Think $70 is a lot to spend on a new game for your PlayStation 5? Well, it is—but it could have been worse. Recently, it came out that Sony nearly set a price point of more than $70 for PS5 games. Let’s check out the details.
We Almost Had to Pay More Than $70 for PS5 Games
This information comes from Bloomberg. As the site notes in its headline, this is the first time in 15 years that the prices for new games took a jump. Bloomberg reports, “Inside publishing houses, a price hike has been plotted and dissected by executives for years. They point to inflation, as well as the ballooning cost to develop triple-A games, as justification. At one point, Sony discussed going even higher before settling on $70. Many of the game executives requested anonymity, apparently because they recognize the move is unpopular. In many cases, companies won’t acknowledge the fee increase, saying only that prices will vary by title.”
Needless to say, $70 won’t be an easy price for a lot of people to afford. That would have been true a couple years ago, and it is even more true now given COVID-19’s economic impact.
Regardless, it is kind of surprising it took this long for the industry to raise prices for new games. And while $70 is expensive, consider that going to see a movie as a family can easily cost $20-$30, and that is two hours or less of entertainment. Many video games offer dozens or even hundreds of hours of fresh experiences. Considered in that light, $70 is not a bad value at all, even if it is tough to shell out.
In related news, the next generation of gaming is now here. Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S released today, November 10th. The PS5 will launch on November 12th. Speaking of new games for the next generation, find out more about MyNBA Mode details for NBA 2K21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Also, check this list for 9 Ubisoft games that were just announced to be incompatible with PS5. Discover more in our PlayStation news.