(Image credit: Nintendo)
Former PlayStation chief, Shuhei Yoshida, has shared his perspective on the controversial $80 game price point, expressing little concern over the increased costs. According to him, every game delivers unique value to players, allowing publishers to set prices they deem reasonable for their products.
Following Nintendo’s announcement that Mario Kart World would launch alongside the Switch 2 at $80, other major publishers quickly aligned with this pricing standard. Soon after, Microsoft revealed that major titles such as The Outer Worlds 2 would similarly be priced.
In a discussion on the Kit and Krysta channel, Yoshida emphasized, “Every game has a different value that it delivers to players.” He argues the price need not be uniform for all games, suggesting that even though some live service games might charge as much as $100 for digital items, it ultimately rests with the consumer to assess the value.
Yoshida does recognize the challenges posed by the current economic climate — the cost of living crisis, for example. Yet, he asserts that when considering what video games offer, they remain “exceptionally affordable” in comparison to other entertainment forms, like movie tickets, which have seen greater inflation over the past decade.
He cites examples such as Mario Kart 8, where players get countless hours of entertainment from a one-time purchase, with options for additional content. Ultimately, it’s up to the consumer to determine whether a game’s entertainment value justifies purchasing at launch or waiting for possible price reductions.
Players can explore other upcoming Switch 2 games to discover what exciting releases are coming soon.