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For a next-gen unveiling, Sony’s PS4 event was chalked full exciting announcements. From the reveal of the PS4′s system specs, to the new video sharing feature, to the exciting new games, there was a lot to take in.
However, one element that was not discussed at all during the event – besides the unveiling of the console itself – was price. For as much as the PS4 has us excited about next-gen, we’re still cautiously optimistic about the price.
Not just about the price of the console, though, but on the games as well. Next-gen development has got to be a more expensive proposition, and so prices on retail games could go up.
While we have no official confirmation from any next-gen publishers or developers, Electronic Arts‘ CFO Blake Jorgensen has given gamers some idea of what they can expect. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, Jorgensen mentioned that gamers should anticipate pricing trends that reflect what occurred at the start of the last console cycle.
“I think typically at the start of a cycle you’ve seen the pricing raise to $69 for a core piece of software and then over the life of those it’s drifted down to the introduction price, typically now around $59. We haven’t yet set pricing on our [next-generation games], but you’ll probably see a similar trend during the start of the next cycle.”
Gamespot did a little fact checking after Jorgensen’s presentation and, as it turns out, Jorgensen misspoke when he mentioned $69 and $59. But one has to wonder why $69 was mentioned.
And what about $49 games? How many of those do we get these days, especially from a publisher like Electronic Arts? Suspicious minds might think that EA is doing some backtracking to cut potential gamer backlash off at the pass.
To be honest, it’s entirely possible that next-gen games will be more expensive – retailing for $69 – but that may not go over so smoothly with gamers. However, in an age where digital distribution is gaining more attention, perhaps publishers can keep costs low by not printing retail copies. For now, though, we’ll assume Jorgensen misspoke, and that $59 is still the sweet spot for PS4 and Xbox 720 games.
The PS4 is targeting a holiday 2013 release.
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