Dr. Serkan Toto (also CEO) of Kantan Games told GI.biz that gamers will likely face price hikes for games, hardware and subscriptions as studios try to cover rising development costs.
“So far, not all studios have addressed the increased game development and other costs, and not all have raised prices. But gamers should see an overall price increase in 2023,” Toto said.
He also said that this trend is not only for those 3A games, but also affects the price of subscription hardware and services, especially Microsoft’s subscription hardware and services. However, Nintendo’s Switch won’t go up in price this year unless it releases a new machine.
Last year, Sony raised the price of the PS5 in several regions of the world (excluding the US). As for the price of the Xbox, Spencer also said that “some concessions have to be made.” Nintendo has also been impacted by rising hardware costs, but hasn’t passed them on to consumers. Previously, publishers like EA, Take-Two, and Activision raised the price of the game from $60 to $70. There are various signs that “global price hike” in the gaming industry appears to be a major trend in 2023.
