The price of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X video games is set to rise and reach new records. Here's how much they'll cost
Bad news for gamers: video game prices for netx-gen consoles, i.e. the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, will be higher than those of previous generation consoles. The increase will probably be around 10 dollars per title.
Yoshio Osaki, president and CEO of IDG Consulting (a research company specializing in the video game market), who spoke with Christopher Dring on GamesIndustry.biz, is convinced. According to Osaki the price increase would be more than justified and, indeed, would be lower than both the increase recorded in recent years in other vertical markets of entertainment, and the increase in production costs of video games. According to Osaki, in fact, from 2005 to today the development cost of a videogame has grown by 300%, while the selling price has not increased at all. 2K Sports has already confirmed Osaki's forecasts, presenting the new NBA 2K21 at a price 10 dollars higher than NBA 2K20.
High prices for everyone
Yoshio Osaki's reasoning is simple: on the American market, compared to the last decade, the price of cinema tickets has grown by 39%, the price of a Netflix subscription has grown by 100%, the cost of a cable TV subscription has grown by 105%. Why shouldn't the price of video games grow as well? Also because creating a video game is an increasingly challenging undertaking, with development costs now skyrocketing. Final Fantasy VII, released in 2007, cost $114 million. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released in 2009, cost $250 million.
How much will games cost on PS5 and Xbox Series X
Yoshio Osaki explains what we can expect in terms of selling price for next-gen games: "IDG works hand-in-hand with major publishers and our sources indicate that other developers are exploring the possibility of going to other price levels for next-gen games. Not every game will cost $69.99, but AAA games like NBA K2 will deserve that price more than others." If this scenario becomes reality, then subscriptions to online platforms will become more affordable (assuming those don't go up in price as well). Casual gamers will likely be the ones most affected by the price increases while "pro-gamers" will switch en masse to subscription platforms, such as PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass, to have the freedom to play the titles they want when they want.