Some gamemakers want ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ to be priced between $80 and $100 to give the game industry “hope” as it continues to struggle financially, analyst Matthew Ball has said.
Some gamemakers want ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ (‘GTA VI’) to be priced between $80 and $100 to give the game industry “hope”, analyst Matthew Ball has said.
The industry is currently struggling to balance its finances – with several major studios like Bungie and Ubisoft laying off hundreds of developers and cancelling projects to cut costs – though Ball believes Rockstar Games’ upcoming title “could re-establish packed video game prices after decades of deflation despite rampant cost growth”.
Ball – who is the CEO of Epyllion – said: “Some gamemakers hope ‘GTA VI’ will be priced at $80 to $100, breaking the $70 barrier and helping $50 titles to move up to $60, $60 to do $70, $70 to $80 etc.”
For years, standard editions of AAA games have cost between $60 to $70 – meaning titles have been getting cheaper in real terms due to inflation in recent years – and the analyst suggested Rockstar pricing ‘GTA VI’ at the standard $70 would make the game the “cheapest” entry into the franchise.
The analyst said: “Packaged game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today — even though budgets are at all-time highs and player growth is stalled.”
If inflation was taken into account, Ball said ‘GTA VI’ would cost around $91.
Analysts predict the title – which is slated to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later in 2025 – will make up to $3 billion in its first year, with around $1 billion in pre-orders alone.
If this estimated figure becomes a reality, ‘GTA VI’ will become the single biggest launch in entertainment history – dwarfing previous projects from both the games industry and Hollywood blockbusters.
GTA VI: Some devs hope Rockstar prices title higher to give game industry ‘hope’, report suggests
