Take-Two CEO defends higher prices for games for next-gen consoles

Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two’s CEO, said in an interview that he thinks it is justified to charge the higher price of $ 70 for NBA 2K21 for next-gen consoles. He states, among other things, that much higher costs are incurred today.

In an interview with Protocol, Zelnick addresses the question of why he thinks the new basketball game is the right product to make the jump from $ 60 to $ 70. The Take-Two boss notes that for nearly 15 years there has been no price increase and that production costs have risen by 200 to 300 percent. He also states that a much larger game is now being delivered for that 60 or 70 dollars than was the case for 60 dollars ten years ago.

In addition, Zelnick emphasizes that the option to spend money online with NBA 2K21 is completely optional and that it is not a free-to-play game. The interviewer also asked whether the prices vary and the different monetizationmethods are intended to rake in as much money as possible. In response, Zelnick says Take-Two’s goal is not so much to maximize revenue as to deliver the best entertainment experiences through a focus on quality.

In July, a research firm indicated that several publishers are considering increasing the prices of their games for the next-gen consoles. This agency already concluded that the costs for the production of titles for the PS5 and Xbox Series X had increased by 200 to 300 percent.

In the summer, 2K Games announced that NBA 2K21 will cost $ 60 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but that the version for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will be priced at $ 70. Just like Rockstar, 2K Games falls under Take-Two. Ubisoft said earlier through CEO Yves Guillemot that the next-gen games released before the end of this year will not get a higher price yet. However, he did not say whether that will change for the titles that will be released next year.