NPD Analyst Says $70 Games Are Here To Stay

The days of games costing $60 are coming to a close. As we near the end of a generation, there have been multiple companies confirming that all their games, moving forward, will now cost $70. Activision will charge $70 for Black Ops Cold War on next-gen, 2K will charge $70 for the next-gen version of NBA 2K 2021, and even Sony has confirmed that some of their upcoming PS5 exclusives, like Demon’s Souls and the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, will cost $70.

Many members of the gaming community have criticized the increase by $10, but according to NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella, $70 games will sell pretty well. When speaking with the Virtual Economy podcast, Piscatella said that “there are so many options and entry points into gaming – the really low cost options for people are there.”

Piscatella also discussed different avenues of purchasing games, like free-to-play and subscription services. “Free-to-play games, subscription spending – they’re all there, there should also be more options that are more higher or premium or even ‘luxury’ tier for certain types of games,” he said. “You can always bring prices down but it’s important to get adequate return for the investment. I know a lot of people are going to get mad about it, but the games can be worth more than they’re currently being priced at.”

Piscatella also believes that the increase in price doesn’t have anything to due with high production costs, saying, “ultimately, the market demand is the market demand. You have been paying a premium for years to play a game on day one.”

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