In the recent press released by Take-Two, the developers mentioned a price hike for the next-gen version of NBA 2K21. While the base version of the game retails for $60 for the current-gen consoles, namely PS4 and Xbox One, the next-gen standard version for PS5 and Xbox Series X will cost $70, a $10 price hike!
While the price hike was not ‘staggeringly’ significant, it sent off a wave of speculation among gamers as to whether the next-gen games will cost more than current-gen titles. $60 is the standard price of a new game on PS4 and Xbox One, gamers can expect to pay $70 for video games on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the price point for NBA 2K21 and said that the price hike reflects “the quality of the experience,” in a new interview. Zelnick also spoke on the price hike during today’s Q1 earnings call with investors.
“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 says in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “And we think with the value we offer consumers… and the kind of experience you can really only have on these next-generation consoles, and the price is justified.”
During the Q1 earnings call, Zelnick clarified that it will announce pricing “on a title-by-title basis,” but defended the price point as a great value based on the hours of entertainment games like NBA 2K offers.
Furthermore, Take-Two is not offering a free next gen-upgrade to those who’re buying the game on the current-gen versions, except for the top of the line collector’s edition. EA, on the other hand, is offering free next gen-upgrades for FIFA 21, despite the version you pick. Even CD Projekt Red promised a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5 and Xbox One to Xbox Series X for Cyberpunk 2077.
Other video game developers have been asked about a potential price hike for next-gen video game software. Ubisoft says its next-gen titles being released during holiday 2020 will be $60, though future titles may have different prices. On the other hand, MTStacks will always have the cheapest price for NBA 2K21 MT coins.
(Contributed by Sarthak Khurana; Edited by Hermes_Fang)