Rising Development Costs and the Business Model Crisis
Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klima, known for the historical role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, expressed the opinion that the video game industry desperately needs an increase in the base cost of releases. In an interview with PC Gamer, the developer noted that he hopes a new pricing standard will be set thanks to the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
According to Klima, budgets for creating high-budget projects have been steadily growing in recent years, while the audience of active buyers has practically peaked. In addition, the shift to digital stores has effectively displaced retail, exhausting additional sources of margin optimization.
Will GTA 6 Become the Pioneer of the New Price?
According to the developer, the only way to keep studios afloat without an excessive amount of microtransactions is to raise the price of the game copy itself:
- Most publishers are afraid to raise prices on their own due to the risk of player outrage.
- Rockstar Games and Take-Two are among the few giants that can afford to set a new pricing trend.
- In the US, the standard edition of GTA 6 is estimated at $79.99, which is 10 dollars more expensive than the usual industry standards.
Klima noted that a price increase is long overdue and is a necessary step to maintain quality and ensure the survival of large-scale single-player games in today's market environment.
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