Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida has sounded off on increasing game prices, saying he questions why people are complaining about $80 games when that price is actually a "steal" in terms of what's being offered, at least for some games. He said this in an interview with Critical Hits Games, stating that many products in regular life have gone up in price over the years, so it was only a matter of time before video games did as well.
"I think it was almost too late for the video game companies to start looking at the pricing structure," he said, as reported by GamesRadar.
In the '90s, many new releases sold for $60 USD. Adjusted for inflation, that's around $80 today, which is the price that Nintendo and Xbox will charge for some games this year. Sony, for its part, has said it might increase prices, too.
Not every game will become more expensive, though. Variable pricing in gaming has existed since the beginning, and it's going to continue into the future. As an example, 2K is charging $50 for Mafia: The Old Country to help the game reach the widest possible audience. Yoshida said every game has a "different value [that] it provides," so a game company will decide how to price their product based on the "value that they believe they are bringing in."
He went on to say that a "really great" game that's priced at $70 or $80 would be a "steal in terms of the amount of entertainment" provided, and the quality of the experience compared to other forms of entertainment.
"As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining," he said.
Nintendo defended Mario Kart World's $80 price point by stating that the game is simply worth that much given what it offers. MK World is the only confirmed $80 game so far, from Nintendo or anyone else, but Microsoft has said it will charge $80 for some Xbox games later this year. Electronic Arts, for its part, has said it will not charge $80 for new games, at least not yet.
Data shows that people are ready and willing to spend $80 or more on new games.
Source
"I think it was almost too late for the video game companies to start looking at the pricing structure," he said, as reported by GamesRadar.
In the '90s, many new releases sold for $60 USD. Adjusted for inflation, that's around $80 today, which is the price that Nintendo and Xbox will charge for some games this year. Sony, for its part, has said it might increase prices, too.
Not every game will become more expensive, though. Variable pricing in gaming has existed since the beginning, and it's going to continue into the future. As an example, 2K is charging $50 for Mafia: The Old Country to help the game reach the widest possible audience. Yoshida said every game has a "different value [that] it provides," so a game company will decide how to price their product based on the "value that they believe they are bringing in."
He went on to say that a "really great" game that's priced at $70 or $80 would be a "steal in terms of the amount of entertainment" provided, and the quality of the experience compared to other forms of entertainment.
"As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining," he said.
Nintendo defended Mario Kart World's $80 price point by stating that the game is simply worth that much given what it offers. MK World is the only confirmed $80 game so far, from Nintendo or anyone else, but Microsoft has said it will charge $80 for some Xbox games later this year. Electronic Arts, for its part, has said it will not charge $80 for new games, at least not yet.
Data shows that people are ready and willing to spend $80 or more on new games.
Source