Will GTA 6 raise AAA game prices to $100? CD Projekt co-CEO weighs in

Will GTA 6 cost $100, and push AAA game prices to a new MSRP during an economy fraught with rising prices? CD Projekt weighs in with a purely opinion answer.

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Just 5 years ago, the games industry used the 9th console generation to collective raised software prices. Games went from $59.99 to $69.99, a price hike that better reflects the higher costs of games development. Now amid a downturn--which is driven by a course-correction of overspending and bad bets placed during COVID-19--it's speculated that GTA 6's release could be used to deliver another price hike.

So what do developers think about this? There's been lots of back-and-forth about GTA 6 costing $100 and now we have the perspective of one of CD Projekt's higher-ups on the topic.

In a recent Q&A webcast on last year's earnings results, CD Projekt co-CEO Michal Nowakowski only says that any price jump would benefit the company. That's because, of course, new games like The Witcher 4 and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel would also both be priced at $100 too.

Question: Is there a chance that GTA 6 will raise the standard price of AAA games?

Michal Nowakowski: It will be an opinion because we have no intimate knowledge of that. The opinion is that we're going to find out soon what's going to happen, there is likelihood for sure it's been indicated but it's pure speculation to be honest. Our stance is that if the standard price changes for the market, it will work towards our benefit for sure. That's where we sit."