Will GTA 6 set a higher pricing standard? Many developers are just waiting for this

One of the developers of Baldur’s Gate 3 thinks games are too cheap. Publishers are slowly increasing prices, but they fear customer backlash. However, Take-Two can help.

Game prices – or rather their imminent increases – are an issue that is systematically discussed among various game developers. And, in fact, there is no reason to be surprised. Projects have been created for many years, teams are increasingly implementing modern technologies, the topic of working conditions in studios is systematically repeated in the industry, marketing takes on different forms and generates more and more costs. This leads to the growth of budgets.

GTA 6 could be the first game to offer increases and set a new standard for game pricing. – And then player dissatisfaction could be much less. That’s the opinion of Michael Doss, head of publishing at Larian Studios, who in the latest series of entries on X touched on the cost of producing video games.

In his opinion, all titles should cost more than the first show, because creating them has simply become more expensive. Although development teams are trying to somehow “catch up” and offer players special editions with additional content, this does not change the fact that this process has become more expensive. A Larian Studios employee says bluntly that games should be priced according to their quality.

I think a game should be priced according to its quality, breadth, and depth. I’m not against high prices, but this arbitrary standardization makes no sense to me. It’s so trivial.

Almost all games should be more expensive at the base level because the cost of producing them (inflation) is outpacing price trends. But I don’t think we’ll get there with the promise of DLC as much as quality and connectivity. Everyone is just waiting for GTA 6 to do that.

Almost all games are supposed to be more expensive at a basic level because the cost of making them (inflation, for example) outpaces price trends. But I don’t think we’ll get there on the promise of DLC as much as we will on quality and connectivity. Everyone’s waiting for GTA6 to do that.

— Too Far From the Keyboard (@Cromwelp) August 26, 2024

Grand Theft Auto 6 is a highly anticipated game – there’s no doubt about that. Last year, there were rumors that Rockstar’s title could cost up to $150 at launch. Furthermore, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has repeatedly stressed that their games generate so much engagement and value that they should be much more expensive – so it wouldn’t be too surprising if the publisher decided to make such a risky move. If GTA 6 finally debuts, there will be people willing to buy it.

As with the current pricing standard, creators could follow Take-Two’s path this time around. Michael Doss’s words indicate that many teams are waiting for the price of the new GTA to be revealed.