The parent company of Rockstar Games and many others, believe that player are ready and willing to pay $70 for their games.
Take-Two are still making a killing with Grand Theft Auto: Online, for a while now it has been the most profitable entertainment product of all time. Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two CEO doesn’t think he’s drained us of enough money just yet. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference Zelnick hinted that he believes us gamers are now willing to spend $70 on AAA games, a $10 price increase.
Take-Two are the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, 2K ar known for their NBA 2K series which we’ve already seen get a price hike in recent years.
Inflation is one argument for the increase in price and on the surface that seems like a good argument, but gamers have been quick to point out the industries more lucrative monetisation practices which has only gotten more prevalent in recent years. As well as many games releasing unfinished and in poor quality.
“In terms of pricing, we announced a $70 price point for NBA 2K21. Our view was that we’re offering an extraordinary array of experiences and lots of replayability. The last time there was a frontline price increase in the U.S. was in 2005-2006. So we think consumers were ready for it,”
“We haven’t said anything about pricing other titles so far. We tend to make announcements on a title-by-title basis. Our view is to always deliver more value than what we charge, to make sure both the experience and paying for the experience are positive for the consumer.
Zelnick went on to say “We all know anecdotally that even if you love a consumer experience, if you feel you were overcharged for it, it ruins the experience and you don’t want to have it again. If you go to a nice restaurant and have a great experience and a great meal, but the check is double what you think it should be, you’re never going back.
“We always want consumers to feel that we deliver much more than we ask in return. That’s true for recurring consumer spending as well. We’re here to activate and engage consumers, and if we do that, monetization follows.“
Do game publishers and developers have a strong argument for charging more money for their games? We’ll let you decide.
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