You probably know that some companies such as Take-Two Interactive have decided that they will price next gen games at $70 instead of $60. This is a decision which has irritated a lot of gamers for obvious reasons. $60 is already quite expensive for a new game, and affording $70 for a new game is all the harder. While some companies are sticking with $60 for now (i.e. Ubisoft), it seems likely that $70 may become the norm soon. Recently, Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared his thoughts on the higher pricing. Let’s see what Phil Spencer says about next gen game pricing.
Here is What Phil Spencer Says About Next Gen Game Pricing
While speaking to the Washington Post, Spencer said, “As an industry, we can price things whatever we want to price them, and the customer will decide what the right price is for them. I’m not negative on people setting a new price point for games because I know everybody’s going to drive their own decisions based on their own business needs. But gamers have more choice today than they ever have. In the end, I know the customer is in control of the price that they pay, and I trust that system.”
We’re not sure what to say about this. Spencer probably means well, and of course, gamers do play a role in establishing pricing through demand. But for a lot of people, the question is not one of not wanting to pay $70 for a game, but simply not being able to afford it. And as he pointed out with his first statement, it is gaming companies that “price things whatever we want to price them.” If you can’t afford a game, then you’re out of luck and will have to wait to buy it used.
If demand is suppressed on average to the point where $70 isn’t sustainable to charge, perhaps companies will need to stick with $60. But it seems more likely to us that there will be sufficient demand to maintain higher prices, even if that means that a lot of individual gamers miss out.
But hey, at least Xbox is trying to make upgrading from current to next gen versions of games free. So, that helps, right? Check back with us soon for more Xbox Series X news.