With the recent releases of Expedition 33 and the Oblivion Remaster priced significantly lower than titles like Mario Kart and Assassin’s Creed: Shadow, is it time to question the narrative that games must be sold at $70 for game studios to turn a profit? Both of these releases had substantial budgets, yet they’re available at prices that might appeal to more impulse buyers. Could we see a shift in how publishers price their games?
5 Answers
In the end, while some games sell well at lower prices, the cost to develop AAA games means higher prices will stick around. If they can’t balance costs and sales, we might just lose those kinds of games altogether. Let’s see if these lower price points can actually trigger the change they need.
I don’t think this comparison is valid. Oblivion is a remaster, so its production costs were lower. Expedition 33 is by a smaller team, which brings its own limitations. If both hit more than 15 million sales, then maybe we can talk. But right now, they’re too different to draw conclusions.
But the visuals and cast for Expedition 33 are AAA quality! It’s not that small of a project.
The idea that games must be $70 is ridiculous when loads of titles are out there doing well at lower prices. The problem lies in publishers pushing for continuous profit growth, not just maintaining profit. Everyone wants cheaper games, but the reality is they’re the lowest cost they’ve ever been right now.
For real! And it’s only going to get worse if we keep buying into their inflated prices.
Honestly, the price hike conversation seems a bit silly at this point. Companies are raking in cash with microtransactions, and they aren’t going anywhere. I’m more inclined to just wait for a sale before buying. Why pay full price when it’ll likely go down later?
So true! It’s like they just want to show growth on paper, rather than focus on what consumers really want.
I see your point, but major companies like Nintendo and Sony are pushing the narrative that games need to be even pricier now—like $90! They just want more profit, not really to fund better games.
Exactly, it’s all about squeezing more cash out of us, even if they’re already making record profits.
True that! I think there’s still plenty of room for pricing debates in gaming.