A week ago, the gaming community was agitated by the news that the NBA 2K21 would sell for $ 70 instead of the usual $ 60. This gave rise to discussions that it was high time for publishers to raise prices for games, because the costs of their production increased on average by 200-300%, and the cost of each individual title remained the same. Of course, although this sounds logical, consumers did not like this alignment. But prominent industry leaders immediately stood up for the initiative.
One of those who supported the idea of increasing the retail price of games was SIE Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog, also known to the public as the 2018 God of War game director. He believes that only with an increase in the price of games will the industry be able to get rid of such a phenomenon that is hateful to all gamers of the planet as obsessive microtransactions.
“Games should go up. I will choose the initial release with a higher price, and not a title with annoying and sucking microtransactions. Some of the new products have already become living examples of the second approach, ”Barlog wrote.
Recall that the last time the basic retail price of games increased in 2005-2006, when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 entered the market. Since then, the budgets of AAA projects have tripled, and publishers began experimenting with new ones to cover costs and make a profit. monetization mechanics (for example, lootboxes), which have proven to be very profitable. It is unlikely that companies will abandon such profitable practices due to a slight increase in starting prices.
Source: twitter.com