Sega considers raising the price of AAA games to $70

Recently, Sega Sammy’s CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa discussed the issue of game pricing during a conference related to their annual financial report. With global inflation intensifying over recent times and game development costs on the rise, game publishers may contemplate adjusting their pricing strategies.

Traditionally, AAA console games have retailed at $59.99 in global markets, but last year witnessed games priced at $69.99. According to a VGC report, Sega’s management team has noted this industry trend and is weighing various considerations. They have expressed intentions to reevaluate the pricing of games to ensure it aligns with the quality of the product, all the while keeping a close eye on market fluctuations.

Back in 2020, Take-Two increased the pricing of “NBA 2K21” to $69.99, a practice that was later followed by EA and Square Enix. This year, Microsoft and Nintendo’s flagship titles, “Redfall” and “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” have also been priced at $69.99. Doug Bowser, CEO of Nintendo’s American division, addressed the controversy sparked by the new pricing strategy. Meanwhile, Ubisoft, a significant game developer/publisher, announced that their frequently delayed “Skull and Bones” would be their first game priced at $69.99.

Sega’s flagship game launched in November of last year, “Sonic Frontiers,” adhered to the past pricing strategy and retailed at $59.99. By March of this year, it had achieved sales of 3.2 million copies. Considering the current market environment and industry trends, it seems likely that Sega may adopt the practices of other manufacturers and raise their pricing to $69.99.