Last month, many were alarmed after learning that NBA 2K21 on Xbox Series X and PS5 will be $70 USD. This is a $10 increase over the standard retail price for a game. Many assumed this will be the new normal for next-gen games but Take-Two has come out to clarify the situation.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed that the $70 next-gen pricing will be on a case by case basis. This will be judged by the quality of the title and cost of production but won’t be the baseline for every game.
“We’re definitely announcing pricing on a title by title basis,” CEO Strauss Zelnick said in an earnings call. “I would just observe, there hasn’t been a frontline price increase for a very long time, although costs have increased significantly.”
As Zelnick noted, games haven’t always been $60. There have been increases over the years to appropriately match the cost of production, as games get more expensive to make, they logically will cost more money. Some have questioned if an annual sports title like NBA 2K21 is really worth the price increase but Zelnick thinks it is.
“We’re applying this price point in the case where we think the quality not only supports it, but demands it,” he said. “Production costs have gone up greatly. But most importantly, the consumer experience is more robust than ever before. And I’m utterly convinced that NBA 2K21 will be nothing short of extraordinary, so I don’t expect that there will be any concerns.”
Whether or not this will be shown in the final version remains to be seen. Take-Two is also the owner of Rockstar Games, making many wonder if Grand Theft Auto 6 will be a much more expensive game to off-set the expensive production costs. Nothing is known right now but one could likely expect that.
NBA 2K21 is releasing in September on the current generation of consoles and will release at launch on next-gen.
