GTA 6 publisher says games should be priced based on hours of playtime

The question of exactly how much GTA 6 will cost is one on everyone's minds right now, given the game is finally going to be unveiled next month.

The game's publisher, Take-Two is in a sweet position right now as millions of gamers await the trailer for the latest Grand Theft Auto game, the sixth in the mainline series.

However, their CEO, Strauss Zelnick, decided to drop a controversial opinion to investors when discussing the pricing of video games. It seems Zelnick is part of the thinking that says that games should be priced based on their playtime length, development time, or both.

The GTA 6 trailer is due to drop in early-December, but you can check out everything we know so far about the game below:

It's a thought that gets bandied about a lot nowadays and is backed by a lot of gamers, too. The theory goes that a game that can be played for hundreds of hours, like GTA V, is somehow more valuable than a 12 hour experience. Of course, this thinking detracts from key emotions and simple enjoyment.

What Zelnick said during a recent investor call is as follows: "In terms of our pricing for any entertainment property, basically the algorithm is the value of the expected entertainment usage, which is to say the per hour value times the number of expected hours plus the terminal value that's perceived by the customer in ownership, if the title is owned rather than rented or subscribed to."

So, in other words, the GTA games can be played for several hundred hours so are inherently more valuable than, say, an 8-hour indie that made you cry. Zelnick continued by reaffirming that "the industry as a whole offers a terrific price to value opportunity for consumers."

The pricing of games will always be contentious. The recent bump up to £70 from £60 for AAA games was felt by many and is a key part of this argument. However, all the talk of pricing detracts from what we feel when we play. As with any form of art. There's no pricing difference between a fun 90-minute action film and an Oscar-worthy drama that runs for three hours and makes you reevaluate your outlook on life. The same goes for gaming.

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