Sega is the latest company to float the idea of a price hike for some of its software offerings. In a recent Q&A following its full-year earnings in April, CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the possibility.
“In the global marketplace, AAA game titles for console have been sold at $59.99 for many years, but titles sold at $69.99 have appeared in the last year. We would like to review the prices of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions,” said Sega.
The Sonic the Hedgehog publisher is far from the first company to consider charging more for its new games. In fact, several other publishers have begun doing precisely that.
Take-Two’s NBA 2K21 released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S for $89.99 CAD ($69.99 USD), spearheading the trend.
Both Sony and Microsoft have since announced price increases for many of their own first-party releases.
Nintendo’s most recent AAA title, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, is the first Switch game published by the company to cost $89.99 CAD ($69.99 USD).
Several factors are likely to be at play with the ballooning cost of AAA games. An economic downturn, the increased cost of modern game development, and a perceived lack of pushback from consumers presumably all play a role.
As for Sega, the company has a couple of new games on the horizon, including Sonic Origins Plus and Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection.
Whether or not these releases will be the first from Sega to arrive at a higher MSRP is currently unknown.
Image credit: Sega
Source: Sega Sammy Via: Video Game Chronicle
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