Take-Two Interactive Tells Price Increase For Next-Gen Software To Be Based On “Quality Of The Experience”

While Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 followers are still at the respected firm’s feet waiting for the official pricing of both next-generation consoles, there is a separate front of gaming that many are also on the verge to learn more about in the coming months. In that, users are concerned about what items will cost stepping into the next generational wave of console hardware.

Although the industry previously managed to overstep increased pricing on products when transitioning to newer systems, the same cannot be said this time around. And that was first illustrated with the announcement of NBA 2K21. Publisher 2K presented that the current-generation version of the annual installment would be the expected $59.99, however, those aiming for the new consoles would be paying $69.99 instead, the firm shares.

And there is some reasoning as to why the decision was made. The explanation comes from Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick. The frontrunner for 2K’s parent company states that the upped pricing aligns with the quality of the product, he tells gamesindustry.biz.

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. And we think with the value we offer consumers…and the kind of experience you can really only have on these next-generation consoles, that the price is justified. But it’s easy to say that when you’re delivering extraordinary quality, and that’s what our company prides itself on doing.

In response to the statement made by Zelnick, gamesindustry.biz asked for his opinion on Ubisoft’s approach to the matter. The publisher disclosed previously to align its pricing for next-generation releases, at least for this holiday, with current-generation versions. “Obviously, we don’t speak for the industry and the industry naturally does not coordinate on these matters, to say the very least.

“The pricing has to reflect the quality of the experience, and we aim to provide the best experiences in the business. And from our point of view, it’s an extremely modest price change given that prices haven’t changed for a very long time.” Zelnick furthered the conversation during the recent earnings release by stating that the price increase might not apply to all products for newer systems as it is a “title-to-title basis.”

Take-Two Interactive elsewhere this week also shared that PlayStation 5 users can expect a standalone version of GTA Online to be available sometime in the latter of 2021 next year. You can read the full report by heading here.

What is your thoughts on Take-Two Interactive’s statement?

Source: gamesindustry.biz