Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 boss hopes GTA 6 pushes game prices up because it’s “long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive”
Martin Klima, co-founder of Warhorse Studios (Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2), has expressed hope that Grand Theft Auto 6’s $80 price point will establish a new standard for triple-A games and encourage other developers to charge more.
Klima told PC Gamer that the video game industry faces mounting financial pressures. Development costs have increased dramatically while the audience purchasing new games has plateaued. Additionally, the shift to digital distribution has eliminated the retail middleman, removing a revenue stream that studios previously relied upon.
Klima stated that raising unit prices would “help a lot,” but that most developers are “scared to death” to increase prices unilaterally. He believes only Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive have the market position to “afford, or who can dare” to make such a move. He characterized price increases as “long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive.”
Despite acknowledging that GTA 6 is “arguably the most anticipated game of all time,” Klima admitted he does not understand the hype and said he would not play the game unless “somehow forced to.” Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that GTA 6’s pricing will “blaze a trail” and set a precedent that allows other studios to increase their prices without fear of market rejection.
Sources
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 boss hopes GTA 6 pushes game prices up because it’s “long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive”
- GTA 6 Should “Blaze A Trail” To More Expensive Games, Dev Says
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Dev Hopes GTA 6 Will Encourage Studios to Charge More for Their Games
- Warhorse Co-Founder ‘Fails to Understand’ GTA 6 Hype, But Hopes It Pushes Prices Up Anyway
- Warhorse COO wants GTA 6 to set a new $80 price standard for triple-A games