Ready for PS4 and Xbox 720? Dead Island: Riptide price ‘reflects end of console cycle’

Although Dead Island: Riptide will release for Xbox 360 and PS3, its lower-than-standard price point could indicate the end of the current console generation.

When asked about the game's $49.99 price point when it launches, Deep Silver marketing and PR manager Aubrey Norris confirmed the publisher's belief that the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be close to release by the time the game arrives, likely some time next year.  For that reason, Deep Silver believes the $49.99 price "makes a lot more sense".

"That's not a placeholder 🙂 that's the real price!" she told Ripten when contacted about retailer listings for the game. "It's the end of a console cycle – we think this price makes a lot more sense given that."

Norris also confirmed that Dead Island: Riptide is a new game and not a remake in a similar fashion to Dead Rising 2: Off the Record.

Dead Island: Riptide is planned for release on PC and current-gen consoles. Although it was announced during E3, a more extensive reveal is lined up for this summer.

Who knows, maybe this new price could indicate a change in the overall pricing for the entire game industry. Last July, EA Sports boss Andrew Wilson suggested the days of the $60 games business could be numbered, noting that 45% of revenues made by games in 2010 were digital.

At the same time, it's also possible that Deep Silver is just saying this rather than admitting the lower price is an attempt to help boost sales for a game that many may be hesitant to pick up, possibly due to the somewhat disappointing launch of Dead Island.

[RipTide]