Sony Says Reports of Mooted Game Price Rise Beyond $70 are ‘Categorically False’

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO, Jim Ryan has called reports that the company previously discussed raising prices beyond $70/£70 “categorically false” – but didn’t rule out further rises in future.Speaking to The Telegraph, Ryan was asked about Bloomberg’s report, replying, “I can say that that report that we were considering higher prices for first party games is categorically false.”

However, Ryan made clear that this wasn’t necessarily a promise that PS5 game prices would remain at a $70/£70. “I’m not making any predictions about anything that might or might not happen in the future. I’m saying that the reports about discussions that we considered higher pricing for first party games in this launch window were categorically false.”

Ryan justified the new higher price point – which exists across both PS5 and Xbox Series – by comparing it to other media: “If you measure the hours of entertainment provided by a video game, such as Demon’s Souls compared to any other form of entertainment, I think that’s a very straightforward comparison to draw.”

Sony discussed raising its game prices even higher before settling on its $70 USD price point, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

We know now that many of Sony’s first-party games will cost $70. That’s the price tag on upcoming titles like Demon’s Souls and Destruction All-Stars. This is a $10 jump in the cost of games, but according to Bloomberg, an even bigger jump was discussed. The report doesn’t reveal how much higher Sony discussed going, but the idea of going beyond $70 comes from games executives that wished to remain anonymous when speaking to Bloomberg.

PS5 Games Coming in 2020

Based on the games coming from Sony this year, we know the company settled on $70, but according to Bloomberg’s report, companies are not likely to even acknowledge this $10 price jump, and will instead opt for the more optics-friendly wording that prices will vary by title.

It’s important to note, however, that not every Sony first-party game will release at $70. This week’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is launching at $50 — although there’s a $70 edition that includes Spider-Man Remastered — and Sackboy: A Big Adventure will launch at $60. Outside of Sony’s first-party lineup, there are others shifting to the $70 price point as well. Activision’s upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will release at $70 as will Take-Two’s NBA 2K21. Even third-party PlayStation 5 console-exclusive game, Godfall, will cost $70.

The jump to $70 is the first price increase since the Xbox 360-PlayStation 3 generation, which saw prices jump from $50 in the previous generation to $60. That $60 price tag stuck throughout that generation and throughout the Xbox One-PlayStation 4 generation. Only time will tell if $70 sticks across the medium, but it seems Sony is intent on holding to it.

While waiting to spend $70 on these games, catch up on all of IGN’s PlayStation 5 coverage. Check out our thoughts on Sony’s latest console in our PlayStation 5 review, and then read our PS5 DualSense review and our PS5 Pulse Headset review. Check out our Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales review after that. Here’s where you can preorder everything PlayStation 5, from games to controllers to consoles and more.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. News Source

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