The video game industry has remained somewhat steady for the last several years. Games cost players about $60 for a new AAA video game release. However, at the start of this current latest-generation console platforms, we saw a change in the market. Industry leaders were now asking players to spend a little more for a brand new AAA video game release by raising the costs to $70. There are a few factors that play into this newfound asking price.
One that hits all of us is inflation. Living costs are on the rise, which typically means things you would like to purchase are now a bit more than before. However, video game industry leaders have previously stated that this price rise is more in line with the cost of developing games on modern platforms. With bigger and better hardware available to develop games, the costs to produce these games rise. So to continue seeking a profit, the cost of game purchases also rises.
Several game publishers and developers have raised the amount of their latest AAA games to meet the new standard of $70. One of the companies that have yet to do so is Sega, but that might be changing soon. Thanks to a report from VGC, we’re finding that a new Q&A session during a financial earnings call from Sega brought up the new $69.99 price point for video games.
According to Sega CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa, they are monitoring the prices and market conditions. It seems that the folks at Sega are reviewing the titles that they believe are commensurate with the price increases. Of course, we didn’t get any indication of what games might see a cost boost. However, Sega has more than a few iconic franchises, so there might be a few new upcoming games asking players to dig deeper into their pockets for their next video game purchase.
With that said, gamers can be vocal about titles that fail to deliver. If a game is not meeting their expectations, you’ll find plenty of negative reviews to warn others about not wasting their money on a specific title. Furthermore, there are plenty of games that release in a poor state, such as PC players having a tough time with the initial launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. So we’re always hopeful that games requesting a higher price tag will at least deliver to players’ expectations.
