2K Sports may have inadvertently set the pricing standard for the next-generation of console games – moving the price point higher for a standard video game sale for the first time since 2005.
For the past fifteen years, a new full-priced AAA game has been sold at a USD $59.99 in the United States, a price point that has stood through several console generations including the current PS4 & Xbox One generation.
Now, 2K Sports have announced that their annual NBA 2K21 will be coming in a standard game on current-gen tech and PC for the regular $59.99, and a ‘Mamba Forever Edition’ honoring Kobe Bryant will set you back $99.99 and be compatible with both old and next-gen consoles.
What’s gotten people talking though is that pre-orders for the standard game only on PS5 and Xbox Series X will set you back $69.99 each.
That’s different to many of this Fall’s game releases like “Cyberpunk 2077,” “Marvel’s Avengers,” and even EA’s “Madden NFL 21” and “FIFA 21” which are all offering free upgrades from current-gen to next-gen versions of titles. Microsoft’s much-touted upcoming “Smart Delivery system” in fact relies on a game being the same price point across all formats.
Polygon reached out to 2K for a comment and they say in a statement:
“We believe our suggested retail price for NBA 2K21 on next-generation platforms fairly represents the value of what’s being offered: power, speed and technology that is only possible on new hardware. While we are confident that NBA 2K21 will be a monumental leap forward for the franchise and a standout visual showcase on next-generation consoles, we recognize that it’s our responsibility to prove this value to our fans and NBA 2K players. We’re looking forward to doing so and can’t wait to show more in the upcoming months to launch.”
The industry has long pushed for prices to go up after 15 years, the rise of much-hated microtransaction systems and costly DLC is in part attributed to the price freeze combined with the escalating cost of game development and marketing spend. The $69.99 cost for next-gen systems could soon become a standard for next-gen only titles.
NBA 2K21 launches this September.
Source: Polygon
