At least one next-gen title will cost $70, and a widespread $10 price hike for Xbox Series X games seems inevitable. Some fans might think this is reasonable, due to the rising cost of AAA game development. But loot boxes and other in-game purchases assure publishers are already making far more than $70 on current-gen game sales. Adding $10 to PS5 and Series X price tags is nothing more than another nickel-and-diming microtransaction.
Publisher 2K's announcement that next-gen versions of certain PS5 and Series X games costing more. Increasing that game's price, in particular, was a bold decision, as the NBA 2K series is notorious for its heavy implementation of luck-based microtransactions, and subsequent price reveals, like that of Ubisoft's Far Cry 6, show not every PS5 and Series X game will cost $70 at launch.
Speaking to proliferation of microtransactions has taught the games industry anything, it's that publishers will charge as much as possible.
Why PS5 And Xbox Series X Games Shouldn't Cost $70
Ever since Oblivion's infamous horse armor DLC pack, video game publishers have made a regular habit of including small bits of extra content - often cosmetic - for small price points. Even though most of these in-game purchases are optional, companies rely on psychological manipulation via social cues, peer pressure, and exploitation of mental illnesses (anxiety, OCD, spending addictions, etc.) to get players to buy in. Video essay YouTube channel Folding Ideas summarized these practices as "manufactured discontent," exemplified by Fortnite's season and in-game store.
Using manufactured discontent, publishers like 2K have been able to make massive amounts of money off microtransactions. According to an earnings report, 2K and Rockstar parent company Take-Two earned $2.379 billion in digitally-delivered net revenue between March 2019 and March 2020 - a growth of 41% over the previous year's $1.682 billion - which ed for 77% of its total net revenue. The company listed "NBA 2K20 and NBA 2K19" first in its list of top digital-earning games.
Publishers can charge whatever they want for their games. At least under capitalism's rules, if people buy it, it's justified. That's what allows Xbox's Phil Spencer to say laying off hundreds of employees after record earnings, or creating workplaces that demand long hours of crunch. AAA publishers don't need to increase PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X games' base prices, plain and simple. But, of course, they'll do it anyway.
