2K Games has the potential to shake up the standard pricing of video games, as NBA 2K21 has been revealed to retail at $69.99 for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of the game. This puts the base version of NBA 2K21 at $10 more than the regular price of AAA games, which is quite unusual. 2K Games asserts that the higher-than-average MSRP of the game merely "represents the value of what's being offered: power, speed, and technology that is only possible on new hardware". For the United States, the $59.99 asking price of video games has been commonplace since the mid 2000's, though many other countries have seen the cost of gaming increase throughout more recent years, such as in Canada as of 2015. Meanwhile, in the UK, NBA 2K21 will cost slightly more in that region as well, with the last-gen version priced at £59.99, and the XSX/PS5 release set at £64.99. Whether or not more games will also join this new pricing convention is still unknown, but according to IDG Consulting, other publishers are closely monitoring the reaction to an overall rise in cost for video games, and are considering following suit for future AAA releases.

This year, NBA 2K21 will offer two editions of the game on digital and physical formats - standard and a special Mamba Forever Edition. NBA 2K21 will be available for $59.99** on current-generation platforms; the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21 will be available for $69.99.** NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition will be available for $99.99 for both current and next-generation platforms.** It includes dual-access where purchasing Mamba Forever Edition on either current or next-generation platforms provides a copy of the standard edition game on the other generation at no additional cost, within the same console family. A full breakdown of pre-order details is available at https://nba.2k.com/.

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[Justinde75]

Usually you'll have to wait a while and at that point I'm not sure if those games can still be called "new"? It boils down to your own definition of new.

If nba2k fans have any balls they should boicott buying the game for a while to get the message across. I figure they probably won't do that though.

Why shouldnt I call a game that I havent played yet and that only came out less than a month ago new? Do you want me to call it old?

 

[Hayato213]

I wouldn't waste $70+ on a NBA game that just gets old after one year.

 

[gnmmarechal]

any full priced game cost 70 euros here
for instance fnac store(france eletronic store chain that also exists here https://www.fnac.pt/The-Last-of-Us-Part-2-PS4-Jogo-PlayStation-4/a7173370#omnsearchpos=10

another eletronic store worten https://www.worten.pt/gaming/ps4/jogos-ps4/jogo-ps4-death-stranding-acao-m18-6841459

any full priced ps4 game is 69.99 here since ps3 days unless you get them on promotion days and such. switch games cost 60 euros full priced , ps4 and xb1 cost 70.

ayy lmao I was thinking "huh here too", then I look at the damn flag. makes sense.

 

[Dasanko]

You must be living in a different Europe than I do.

Indeed. Must be nice to get them at 20990 forints (roughly 60€).
Like the other people said, however, in € they sell for about 70€.

 

[J-Machine]

so 70USD is lets see... 104.50 CAD. wonderful. guess I'll stick to used market and indies next gen

 

[Zense]

Why shouldnt I call a game that I havent played yet and that only came out less than a month ago new? Do you want me to call it old?

It boils down to your own definition of new.

A 1 month old game to you is new, to someone else that could be after they've played and finished it several times after having bought it day one. Personally I'm fine waiting years to play something since I'm not in a hurry.

I was merely pointing out that many people have difficulties waiting a month to buy a game, which is also why I believe many fans of these annual games won't be able to resist buying the game on day one or within the first week.

Also, as @Hayato213 pointed out above, the annual sports games get old much quicker so one month after release means they'll have only 11 months left to be relevant.

 

[Captain_N]

Well, if the games will cost more then i dont want to see a 5 gb day one mandatory patch or its not worth it. It better be a complete working game. Im not buying $70 betas

 

[Zense]

Well, if the games will cost more then i dont want to see a 5 gb day one mandatory patch or its not worth it. It better be a complete working game. Im not buying $70 betas

Before they were 60$ alphas, now you're getting 70$ betas. For 10$ more you'll get the complete game!

 

[Captain_N]

Before they were 60$ alphas, now you're getting 70$ betas. For 10$ more you'll get the complete game!

Boy, aint that the truth.

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At first i thought the physical version would be $70 and the digital ver be $60. Just to phase out physical faster. Publishers would love physical to die off. Then they will force streaming, so that way you never own anything and always have to play them to do anything.

 

[Burlsol]

Just wait 3 months and the price will fall to about $15...

But then again we're talking about people who essentially pay full price for roster updates and features removed to be resold as DLC.

 

[FAST6191]

Makes sense. They've been talking about how cost of development is only going up with new technologies and engines. I just wish it wasn't sports games that would start it. It's like Call of Duty, but with balls.

The cost is only going up because they choose to spend more. There are some allowances for inflation (in 1995 money then £50k is £90 something k today) but if anything the cost to make similar games has gone down (finding a coder to make a 16 bit console RPG today would be a seriously hard task, any kid with a copy of RPG maker could make something similar, especially if we take story writing, mechanics design and art off the table for them), and the potential market is far higher too.
If you want to chase the limits of practicality and tech then that will cost you but... how many mega smash hits, the likes of which dwarf the shiny shiny, have we had now with just memorable nice graphics rather than all the reflection calculated for some random NPC's brow?

As for sports games starting it do you think they did not pick precisely those so as to do it by stealth, normalise things or dull the impact? If most sports games fans are rabid DLC buyers and annual purchasers, and at least somewhat disconnected from the gaming mainstream with said mainstream also generally looking down on things... could not think of a better thing to start on really.

 

[leon315]

Console AAA games 70Bucks,
Online behind Great Paywall!

PC mustarace laugh in distance XD.

 

[Dinomite]

Let's start a boycott campaign and not buy any overpriced games.

Great idea, Mei Ling.

 

[Teletron1]

So Digital age is here and some how it’s costing the consumer an extra $10 this is where fans will make noise and push back or allow another price hike 49 59 69 (plus special editions) . I guess this is where Xbox can grow their subscribers for Gamepass if they can lock in more games

damn what happen to free games with ads idea

 

[DarkCoffe64]

They can raise the prices all they want, I myself ain't gonna buy any of their shit they're gonna crap out, nothing that really interests me much.

 

[Lumstar]

As much as I dislike this, games have been uncharacteristically cheap in the US for some time.
The biggest new releases cost the equivalent of $90 in Japan.

 

[StrayGuitarist]

I honestly think an increase in game costs isn't a good thing, but it's most certainly something that's been coming for a long time. With how much more it costs to develop triple-A games now, combined with how much less most currencies are worth now, I can see this being a sensible move.

P.S: Sports games aren't really my thing, most of the time, and I wouldn't pay more than 10 bucks for one, let alone 70, so I can't really speak much on the front of this game, specifically, but..

 

[ken28]

They also offer DRM free PC releases on GOG

Very cool

if would be stupid no to do so since they own gog

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I honestly think an increase in game costs isn't a good thing, but it's most certainly something that's been coming for a long time. With how much more it costs to develop triple-A games now, combined with how much less most currencies are worth now, I can see this being a sensible move.

P.S: Sports games aren't really my thing, most of the time, and I wouldn't pay more than 10 bucks for one, let alone 70, so I can't really speak much on the front of this game, specifically, but..

easy solution dont bloat up the cost of your games by always trying to make the games photorealistic... which results in most games looking the same nowadays...

 

[ombus]

Never will i buy a game at 70...after i bought horizon zero dawn at 60 a couple of months after it came out and then this year i check and i see that they are selling it at 15 for the game + expansion i regreted the purchase...

 

[Zonark]

I remember the first time this happened when games went to $60. And now the same for $70... in regards to this, A wise and famous person once said “Eat my Shorts” - Bart Simpson