What Do You Think About a Price Increase for AAA Games?

Recently, the Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnick, released a statement that the next-gen version of the NBA 2K franchise is going to be priced at $70, and it appears a price hike is on the way for next-gen console games. Zelnick also stated his belief that fans are readyf or games to be $70.

Is now the right time for a price increase on games? Also, will a price increase prevent some of the practices that have been criticized by gamers, such as predatory monetization, loot boxes etc?

This Slack discussion by JeffreyHarris-HackerNoon, Jack Boreham, , Nicolas Ng and Limarc Ambalina occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability.

JeffreyHarris-HackerNoonMar 11, 2021, 12:21 PM

In light of the Take-Two CEO arguing for $69.99 as a price point for next-gen versions of NBA 2K21, what do you think about a price increase for AAA games?

JeffreyHarris-HackerNoonMar 11, 2021, 12:21 PM

More information here: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-owner-argues-players-are-ready-for-70-games/

JeffreyHarris-HackerNoonMar 11, 2021, 12:22 PM

I'm not a fan of monetization or games as service practices. I'm open to having the conversation of raising prices for games. However, my caveats would be I'd only be willing to pay more if it prevents the practices of monetization or live service games.

Jack BorehamMar 11, 2021, 4:18 PM

I agree, I'm ready for $70 games if they don't come with a ton of monetization. But only for brand new games, not remasters or remakes.

Mar 12, 2021, 2:03 AM

I would be open to paying more for video games if that meant less crunch and less strenuous pressure on devs. More money would mean more devs could get hired.

Nicolas NgMar 12, 2021, 10:15 PM

I can't help but notice that the price of games have stayed pretty constant despite inflation. Like Jack, I think it's a fair price to pay as long as there isn't any monetisation. More money in the industry might also encourage crazier, more innovative games which can only work to everyone's benefit.

JeffreyHarris-HackerNoonMar 13, 2021, 7:00 AM

However, if game prices go up, and publishers continue to abuse monetization or live service practices, I think that will have to get addressed again. But to me, the trade-off has to be if the regular price goes up, no monetization or anything of the like.

Limarc AmbalinaMar 13, 2021, 11:02 PM

Hmm. I'm not sure what to say because games are already higher than $70 in Canada. For example, Mario Kart 8 on Amazon Canada is $79.99. If you up the games $10 in the US, they'll increase by $10 - $15 in Canada. So now the Canadian gamers will have to pay $90 - $95 for new games (roughly 1/4 the cost of a console).

Limarc AmbalinaMar 13, 2021, 11:02 PM

Something is not adding up there. By that, I mean that it'll of course come as a strong blow to Canadian gamers. But when we are talking about the sports game market where those niche gamers will buy each new installment every year regardless of cost, maybe it could work.

Limarc AmbalinaMar 13, 2021, 11:03 PM

Personally, am I going to pay 1/5 or 1/4 of the console price for every game I buy? Hell no. I waited over a year to buy Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts 3, to make sure the price went below $30.

JeffreyHarris-HackerNoonMar 14, 2021, 6:53 PM

Waiting for the price go down is not a problem. I do the same thing.