Sega is considering following in the footsteps of Nintendo, Ubisoft, and other publishers and start charging $70 for future titles.
During a financial earnings call held towards the end of April (the translated transcript of which was spotted by VGC yesterday), Sega Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukuzawa alluded to the idea of increasing the price of Sega’s upcoming titles when asked why the unit sales price is set higher than usual for the upcoming fiscal year.
“In the global marketplace, AAA game titles for console have been sold at $59.99 for many years, but titles sold at $69.99 have appeared in the last year,” they said. “We would like to review the prices of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions.”
Sega has since released a statement saying that while there are plans to charge $10 more for upcoming games than it has been for the last decade, nothing has been set in stone.
“We are currently considering increasing the prices of some titles, but no concrete decisions have been made at this stage,” the company said.
A $70 game as a baseline is new for Sega, if not unsurprising. Sony, Xbox, Ubisoft, and Take-Two have increased the prices of their games from $60 to $70 in the last year to cope with inflation. The games that have received this high price tag include Gotham Knights, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Nintendo’s latest release, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a first for the Mario-led company.
Ironically, Sega charged $70 for the Digital Deluxe Edition of Sonic Frontiers, but that’s standard practice for games with bonus content for collectors and enthusiasts. The Standard Edition of the game cost $60. The next Sonic game, whatever it may be, might cost you 10 more Rings.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
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