Eyebrows were raised at the start of this month when 2K Games announced that the next generation standard versions of NBA 2K21 would see a price hike of $10 USD. The company has since defended the price, and it’s started a bit of a debate about whether or not the new price is needed. Now a prominent Director has weighed in for the price increase, but the reasoning may not sit well with some.
On Twitter, God of War Director Cory Barlog responded to a post saying they wouldn’t be spending $70 on a video game. Barlog said that game prices need to increase. He also clarified his reasoning, saying he preferred a slight price increase as opposed to the “microtransaction filled hellscape” of modern gaming.
On paper, what Barlog is saying makes sense, but there’s also no indication that a potential price hike would matter in that regard. 2K Games have given no indication that the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of 2K21 won’t have the same microtransaction models as the current generation versions. This is also a US centered question, too. While it’s true that game prices have remained the same for 15 years in America, other regions have seen prices on games slowly hike up throughout the years.
As it stands, only 2K Games has come out with an increased price point for next generation games with no other publisher revealing prices for their PS5 and Xbox Series X games, so whether this will be the standard or not remains to be seen.
games need to go up in price. I prefer an initial increase in price to the always on cash grab microtransaction filled hellscape that some games have become.
— golrab of the frost (@corybarlog) July 8, 2020
