GTA VI price will not become a new industry standard, analysts believe

The Grand Theft Auto series has too many fans, and Rockstar itself enjoys immense trust within the gaming community. Other companies cannot afford to take risks by inflating their prices.

After months of anticipation, Rockstar Games finally revealed not only the release date of GTA VI but also the price of the upcoming hit. The standard edition of the game will cost $80, while the Ultimate Edition will be $100. Despite players' fears, the base version did not receive a $100 price tag, but now many are wondering: will GTA VI cause another price increase for all major games?

According to analyst, author of SuperJoost Playlist, and Stern School of Business at New York University lecturer Joost van Dreunen, an automatic shift of the AAA industry to an $80 price tag is not to be expected. In a comment to Reuters, the expert noted that GTA VI is more likely to widen the gap between the largest franchises and all other projects than to set a new mandatory standard for the market.

According to van Dreunen, the Grand Theft Auto audience is so large that potential buyers who might be deterred by an additional $10 surcharge will have a minimal impact on final sales. The analyst called such players "statistical noise" against the backdrop of colossal interest in the project.

GTA VI is already being called the biggest entertainment release in history. Forecasts suggest the game could sell over 45 million copies in the shortest possible time after launch. After more than a decade of waiting and a skipped console generation, most fans of the series are unlikely to refuse to buy the new installment due to a $10 price increase compared to other modern AAA releases.

However, Rockstar's success does not mean that other publishers can painlessly follow suit. Experts note that not every game has such recognition and level of expectation. If other companies try to raise the price of their projects to $80, the market will quickly show which franchises can truly justify the additional price and which will face buyer resistance.