A question some fans have is will GTA 6 cost $70 on its release date and its pre-order time frame? Many games publishers such as Sony and Activision raised the standard price of games from $60 to $70 in 2020. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games’ parent company, also joined in with the strong increase in cost. We’ve just received our biggest indication yet GTA VI may end up costing more than its predecessor GTA V.
Background to price increases
Whilst North America saw its first raise in cost for games in some time, other regions which even had a price increase back in 2013 took the hit as well. The reasoning behind the 2020 increase given by the publishers was that games are far more expensive to make these days.
Whilst true, they know people will pay for it whether it is is the yearly sports game of next Call of Duty instalment. Publishers know they can get away with things like this.
The price increases made in 2020 for next gen games has been a big talking point in the online gaming community. Some publishers have decided all next gen games will be $70 whereas others, such as Nintendo, say the decision will be made game by game.
Following NBA 2K21 being revealed as the first ever $70 game, Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick said back in August 2020 “We’re definitely announcing pricing on a title by title basis.”
Take-Two’s price of GTA this generation
Since the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles in 2020, Rockstar Games have released two titles: Grand Theft Auto V updated for the consoles and the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
Given these projects were both re-releases, it was expected they would not cost $70 at release. GTA V’s upgraded version has an MSRP of $40 whilst the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was $60.
Even though many fans wanted a free update for their Xbox One and PS4 versions, (a thing some developers did do), the cost discounted launch pricing for next gen GTA V was an alright deal.
It was 50% off digital for the first month or so. Plus, you could purchase just the single player or GTA Online individually. PS5 players got GTA Online for free within the first 3 months to sweeten the deal further. This certainly helped alleviate issues with buying the game yet another time but it also shows Take-Two know GTA fans will pay up.
The unfortunate remasters of Vice City, GTA III and San Andreas are still problematic yet has an MSRP of $60 on both current and next gen. This once again proves to Take-Two they can put out something well below the quality fans expect from Rockstar and still sell millions of copies at $60 and these are 20 year old games.
So what about GTA 6?
This brings us to Zelnick’s recent comments about $70 games. In his call to investors this month, the Take-Two CEO was asked about if the price increase has had an effect on consumers. He answered by saying “In terms of the pricing point that you raised, we’re not seeing a pushback on price.” Many would argue he is lying here given there has been pushback on social media. However, he’s likely talking in the terms of sales of games.
The next game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise is quite possibly the most anticipated game of all time. This may fuel it to break GTA V’s sales records as well. On top of that, this game has likely cost Take-Two more money than any other game.
Whilst we don’t have any concreate evidence, it would not be surprising to be the most expensive game of all time to make. Take-Two will want to see a lot of profit on their investment.
Charging $70 for GTA 6 won’t deter enough people as it is a product many have been waiting the better part of a decade for. After all, the sheer amount of content and its quality is expected to be extremely high in this game so some fans may feel like they got their money’s worth, just as they did with GTA V and Red Dead 2.
This price increase is a loss for the consumer in a time of a continued rise in cost of living. Gaming is an expensive hobby when you combine essentials such as a console, the latest games, online membership, and accessories.
It will be interesting to see the how Take-Two price this game and if they will offer any pre-order bonuses or collectors editions as they have with RDR2 and GTA V.
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