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There’s little doubt Grand Theft Auto VI will give players the chance to sink hundreds of hours of their lives into an offering that’s arguably the most highly-awaited title in video game history. However, rumors that you’ll have to shell out more than usual for the right to do exactly that seem increasingly plausible based on the recent comments of the CEO of its parent company.
If you bought the most recent installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise when it was released all the way back in 2013, you had to drop $60 on the disc that granted you access to the world of Los Santos. Nowadays, the vast majority of current-gen video games will set you back $70 at launch, but it seems like there’s a chance GTA VI could attempt to put that model to the test.
As you likely know by now, the long-awaited trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI will be unleashed upon the world at some point in December.
The eventual release date is still up in the air, but when you consider Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Entertainment predicts it will achieve “new record levels of operating performance” in the 2024 fiscal year, it’s safe to assume it will be released before 2025 rolls around.
While CEO Strauss Zelnick didn’t explicitly discuss GTA VI during a Take-Two earnings call that was held earlier this month, Exputer called attention to some intriguing comments he made concerning the industry’s approach to valuing the products it produces, saying:
“In terms of pricing for any entertainment property, basically, the algorithm is the value of the expected entertainment usage, which is to say that the per-hour value times the number of expected hours plus the terminal value that’s perceived by the customer in ownership if the title is actually owned, not, say, rented or subscribed to…
By that standard, our frontline prices are still very, very low because we offer many hours of engagement.”
As the outlet notes, Zelnick supplemented that analysis by adding “That doesn’t necessarily mean that the industry has pricing power or wants to have pricing power,” which means there is a chance Take-Two isn’t scrambling to challenge the status quo.
With that said, there have been reports the company has been eyeing a $120 price point for GTA VI, and while it will undoubtedly do very well for itself if it charges $70, it’s hard to think of a single game in a better position to challenge the norm; people might complain initially, but it’s hard to imagine it would really stop most consumers from biting the bullet.
As is the case with virtually everything involving GTA VI, there’s really no way to know what to expect until we’re treated to an official announcement, but this will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.