The president of Capcom, Haruhiro Tsujimoto expressed his belief that video games prices should be higher. Speaking at Tokyo Game Show 2023, Tsujimoto discussed various topics, including the rising expenses associated with the game development. He said that video game prices should align with escalating development costs, and that they are currently undervalued.
Personally, I feel that game prices are too low. Development costs are around 100 times higher than they were in the days of the Famicom (NES), but the price of software hasn’t risen so much.
In addition to his remarks on the need for higher game prices, Tsujimoto emphasized the importance of raising wages within the industry to attract talented individuals.
There is also a need to raise wages in order to attract talented people. Given that wages are rising across the industry as a whole, I think the option of raising unit prices is a healthy form of business.
In conclusion, Tsujimoto stated that high-quality games will maintain strong sales even in the midst of a recession.
Just as the recession doesn’t stop people from going to the cinema or going to their favorite artist’s concert, high-quality games will continue to sell well. Even during the Lehman Brothers collapse, games sold well.
It should be noted that Capcom is one of the very few publishers to not raise the price of their games. Both Resident Evil 4 Remake and Street Fighter 6 cost $60 at launch, while other major publishers are slowly raising their prices to $70. Although this is commendable, the comments from Capcom’s president indicate that they are certainly intrigued by the price hike from other publishers.
What is your take on Mr. Haruhiro Tsujimoto’s comments? share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Nikkei
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