Take-Two says it will decide next-gen game prices individually for each title

After originally showing that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of NBA 2K21 would cost $69.99 instead of $59.99, Take-Two made its stance on next-gen game pricing clear. 

According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, its games will be priced on a “title-by-title basis” rather than just raising prices across the board. 

The company held its Q1 earnings call for the fiscal year 2021, showing a net gain of $996.2 million, which is an increase of 136 percent year-over-year. Before the call, Zelnick spoke with GamesIndustry.biz about the potential price increase for the company’s titles. 

Related: Ubisoft to retain $60 game prices for next-generation titles released this fall

“There hasn’t been a price increase for frontline titles for a really long time, despite the fact that it costs a great deal more to make those titles,” Zelnick said. “And we think with the value we offer consumers…and the kind of experience you can really only have on these next-generation consoles, that the price is justified. But it’s easy to say that when you’re delivering extraordinary quality, and that’s what our company prides itself on doing.”

2K20 has sold more than 8 million copies across the current generation of consoles and PC, with an average playerbase of 22,000 playing on Steam, according to Steam Charts. The series is always among the top sellers each holiday season, and while Take-Two is currently the only company making the change, Zelnick feels that the pricing will change to reflect the quality of the products. 

“We just speak for ourselves,” Zelnick said. “Obviously, we don’t speak for the industry and the industry naturally does not coordinate on these matters, to say the very least. The pricing has to reflect the quality of the experience, and we aim to provide the best experiences in the business. And from our point of view, it’s an extremely modest price change given that prices haven’t changed for a very long time.”

During the earnings call, Zelnick confirmed that not all of the company’s games will receive the price bump. Instead, Take-Two will internally assess each release for next-gen and decide of consumers would spend more than average on its titles.