Ubisoft is going to charge $60 for its games on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 in 2020. This is in line with the company’s (and most of the industry’s) pricing since the launch of the Xbox 360. So why is this notable? Because Take-Two and its subsidiary 2K Games announced they are upping the price of NBA 2K21 on the next-gen consoles to $70.
But it’s also worth noting that Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot would only commit to the $60 pricing through this holiday season.
“For the Christmas games, we plan to come with the same price as the previous generation of consoles,” Guillemot told investors during a conference call. “That’s what we’re focused on at the moment.”
When asked explicitly if the price could go up after the holiday season, Guillemot dodged.
“We said earlier — that for the $60 price — we are concentrating on the Christmas releases,” he said. “And those games will launch at $60.”
So Ubisoft is keeping a price increase on the table. And to be clear, this applies primarily to the United States. Gamers in other countries, including Australia, Canada, and throughout Europe, have seen companies raise the price of new games repeatedly over the last decade.
For now, however, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla won’t cost more than $60 for U.S. fans. But we’ll see if that lasts.
Market pressures may make a price increase too enticing to resist for companies like Ubisoft. If the pandemic continues raging through the U.S. into 2021, people may find that they still have nowhere but games to spend their entertainment dollars. And with that kind of demand, Ubisoft knows it can likely get away with asking for more.
Author: Jeff Grubb.
Source: Venturebeat
