Do you think games are undervalued and game prices are too cheap? Even though game prices have sharply risen in this console generation, Capcom’s President thinks they should be higher.
Publishers like Activision, Electronic Arts, and Sony PlayStation have started pricing their games at $70 instead of the previous industry standard of $60. However, Capcom President Harushiro Tsujimoto says even $70 might be too low.
- Video Game Voice Actors Might Go on a Strike
- Don’t Expect Steam Deck 2 to Release Anytime Soon
- The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Skip the PlayStation Consoles
According to a report from Nikkei (via Kotaku), Tsujimoto said that video game development costs have risen exponentially, and coupled with the increase in wages, he considers increasing game prices a necessary option for the business.
“Development costs are about 100 times higher than during the Famicom era, but software prices have not gone up that much,” he said. “…considering the fact that wages are rising in the industry as a whole, I think raising unit prices is a healthy option for business.”
Tsujimoto also doesn’t believe that a slow economy should impact video game prices. He said, “Just because there’s a recession doesn’t mean you won’t go to the movie theatre or go to your favourite artist’s concert. High-quality games will continue to sell.”
The increase in game prices was first ushered in by PlayStation this generation when it pegged both of its first-party releases, Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, at $70. This was followed suit by other publishers, including Microsoft, who first appeared to be hesitant to do so. Even Nintendo prices its best-seller, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom at $70.
Capcom, on the other hand, has been selling its games at $60 so far and even announced that the iPhone 15 version of Resident Evil 4 Remake will cost $60.
Should game prices go past the $70 mark? Is that fair? Are you willing to pay more for your favourite games? Let us know in the comments below.
Mufaddal Fakhruddin
Mufaddal Fakhruddin has been writing about games and technology for the past 15 years. He has lost count as to how many reviews he has written over the years, but he is sure headphone reviews make up at least 70% of that.
