Warhorse Co-Founder Hopes GTA 6 Paves the Way for Higher Game Prices
Kingdom Come developer Martin Klima says Rockstar's next game could give other studios the cover they need to raise prices, calling increases long overdue.
According to GameSpot, Grand Theft Auto VI is being discussed as a potential turning point for game pricing, with the outlet stating the standard edition is priced at $80. Now a prominent developer from outside Rockstar has said he hopes the rest of the industry follows that lead.
Martin Klima, co-founder of Warhorse Studios, the team behind Kingdom Come, told PC Gamer that higher unit prices would "help a lot," but that "everybody's scared to death" to make the move. In his view, only a handful of companies are in a position to test the waters.
"Now, hopefully, GTA will blaze the trail, and it will allow us to increase the cost," Klima said, naming Rockstar and Take-Two among the few who can "afford, or who can dare" to push prices upward. He described price increases for new releases as "long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive."
His comments come against a difficult backdrop for the industry, with studios closing, projects being cancelled and layoffs occurring regularly. Klima's argument is that a higher baseline price could help ease some of that financial pressure.
Take-Two has led on pricing before. GameSpot notes the publisher was among the first major companies to move from $60 to $70, starting with NBA 2K21 in 2020. Whether GTA 6 will have a similar ripple effect remains to be seen, and the opinions shared here are Klima's own rather than any statement from Rockstar.
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