2K Games have revealed the RRP for NBA 2K21, possibly revealing the new industry standard for pricing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X games.
GamesIndustry.biz reports (and shared the image below) that 2K Games has revealed the RRP for NBA 2K21. While the image does not list prices in British Pounds, GamesIndustry.biz includes it in their article.
On Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia; the game will cost $59.99 (£59.99). On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it will cost $69.99 (£64.99).
The Mamba Forever Edition will cost $99.99 (£84.99) on all platforms, and will offer a free upgrade to the next-gen console equivalents when they launch. 2K Games reportedly states the next-gen version of the games were “built from the ground up for next-generation consoles.”
GamesIndustry.biz also points out comments by former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden; where he stated during the Gamelab conference that games need be more expensive with the next generation.
“It’s been $59.99 since I started in this business, but the cost of games have gone up ten times. If you don’t have elasticity on the price-point, but you have huge volatility on the cost line, the model becomes more difficult. I think this generation is going to see those two imperatives collide.”
In addition, Layden stated that he would like games to return to a shorter total play-time; cutting down on development time. No obvious mention of if this would reduce the cost of games was made.
“All the costs around gaming are labour costs, right? You don’t have to build a factory. You don’t have to turn sand into glass. It’s just creativity and your ability to bring like-minded people together to accomplish something, but it’s all based on the people… Those are all the costs associated with it.
So how can we look at that and say: Is there another answer? Instead of spending five years making an 80 hour game, what does three years and a 15 hour game look like? What would be the cost around that? Is that a full-throated experience?
Personally, as an older gamer… I would welcome a return to the 12 to 15 hour [AAA] game. I would finish more games, first of all, and just like a well edited piece of literature or a movie, looking at the discipline around that could give us tighter, more compelling content.
It’s something I’d like to see a return to in this business.”
What do you think of the new possible price-tag? Sound off in the comments below!
NBA 2K21 launches September 8th for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and Holiday 2020 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
