HACKER Q&A
📣 khalilravanna

Why aren't video games priced higher than $60?


One thought I've had, which I'm sure numerous others have had, is why are video games still capped at a price of $60? They've been that way since the 360's release as I recall which was in 2006. With 14 years of inflation alone that would give us > $77 as the price.

Some reasons I've heard: - The number of gamers and thus the size of the market has increased which means companies don't need to raise prices - There's a gross over-saturation of the market such that the collective value of each game is brought down

None of these really satisfy me personally but I'm curious if there's some data or thinking on this.


  👤 bnt Accepted Answer ✓
Gamers are mostly young adults without a steady income (or no income of their own) and market research shows $60 is the psychological limit the mass market is willing to pay?

👤 uberman
I believe that many parties in the "next gen" space have set the expected price of AAA games at $70.

👤 rolph
the higher the price the more worthwhile to crack it or cheat it. price it so it can be affordable, revenue positive, and not worth cracking for most crackers.