GTA 5 publisher isn't seeing a 'pushback' from players over $70 games
Take-Two doesn't think the new $70 price tag for games is affecting sales
Take-Two, the powerhouse publisher behind the likes of GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and NBA 2K23, has claimed that players aren’t pushing back against the $70 price tag that now accompanies the vast majority of AAA video games.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked in an earnings call (thanks, VGC) whether the increase in game prices has led to a decline in sales, and Zelnick doesn’t believe so.
“We’re not seeing a pushback on frontline price,” Zelnick said. “What we’re seeing is consumers are seeking to limit their spending by going either to the stuff they really, really care about, blockbusters, or to value, and sometimes it could be both. And the good news is, we have a bunch of blockbusters and we have a wonderful catalog.”
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: $70 game prices
🗣️ Publisher Take-Two has weighed in on the $70 game conversation
✋ The publisher says it isn’t seeing any consumer pushback against the price point
🙋♂️ Take-Two was one of the first publishers to start charging $70 for its titles
💰 Sony, Activision, Microsoft, and even Nintendo tend to charge $70 for their biggest games
Take-Two started to price its games at $70 at the start of this console generation, which was followed by Sony and Activision. Microsoft held out a little longer but eventually joined the price hike from the usual $60 gamers have grown accustomed to.
Even Nintendo has experimented with charging $70, as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bucked the usual trend of Switch games being $60. Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser told the Associated Press that the price “reflects the type of experience fans can expect” in that specific game.
Recent data from Sony and Activision suggested that PS5 games weren’t selling as many copies due to the $70 price tag (thanks, Tweaktown). However, the rise in subscription services and the current cost of living crisis could also be to blame.
Nevertheless, we can expect GTA 6 to cost $70 when it eventually releases, which I doubt will deter many from picking up the latest entry in Rockstar’s blockbuster series.