On September 16, Sony announced new information about the PS5, including the price for the console, as well as for new games. However, the game prices are now under discussion. Many players find them too high, and Europeans in particular feel disadvantaged.
What happened? Sony unveiled the price and release date for the PS5 during an event. At the same event, some launch titles for the new console were also announced, along with their prices.
However, some prices are higher than players expected:
- NBA 2K21 – 79.99 Euro
- Demon’s Soul Remake – 79.99 Euro
- Destruction AllStars – 79.99 Euro
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales – 59.99 Euro – This is a standalone game to Marvel’s Spider-Man. The contents are expected to be smaller than the original game. A bundle with both games costs 79.99 Euro.
- Sackboy A Big Adventure – 69.99 Euro
We have gathered more launch titles for you here.
What do the players say? On Reddit and other platforms, the prices are being heavily discussed. After all, you pay 10 Euro more than for the major launch titles of the previous generation (via PlayStation Blog) and for new titles on PC:
- The user CreaterOfHell complains particularly strongly about Spider-Man: Miles Morales. According to him, a DLC that works as a standalone is offered for the same price as complete titles used to be.
- The user solidasrog calls the price of Demon’s Soul “a fucking Joke” (via Reddit).
- In the comments on an article from Eurogamer, comments are gathering that turn their backs on the PS5, as the Xbox Game Pass is said to be a better alternative.
Additionally, there are complaints that the Euro prices are unfair in relation to the dollar prices. But are they really? And why do the games cost more now?
Development costs and more technology lead to higher prices
Why do games cost 80 Euro now? Basically, third parties can determine their own game prices. However, the prices for console games have remained constant since 2005. At that time, they were increased from $49.99 (59.99 Euro) to $59.99 (69.99 Euro). This was stated by Yoshio Osaki, the president and chairman of the research company IDG Consulting, in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz.
Osaki also mentioned that development costs have increased by 200% to 300% in the same period. Therefore, a price increase was foreseeable.
Another factor is inflation. The purchasing power of money decreases over time. What cost 70 Euro in 2005 would need to cost about 87 Euro today when accounting for inflation (via Finanzen-Rechner).
What do the publishers say? Publisher Take-Two (GTA Online, Borderlands 3) already announced with NBA 2K21 that they
- Will release a version for 69.99 Euro for PS4 and Xbox One
- Will release a version for 79.99 Euro for PS5 and Xbox Series X
- Will offer a bundle with both versions for 109.99 Euro
- There will not be a free upgrade, like that offered by Rainbow Six Siege or Borderlands 3
The publisher justified this step by stating that the price should be fair for what the game delivers on the new generation, including better performance, higher speed, and new technologies that are only possible on next-gen (via Polygon).
Are Europeans disadvantaged?
Another complaint is that the prices in dollars are cheaper than in euros, which looks strange since 1 Euro is currently worth 1.18 dollars. The Euro price should actually be lower.
Nonetheless, you pay less in dollars than in euros. There are two reasons for this:
- On the one hand, taxes in Europe are higher than in the USA. Generally, prices here are higher than overseas.
- On the other hand, prices in the USA are calculated without taxes, as each state has a different system. Depending on the location, buyers pay a certain amount of tax on top of the 69.99 dollars.
Interestingly, this difference only exists in game prices. The console itself costs exactly the same in euros and dollars, at 499.99 each.
If you want to purchase one of the two PS5 consoles, you need to be at the right place at the right time. Because the pre-orders are very chaotic and the PS5 is currently sold out at many retailers.
Interestingly, this difference only exists in game prices. The console itself costs exactly the same in euros and dollars, at 499.99 each.
If you want to purchase one of the two PS5 consoles, you need to be at the right place at the right time. Because the pre-orders are very chaotic and the PS5 is currently sold out at many retailers.
