discussion Next gen games could be more expensive

[Prickly007]

2K breaks gaming’s de facto $60 ceiling, asks $70 for next-gen NBA 2K21

Inflation has eroded big-budget gaming’s $60 standard for about 15 years now.

arstechnica.com

On a related matter, a bunch of EA games are back on Steam... on sale, Mass Effect 3 & the DLC pack is $40, "normally" $80. Wtf?

Good thing I am a devotee of r/patientgamers (and the Jolly Roger).

 

[JD]

Doesn't really sound bad since our normal price here has been $69.99-79.99 for quite some time now for a newly released game. I guess that means we'll move up to $89.99-99.99 though?

I'd still say gaming is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment assuming you get a solid 20hr or more out of a game.

 

[Bond007]

They are always more expensive...demand is there to “justify” it.

 

[Guest]

While I dont like it, have to agree prices go up.

 

[Marzipan]

it's natural process called inflation.

what sucks is that it never stops while wages do.

 

[belgolas]

I usually wait for a sale anyways. I don't mind waiting as $60+ games are usually buggy at launch anyway and DLC comes out and I don't have to keep coming back to a game every time a DLC is released.

If it is $80 at release I will just wait for a sale even if it takes several months. I am not going to spend half a days wage on most games.

 

[Prickly007]

it's natural process called inflation.

It's not inflation when $60 US was the default price for fifteen years. That's more a cartel.

I don't mind waiting as $60+ games are usually buggy at launch anyway...

and filled with microtransactions... like NBA2k21.

 

[FreeKnight]

Given the dev costs it was inevitable. I almost think game companies should have a couple tiers for games to be priced at though. $70 for premium AAA titles along the lines of GTA, Zelda, Elder Scrolls, sure. Maybe $60 for the yearly iteration of WWE, or other games where they're pumping it out with minimal changes year to year. And say another tier for smaller short dev games that are still well beyond indie game pricing like 'Captain Toad' or HD remasters etc.

I realize that already happens to a certain degree, but there's a ton of games that just default to the top tier that definitely don't really cost near the same as the premier titles on a console.

 

[Marzipan]

I said it was inflation....but really, it's capitalistic greed, pure and simple.

 

[Izerous]

I was going to mention these companies save a fortune in shipping, production, warehousing, inventory in general. However I don't recall steams cut but Apple and Google take ~30% off the top of all transactions. So they couldn't even significantly drop pricing when they started moving to digital.