Video game and system developer Nintendo recently accidentally revealed that its upcoming release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be the first of its titles to break the US$70 barrier. Formerly offering the game at $60, this new price point has been updated across all pre-order stores, officially making Nintendo the last of the console systems to take a step up from the previous $60 standard.
As reported by Gamerant, the first of the big three consoles to cross into the $70 price range was Sony with the PS5. Stated reasons for this rise in cost include how many hours of entertainment a game could give, the rising cost of video game development, and adjustments for inflation. Some of these arguments have been heavily criticized, though the argument from inflation does hold water.
The standard $60 price tag for games was set around 1998-2001. According to US Inflation Calculator, this cost in the year 2000 would adjust to a real modern cost of just over $100. From this perspective, a $70 price tag is only fair, but players have repeatedly pointed out that there are issues in viewing costs from this perspective.
On the other side of the rise of cost are players who point out that the rising cost of game developers is because of the scope which developers reach for. Players had no direct say in this, and since many would and do choose smaller games at lower price points, the argument falls apart. The want of lower costs is further bolstered by more games being sold than ever, so economies of scale should dictate lower prices. Finally, the fact that full games are locked behind DLC means that the $60 price point often illustrates only a base package, where all the content might eventually be worth double what was paid for a barebones initial release.
As for solutions, a popular idea that appears in some bundle games is to allow the player to choose their own cost over a certain point. This is similar to what is adopted with online betting, like in the titles from Stake Casino. Not only does this casino allow players to deposit as much as they want over the minimum through fiat and cryptocurrencies, but the games also allow enormous variety in how much is put down. Already applying to more than 3,000 games, this idea would be a similarly huge hit in the video gaming space, though the odds of any AA.
Other than through access from some type of game pass, which Nintendo doesn’t offer for AAA titles, the only way to lower the cost of Nintendo’s new games is through a paid voucher system. As Kotaku covers, this can let players save $20 on two purchases, but it’s not helpful for players who only want one game. Ultimately, like it or not, the $70 price point for AAA titles is here to stay. At least for gamers on a budget, the expansive and only improving indie market can be just as good.
