KEY POINTS

  • PS5 and Xbox Series X are slated to arrive in the holiday of 2020
  • While no price has been revealed for Microsoft and Sony, a recent announcement may have hinted the price of next-gen titles
  • Although it seems that the price increase on standard next-gen games is high, many industry analysts think it is necessary

A new report states that the standard price of PS5 and Xbox Series X games is around $70. The arrival of next-generation gaming consoles is one of the most anticipated events in the gaming industry. While there are predictions that the standard price of games releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X might increase, gamers believe the increase is inevitable.

Potential Xbox Series X, PS5 Games’ Standard Price

Game publisher 2K Games was the first to reveal the price of next-generation titles. It announced that the “NBA 2K21” on Xbox Series X and PS5 retails at $70. The price is $10 more than the game’s standard price when it released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Interestingly, it seems that 2K Games is not the only publisher that will use this kind of pricing scheme on PS5 and Xbox Series X games. Research company IDG shared that major game publishers are toying with the idea of following suit. While a $10 increase is a high price to pay for a standard game, the price hike is necessary for several reasons.

PlayStation & Xbox
Pictured at Logos for Xbox and PlayStation. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Why Is A Price Increase For Next-Gen Titles Necessary?

According to Techradar, the gaming industry is lucky in terms of game prices. The $60 standard price of a video game was first introduced in 2005 at the launch of Xbox 360. For the past 15 years, the price has remained the same. While game production grew bigger and more expensive, game publishers tried to maintain the $60 price tag.

Although game publishers have to be mindful of prohibitive pricing, it is crucial that they consider sustainability. If the production cost is higher, it is but understandable that the burden would be passed on to the end users. IDG President and CEO Yoshio Osaki shared with GamesIndustry.biz that the cost of producing next-gen titles increased between 200 percent and 300 percent.

A $10 price increase over 15 years is already good and it could have been worse, the CEO added. Both next-generation gaming consoles Xbox Series X and PS5 are anticipated to arrive sometime in holiday 2020.

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