Consoles and video games seem like they're getting ever more expensive, but if you were hoping for them to get cheaper then we have some possible bad news. Sega could be the latest publisher to decide to launch their games at a higher price.

The Japanese veteran could be among the games companies to release titles for $70, which appears to be increasingly the standard for this generation. In a recent Q&A session, Sega Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the likelihood of increasing game prices following the publication of the company's full-year earnings in April (thanks VGC). For the price sensitive Sonic and Yakuza fans amongst you, things don't seem to bode well.

"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," Sega said in an English transcript of the event. "We would like to review the price of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions."

Various game companies have been choosing to raise their prices. The trend began in August 2020 when Take-Two's NBA 2K21 took the distinction of becoming the first game of this current generation to launch with the price of $70. The likes of Sony and Activision were quick to join the trend, with others, like EA and Square Enix, also jumping on the pricier bandwagon. The other console platform holders, Microsoft and Nintendo, have adopted the pricing standard as well, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom among the most recent examples.

Sega's previous major launch was Sonic Frontiers, back in November 2022, which was sold at $59.99 / £49.99 on all platforms for the standard edition. Similarly, Yakuza: Like a Dragon also launched around that time with the price of $60 on all platforms. While Sega doesn't have such big releases in its release schedule for the time being, with upcoming games including next month's Sonic Origins Plus and this summer's Samba de Amigo: Party Central, it may well be that the follow up to Sonic Frontiers or the next Yakuza entry could adopt the higher pricing scheme.

Other publishers have found the higher price can depress game sales. Data from PlayStation suggested that the $70 price can result in fewer game sales. But if consumers expect the company to rethink its pricing strategy, unfortunately there's another point to the data, which suggests that while the price may have a negative effect on sales, it makes up for it in terms of revenue, meaning the difference in price can equal or more than offset the reduction in overall sales of game units. The inferences were drawn from data via PlayStation and Activision.



Posted: May 18, 2023 8:31 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/sega-games-yakuza-sonic-maybe-next-70-price-tag/