Summary
- Grand Theft Auto 6 may have a higher price point of $100, signaling a shift in industry pricing norms.
- Take-Two Interactive could tie GTA 6 to GTA Online to justify the higher cost for players.
- Despite potential resistance, GTA 6 could lead to more games having higher price points if successful.
A new report from the managing director of an equity research group indicates that Grand Theft Auto 6 could potentially hit the market with a much higher price point than some might expect. With Grand Theft Auto 6 expected to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors in terms of popularity and sales, Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive may be pushing the envelope in terms of price.
Certain game and console launches have been so anticipated that they’ve had a tangible effect on real life, with gamers going so far as to call in sick when major titles like Grand Theft Auto 5, Skyrim, or systems like the Nintendo Switch came out. With GTA 5 still showing up on best seller lists all these years after its initial launch, Take-Two Interactive may be able to price GTA 6 higher than most games and still see extreme demand.
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Now, Michael Pachter, the managing director of Wedbush Securities’ equity research (via VideoGamesChronicle), has stated that Grand Theft Auto 6 could sell for $100 or even more. Pachter notes that the path for Take-Two Interactive to sell the game at this price point would be to tie it into Grand Theft Auto Online, giving players a “large amount” of the online component’s currency. Pachter points to Call of Duty‘s success with Warzone and Call of Duty Mobile, stating that the integration of the online game experience with a “premium game” led to a 40% increase in sales. Take-Two Interactive, on the other hand, has notably been pushing the envelope on game prices since 2020’s NBA 2K21 release.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Signal a Change in the Industry
Much about GTA 6 is still being kept under wraps, so the actual price the game will go for is still up in the air. However, it seems that the game industry as a whole may be watching with bated breath to see what happens with the next GTA. It’s been suggested that if Grand Theft Auto 6 launches for a higher price, other games may follow suit. Gamers have been resistant to price increases on video games despite inflation and the overall cost of development going up. In essence, GTA 6 has the potential to break the glass ceiling and normalize higher prices for video games.
However, there are still some caveats to this. While GTA Online has been very popular, not every player who enjoys the single-player story experience of Grand Theft Auto games will want to play online with others. Additionally, it’s not clear if Pacther is referring to the current GTA Online experience, or a new version based upon GTA 6. While GTA Online still maintains a strong playerbase and just released an improved version for PC, gamers may not be enthused about spending up to $100 to get currency in an old online game. Thus far, Rockstar Games hasn’t indicated whether a new version of GTA Online will launch alongside GTA 6.
