While everyone is fawning over the recently-announced release date and price of the PlayStation 5, and have probably gone on to frantically pre-order a unit, another pertinent question that probably has gone under the radar is how much the games will cost.
President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan hinted that PS5 games might be a little more expensive compared to those of the previous generation. in a recent PlayStation blog update. He stated that “[Sony’s] own Worldwide Studios titles will be priced from US$49.99 to US$69.99 [approximately S$68 to S$93] on PS5.”
What this means is that only games from Sony’s PlayStation Studios umbrella, or at least most of those that will be console-exclusive to the PS5, will be handed the above price tags, including Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, Demon’s Souls, Sackboy A Big Adventure, and God of War: Ragnarok.
But what then of games by third-party studios? Kotaku reports that some of the games by big-name studios have generally stuck to a similar price range, including NBA 2K21 (US$69.99), and Ubisoft’s upcoming AAA titles, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and Immortals Fenyx Rising.
That said, however, these prices are generally subject to change, and given how we’re still months away till the launch of the PS5, who is to say that these prices won’t see an increment?
Given the rapidly-advancing technology to push digital image processing and sound engineering forward, coupled with the current global situation, it is no surprise that prices are steadily rising over the years. Already, standalone spinoff titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales are getting a US$49.99 price tag, which is not that far off from a full-price PS4 game (roughly US$59.99) six to seven years ago. As such, we could see games rise to as high as US$80 (approximately S$108) for some.
Indie games are a bit of a wild card, though. Depending on the size of the game and the reputation of the studio, they could still range from as low as US$10, which could still appeal to consumers But then again, there is no guarantee these titles will be immune to price hikes during these tough times?
Scary, we know. But it is what it is.
Hopefully it won’t affect sales for the PlayStation 5 too much, though, as Sony doesn’t seem to be pulling back its punches with its stellar library of first- and third-party exclusives.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Si Jia
