It’s been a few weeks since we’ve provided a proper update to the goings on in the entertainment world, and this is the first one I’ve personally done for our fantastic fans since the beginning of the holiday season of 2024.
During our stream this last week (Jan 24), we had a discussion about an article done by ThatParkPlace.com, where the writer recounted a video game analyst’s report that developers are quietly hoping that Take Two Interactive will raise the price of GTA 6 to $100 plus to meet the demands of the market.
This particular topic is not new to our panel of hosts. While Soda somewhat is on the fence with the concept, Chieftain is all for the price bump.
To leave the conversation at that would be disingenuous to each of our standpoints, which, believe it or not, are more nuanced than a surface statement.
To really unpack this conversation, one must consider the production costs, the salaries, and the way everything is funded in the game dev sector. Additionally, one must consider the outside interference of the bean counters and numbers guys that only care about dollars in, and dollars out. I shouldn’t need to point out the release schedules, famous amount of crunch, or the disasters that were the releases of numerous high visibilities titles (Cyberpunk 2077, I’m looking at you). Almost with invariable certainty, I can say that such releases should have the blame placed squarely on the shoulders of the executives.
The Mariner, as well as myself, have taken, perhaps, the hardline stance, that we can just play our backlogs of games, and ignore the AAA (while glaring at Ubisoft for the abomination of AAAA) titles that choose to hike their prices up to or around $100. Preorders are certainly off the table, and DLCs are only in the cards for the games that earn the purchases. To note, I’m absolutely not against a total value of $100 or more. However, the game studios need to earn it. Stop releasing broken, buggy messes and calling them games. Stop releasing games with stories that the customer base doesn’t want. Stop attacking the fans and customers, as if they’re the problem, when it’s the studios and devs that are creating the issue.
In a few words: Earn it, and then maybe I will consider that price tag. I’m not completely blind to the changes in the markets, the prices of development, nor the salary requirements for survival. No, not at all. In fact, if the quality of effort and the diligence of the workers were at the same levels that they had been in previous years of gaming, I’d be more open to this idea. Unfortunately, though, seeing development budgets explode to very nearly the same size as a Hollywood movie, I’m less inclined to think the price tag of $100+ is justified. Not when you can easily point at the executives of major studios for mismanagement of funds.
Other Topics Discussed on This Live…
- CI POLLS THE AUDIENCE!
- MURDER, DEATH, TEAMKILL! MURDER, DEATH, TEAMKILL!
- JAMES WOODS DOUBLE REVERSE UNO OF FATE
- EX-CDPR DIRECTOR OUTCLASSES CDPR
- JK CLOWNS THE CLOWNS
- NASFERATU SKARSGARD HOR-ROR!
- Q&A FOR THE CHIEF
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