Summary
- Capcom President believes that video game prices should be higher due to rising production costs and demands for higher-quality titles.
- Some AAA games already have a price tag of $50-$70, and there is a trend for even higher prices for early access editions.
In a recent interview, Capcom President and Chief Operating Officer Haruhiro Tsujimoto stated that video game prices should be much higher than the current market level. Video game production costs have been on the rise in recent years, particularly as the scale and graphical demand for AAA games continue to grow. As the industry explores different options for cutting back on these rising costs, publishers like Capcom believe one answer is a much higher price tag for games.
While contention in game pricing is nothing new, the constant demand for higher-quality titles continues to be a challenge for the sector. Today, a typical AAA game would fetch around $50 - $70 with some publishers charging an even higher price tag for early access. But it's not just new titles; some games, like the recently released Nintendo Switch and PS4 ports of the 2010 Red Dead Redemption, cost $49.99. It's unlikely that this trend will change anytime soon.
At the recently concluded Tokyo Game Show, the President of Capcom Haruhiro Tsujimoto went on record saying that he personally feels game prices are too low and that "development costs are about 100 times higher than during the Famicom era, but software prices have not gone up that much." He points out that there's a need to raise wages in the industry and that raising the prices of games would be a "healthy option for business." While Tsujimoto didn't clarify what the actual price should be like, games are already calling for $70 or more when considering early access editions of games.
Tsujimoto also commented on the recent speculation of Microsoft potentially acquiring Capcom, stating that the company would "gracefully decline" any acquisition proposal from the Xbox maker. He further mentions that Capcom prefers organic growth and that the likes of Microsoft would work better as equal partners. The inquiry comes at a time when the tech giant looks to finalize its Activision Blizzard deal as well as the recent reveal of Microsoft's acquisition ambitions from a few years ago.
Interestingly, Capcom itself has been experiencing notable financial success in recent years. In fact, 2022 marked the biggest year for Capcom as the publisher sold 41.7 million games during the year, beating its own record for the sixth consecutive year. Despite not releasing many titles, Capcom's record was primarily attributed to older titles like the original Monster Hunter Rise (3.7 million units), Resident Evil 2 (2.25 million), and Resident Evil 3 (1.95 million). In any case, time will tell how far Capcom's perspective on the price of games will follow through to the gaming industry.
Source: switchsoku