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GTA 6 could 'save' the games industry but huge '$80 plus' price comes at a cost for you

One analyst has predicted that pricing games higher would help the industry in the medium to long-term, and has suggested Rockstar Games' GTA 6 could be the game to do it

[GTA 6 trailer screenshot]

GTA 6 could 'save' the video game industry(Image: Rockstar Games)

While Rockstar has taken down a huge community mod and is potentially preparing to release GTA 6's second trailer this month, one analyst has suggested the game has a chance to be the most expensive game around for consumers.

That sounds like a bad thing for consumers, of course, but the 219-page report "State of Video Gaming in 2025" from investment analyst and researcher Matthew Ball of Epyllion has suggested Rockstar pricing its long-awaited title higher than the industry norm could help the entire industry recover (thanks, Gamespot).

Here's what Ball has suggested could happen.

Could GTA 6 cost $100?

[GTA 6 trailer screenshot]

Could we hear more this month?(Image: Rockstar Games)

In the report, Ball suggests Rockstar being the first developer to charge upwards of $80 (or even $100) could nudge others to do the same.

Take-Two was among the first publishers to raise prices in 2020 from $60 to $70, and given it'll be publishing GTA 6 there's a chance it will look to repeat the trick.

Ball's report suggests that while GTA 6's launch will nudge lapsed and new players to gaming, it'll "severely" eat into the available hours and funds players have to dedicate to other titles.

GIven the rising cost of video game development which make it more difficult to recoup costs (particularly for mega-budgets like that Rockstar has probably spent to make GTA 6), Ball suggests titles in the middle-ground could see $40 games rise to $50 and so on.

Rockstar is likely to be a big part of a Take-Two earnings call at the start of February, which is likely to reveal the release year and potentially touch on the pricing, too.

It's not just Rockstar that could have a say in the growth of the industry, though. Ball suggested the Nintendo Switch 2, and handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck, could help drive interest, too.

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