When 2K Games announced that NBA 2K21 will be priced at $70 for next-generation consoles, it kicked off speculation that there will finally be another price hike for video game software in the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation.Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the price point for NBA 2K21 and said that the price hike reflects “the quality of the experience,” in a new interview. Zelnick also spoke on the price hike during today’s Q1 earnings call with investors.“There hasn’t been a price increase for frontline titles for a really long time, despite the fact that it costs a great deal more to make those titles,” Zelnick says in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “And we think with the value we offer consumers… and the kind of experience you can really only have on these next-generation consoles, and the price is justified.”
During the Q1 earnings call, Zelnick clarified that it will announce pricing “on a title-by-title basis,” but defended the price point as a great value based on the hours of entertainment games like NBA 2K offers.NBA 2K21 Current and Next-Gen Cover Art – Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard, and Zion WilliamsonOther video game developers have been asked about a potential price hike for next-gen video game software. Ubisoft says its next-gen titles being released in holiday 2020 will be $60, though future titles may have different pricing.
Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.