Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Topics: GTA, GTA 6, Grand Theft Auto, Features, Xbox, PlayStation, PC
Topics: GTA, GTA 6, Grand Theft Auto, Features, Xbox, PlayStation, PC
Rumour has it that GTA VI could usher in a new age of video game pricing, and I already hate everything about it.
GTA VI is going to be one hell of a game, no doubt, but it’s claimed Rockstar Games is considering pricing it at $100, to be converted to an equivalent sum inother regions. It’s also been suggested that other studios are eager to see if this is the case, as if Rockstar can charge an increased premium for its titles, so can everyone else.
See the teaser trailer for GTA VI below
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Many think that in the case of GTA VI, that kind of price point would be justifiable given the technology going into it and how long we’ll be playing it for. Personally though, I don’t think any game is worth that much, and if that’s going to be the norm going forward, I fear my interest in gaming in general will fall off hard. Here’s why.
If you’re a digital-only gamer like I am on some platforms, there’s a good chance you won’t even be able to play your games in the future. We were all there when Ubisoft pulled its “get comfortable not owning your games” fiasco, which is bad enough already when games cost around £50 to £60 to own digitally. Of course, you could just buy physical games to avoid this, but a lot of them just give you a code anyway, and the discs themselves just give you access to the game. They’re not the game itself.
Spending £100 on something that could be taken off me in a few years is a hell of a lot worse than spending the already-high £50, or below £30, more so in my case, as I tend to wait for sales for most games.
The other problem is the quality of games released nowadays. So many are held back from their true potential, either on purpose so studios can release content as DLC or against the will of developers suffering from crunch. Obviously GTA VI won’t be that sort of game. If Rockstar Games isn’t content with the game’s quality, it’ll likely delay, which is obviously great for both the developers and consumers. For other studios though, this typically isn’t the case and while I won’t point fingers or name any names, I think we can all agree it’s a recurring problem in the industry.
If customers are expected to drop £100 on a game with a “launch now, fix it later” mentality, it’s just not going to fly with the majority or players, or at least I’d hope not.
There are counter arguments, for sure, like how much time you’ve spent playing a game equating to its value. If you spent 100 hours in a game, you could argue it’s worth £100 to you, which is a fine way of thinking when you’re not considering everyone else. Everyone’s financial situation is different and while video games are a luxury and not a necessity, it doesn’t mean they should cost a premium price.
Maybe GTA VI will be worth £100. Maybe it’s the greatest game ever made and it’ll never be topped, but charging that kind of price is opening a floodgate that many will take advantage of. It’s bad enough we have to spend around half a grand on a console.
Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen, I think the highest GTA VI could go is £70 or $70 in the US. Hopefully that’s the case as it could open a pandora’s box of problems for consumers if it doesn’t.