Many of today’s biggest publishers have adopted a higher, $70 price point for their premium, AAA games, but that figure is unlikely to stay, according to Matthew Karch. Karch, who leads Saber Interactive as its CEO, presented this thought in a new interview regarding the past, present, and future of his company, including current projects that include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, stating at one point that $70 games aren’t sustainable.
Karch said:
- “I think that as games become more expensive to make, the $70 title is going to go the way of the dodo [bird]. I do. I just don’t think it’s sustainable…”
- “Look, you remember the hype for Cyberpunk, which I think actually ultimately performed okay, but when the expectations are so high and so much money is put into one title, it’s hugely risky for the company that’s doing it. What if it fails?”
- “You remember what happened when Ubisoft a couple of years ago, all their titles slipped out of the year, and then all of a sudden they were in an entirely different place? It’s hard to recover from that.”
- “I think the market is going to shift to development which is not necessarily lower quality, but there’s going to be an emphasis on trying to find ways to reduce costs.”
Saber Interactive’s current projects include:
- Space Marine 2
- Jurassic Park: Survival
- John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
- A Quiet Place: The Game
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
A look at Space Marine 2 and its release date:
Drive back the everlasting night solo or in up to 3-player co-op in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s epic new campaign. Unleash the Ultramarines’ deadly arsenal and embody the unwavering brutality of the Emperor’s greatest warriors to protect Humanity from the untold horrors of the galaxy, including the dark forces of Chaos!
Discussion (3 replies)
Join Discussion →My prediction:
Nah... it'll stick around. Inflation doesn't reverse, at least without some sort of economic catastrophe to go with it.
What will happen is sales/discounts/bundling. But the initial sale price - it won't budge.
What the fudge. It's like this guy doesn't know water is wet.
1. The 70 dollar price point isn't sustainable. Sure and neither is a 10 cent gallon of Gas. What the hell are you trying to forecast here?
2. Companies want to reduce cost. HO LEE CRAP are you PSYCHIC?! Are you related to NOSTRODOMUS?! you must be! What a idiot. What company isn't CONSTANTLY looking for ways to reduce cost. (And in some cases increase quality.)
How the hell is it news that someone in a company projects the EXACT SAME BS THAT HAS HAPPENED THROUGHOUT ALL OF HISTORY!
Really I'm not sure who the bigger idiot is here. The guy for saying it or places for calling it news. (I know TheFPSReview is just reposting the equivelant of AP news wire for tech here.)
Lot's of games already launch in different price tiers where you get a few extra's for the more expensive ones so