GTA 6 is poised to set the market on fire when it launches this November. While its price hasn't been determined, there's no doubt the sixth entry in the series by Rockstar Games will be a smashing success, but Bank of America believes the game should be priced at $80. A high price point that would not only be in Take-Two's self-interest, but that could also save the entire gaming industry, which is perceived as struggling.
In an investor note penned by Omar Dessouky, as reported by Seeking Alpha, after attending the iicon Video Game Conference where Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick heavily suggested the game will not be delayed again, based on the CEO statements regarding the price of video games actually decreasing over the years on an inflation-adjusted basis, one of the biggest banks in the world said that the publisher should price GTA 6 at $80, as other publishers would have difficulty selling games at this price if the Rockstar's game launched at a lower price.
"We also heard from attendees that the industry, which is perceived as struggling, would have difficulty selling games for $80 if GTA 6 came out at $70. We think it’s in Take-Two's self-interest, as a publisher and partner to many developers, to raise the price point for the entire industry," the note reads. Essentially, this suggests that gamers should take the brunt of this "rescue operation" to save an industry that has repeatedly shown signs of spiraling out of control, with skyrocketing budgets and forced crunch that are not sustainable.
Although this hasn't been the first time analysts have suggested GTA 6 should cost more to raise the bar for video game prices, Take-Two continues to hold its silence on the matter. During last week's iicon, Strauss Zelnick briefly addressed the matter, saying that their job is to "charge way, way, way less than the value delivery," to make consumers feel like they were charged a fair price for what they got. Hopefully, things won't go the way analysts and investors predict: amid hardware price increases, the last thing gamers should do is pay more for games to rescue the industry.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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