The prices for video games are rising – but Shuhei Yoshida, the former head of PlayStation, does not see this as critical, as he tells in an interview. For him, games are still remarkably affordable compared to other forms of entertainment.
What was the interview about? In an interview with Kit and Krysta via YouTube, the two former Nintendo employees spoke with former PlayStation head Shuhei Yoshida about what “PlayStation really thinks about Nintendo”.
During this, Shuhei Yoshida also commented on the current discussion about games that now cost 80 euros or more. He refers to the title Mario Kart World, which is a release title for the Switch 2 and costs 79.99 euros digitally and 89.99 euros for the cartridge version. Other publishers like Microsoft with The Outer Worlds 2 would also follow suit with the prices.
From his perspective, the games are still “remarkably affordable” compared to other media. He refers to current developments but also to the value of the games themselves.
“It’s up to you whether you see the value in it or not”
Why does Yoshida hold this opinion? The former head of PlayStation believes that each game has a different value for its players and that not every game needs to cost 70 or 80 U.S. dollars or euros, as every game is different:
If you look at the entertainment value of a good video game, like Mario Kart 8, many people have played for hours with just one purchase, or perhaps some people paid for additional tracks… It really depends on the game, and people need to [assess] which game provides the entertainment they want and see if it makes sense to pay the price on the first day, or if in some cases [the] price drops if you wait.
Additionally, he emphasizes that particularly in live-service games, often much higher prices are charged for in-game purchases that players are willing to pay if they see the value in it:
100 U.S. dollars for the purchase of that one digital collectible card or similar, some people see the benefit and spend the 100 U.S. dollars… It is up to you whether you see the value in it or not.
Yoshida also emphasizes that he is aware of the current financial burden on many people – especially due to rising living costs. Nevertheless, he finds that in relation to the game time offered and compared to, for example, the inflation-increased ticket prices of cinemas, many games are “remarkably affordable”.
The prices of consoles and games are a hot topic of discussion in the community, especially regarding Nintendo. At MeinMMO editor Karsten, the latest developments have led him to turn away from the Nintendo Switch 2 after many years as a fan. Why, read here: The Nintendo Switch 2 has lost me, even though I have been a Nintendo fan for 38 years
