GTA Might Want $70 More From You. Will You Pay It?
"GTA 5" had its best year ever in 2020, and 2021 might be even better. The next-gen remaster of "GTA 5" will arrive on consoles later in 2021, and will feature new content and be different from its original version. But will players be willing to pay $70 for an improved version of a nearly decade-old game? The jury is out on this one, but there are some facts left for fans to examine.
Developers started discussing next-gen game prices almost as soon as the consoles were announced, and many developers feel it's time to embrace an across-the-board $10 price hike for games on the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. A price increase was likely unavoidable for developers, since the sad truth is that video games cost a lot of money to make. While consumers might expect the $60 price point by now, it often doesn't provide enough of a profit margin for studios.
"GTA 5" doesn't have a problem with selling copies of the current version of the game, including digital copies, but a price increase might change things for Take-Two. Though nothing has been confirmed by Take-Two officially, company CEO Strauss Zelnick alluded to just such price increase in a recent conference.
Take-Two's view on customer satisfaction
During the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Zelnick commented on next-gen game prices. VGC transcribed the conference, and reported Zelnick as saying, "We announced a $70 price point for 'NBA 2K21,' our view was that we're offering an array of extraordinary experiences, lots of replayability, and the last time there was a frontline price increase in the US was 2005, 2006, so we think consumers were ready for it." Naturally, Zelnick carefully chose his words, and didn't confirm or deny anything.
Zelnick said that if customers feel like they were overcharged for games, it makes for a bad experience. Because Take-Two doesn't want customers to feel negatively about its games, the company needs to make sure that its games are worth an increased price tag. Zelnick elaborated, "We always want to make sure that consumers feel like we deliver much more than we ask in return, and that's true for our current consumer spending as well." Take-Two wants to ensure that its customer base stays loyal and continues to enjoy its games.
Right now, it's unclear if Take-Two will decide to increase the price of all of its games, and specifically "GTA" games. Fans are already worried about the potential expenses of next-gen gaming, but only time will tell if prices stick. One thing's for sure: if the price for "GTA" goes up, then fans are going to want plenty of extra content for their buck.