How do y'all feel of the new gaming industry standards being $100 for a base game?

[Shin FireyPaperMario]

As if the game industry endorsing $70 AAA games wasn't bad enough, Rockstar Games is willing to sell Grand Thief Auto 6 for a high price of $100 (just for the base game alone). So here's a video explaining how bad this news is, as I couldn't explain it in detail:


What's your ground on this subject? I, myself is fully 100% against games costing $100 for the base game alone, cuz why the price hike for these kinds of games after seeing how short some $70 games are ffs

[Yawackhary]

In some countries, you're already paying that much for a physical copy of a game or in a country that doesn't do regional pricing... Also some retro games easily get beyond $100 and that's used. Anyway, it's not a simple answer of yes and no.

There is the factor of inflation. US$100 is around £80 and some games are already £70 on the PS5. The days of the higher standard cost of £40 for a game (£50 at most) is over.

There is the issue of rising budgets in AAA games. Loads of people and outsourced studios working for years at a game. CGI studios juggling between games, movies, TV shows. They might have a celebrity or two in the game. In terms of sports games, having the players to do the mo-cap and permission, stadiums might be scanned and players photographed. Racing games, again the permission and having that detail to model unless the company itself does have 3D files to help, plus the time to scan and photograph the tracks. All it takes is that one game to flop and that can cost a company. Also mismanagement doesn't help either...

In this case, there isn't too much that you can do to lower the cost. Companies have been using "poorer" countries for years to do the outsourced work or a lesser capable version of the game and not sure for gaming but anime had been using more Thai and Vietnam studios that they wouldn't have never used in the past. Even Nintendo used a Polish studio for Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Switch. Games are usually done in Unreal or an often used inhouse engine. The unfortunate hiring and firing of the industry. With rising of living costs, it will get towards a tipping point of unsustainability. Then again in gaming, expectations in some cases are too high Cyberpunk 2077 being one of the more notable games.

GTA 6 is a game that can get away with the price point assuming that it still has a large amount of content and replayability that the series is known for. It's one of the few series that people who don't play many games do play. Plus the GTA series is one of those games where in most cases doesn't drop heavily in price. It drops a bit then floats around for a while, then drops a bit then goes up when the eventual re-release comes out (looks at GTA V and hope you'll enjoy GTA 6 on your PS6). Then again this is Take Two (2K & Rockstar) we are talking about, a company with a reputation with greed mainly down to the NBA2K series. Other games won't have that goodwill for the price point and as we know Assassin's Creed games get discounted quick because they don't sell enough at full price. I can only think of a FROM Software Dark Souls type of game or Zelda that people would pay the price on top of GTA 6.

If $100 does indeed become the standard then all it does is encourage people to wait for a sale outside of Day 1 streamers. Personally extremely few games are worth that price.

[DioShiba]

Abandon AAA gaming, problem solved.

[Somaticvision]

Abandon AAA gaming, problem solved.

Seriously. There's so many games.

[MrDashell]

70 already felt like a rip-off for some games, and this just feels like greed. I'm definitely not paying that much for a base game, especially with all the DLC and microtransactions they'll probably try to shove in there. I'll wait for a sale, or maybe just skip it altogether.

[stale cheeto]

I think the studios should just stop making their games so costly to make. I would hate it if $100 was the standard price tag, because I don't think any game is worth that price, let alone $70.

[Raccoon Sam]

Toys r us late 80s, early 90s. No matter how much inflation raises, video game prices still seem to stay the same. However now, they nail us on microtransactions.

Honestly, 100 bucks isn't even bad when you consider inflation.
Ocarina of Time cost $60 at release in 1998. In 2025 dollars, that'd be $115.

There can be a silver lining here but I buy so few games anyway I can't really comment.

[DioShiba]

Toys r us late 80s, early 90s. No matter how much inflation raises, video game prices still seem to stay the same. However now, they nail us on microtransactions.

Honestly, 100 bucks isn't even bad when you consider inflation.
Ocarina of Time cost $60 at release in 1998. In 2025 dollars, that'd be $115.

There can be a silver lining here but I buy so few games anyway I can't really comment.

Exactly this.

At the end of the day there is a large level of consumerism to be involved with gaming. Most people tend to grow out of it at a certain point while others continue to play. And considering that even with retro gaming, which is now a limited commodity are going to make certain games more expensive based on what condition they are in and what the brand is.

And.... people don't expect economic factors to play a role in how expensive gaming is? My friend it is not a poor man's hobby and it never was.