticals have gone up.” Osaki pointed out that in the same time cable prices have increased 105 per cent, and cinema tickets have gone up 39 per cent.

He continued: “Even with the increase to $69.99 for next-gen, that price increase from 2005 to 2020 next-gen is only up 17 per cent, 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.”

“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,” Osaki added. “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.” Better start saving, then, folks – it sounds like next-gen is going to be pricey!

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2020-07-02 21:30:00Z
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