Are VideoGames worth $80 ($79.99)

 A growing trend in the videogame industry is the narrative that rising development costs are forcing publishers to pass the burden onto consumers. Not long ago, brand new games were priced at $49.99. Over the years, that price crept up to $59.99 and now many titles launch at $69.99 or more. The justification? We're told these increases are necessary to pay programmers, artists, animators, and voice actors. But when you follow the money, it’s clear who’s benefiting the most: the executives at the top, pocketing millions, sometimes billions, while everyday developers face stagnant wages, mass layoffs, or job insecurity.

In just the last five years, we’ve seen publishers cutting hundreds of positions while simultaneously granting themselves record-setting bonuses and salary increases. To then turn around and claim that videogames are “too expensive to make” feels like a slap in the face to both the workers who build these games and the players who support them. Videogames are meant to offer an escape, a way to unwind and decompress from the pressures of daily life. Yet even here, the harsh reality of rising costs creeps in, from inflated game prices to overpriced DLC, subscription passes, and special “Ultimate” editions.

It’s frustrating to watch these corporate leaders pretend to struggle while they continue to fund their private jets, luxury estates, and bloated egos. And somehow, we're expected to foot the bill. Oh, the humanity — won’t someone think of the poor CEOs? All they ask is that we keep buying one more game pass, one more deluxe upgrade, and one more collector’s edition. Frankly, it’s exhausting, and it’s time to call out the greed for what it is.

Let’s take a step back before diving too deep into capitalism and the people who exploit it. Is the rising cost of videogames actually justifiable? The global videogame industry is currently worth over $450 billion, and yes producing a “premium” title can cost hundreds of millions. Take Elden Ring, for example. This wildly popular RPG reportedly cost around $200 million to develop and market. Since its release, it’s earned an estimated $1 billion in revenue. To anyone with a basic grasp of numbers, that’s an $800 million profit — and even its publisher, Bandai Namco, called it a major success. So with profits like these, why are prices still climbing?

That’s one side of the story — the successful blockbuster. Now let’s consider a game that didn’t meet expectations: Dragon Age: Veilguard by Electronic Arts (EA). A title that spent 10 years in development with a staggering $250 million budget. Within two weeks of its release, it earned roughly $63 million, leaving a financial gap of nearly $190 million. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t sit well with CEOs and shareholders. Their immediate response? Lay off hundreds of employees and shut down studios around the world in an effort to cut losses. Rather than addressing the root causes such as mismanagement, disconnected creative direction, or poor-quality output. The industry’s answer is often to hike up prices, raising the standard retail price from $60 to $80 under the guise of “offsetting development costs.” It’s a weak excuse and a financial shield for subpar, half-hearted projects.

The truth is, I don’t believe $80 videogames are worth the price, especially when the effort behind them feels so uneven. FAILguard flopped because it tried too hard to appeal to audiences who don’t represent the core player base. The result? A buggy, glitch-ridden, poorly written game that felt like it was crafted by a group of indifferent high school students. When these projects inevitably underperform, the blame somehow always lands on the consumers. Studios declare that their games are “worth more” simply because of who made them, regardless of quality, and then inflate prices, hoping players won’t notice. Unfortunately, those willing to drop $80 on these so-called “premium” games often fail to see the damage it does to the industry as a whole. Once upon a time, there was a standard of quality in gaming  but today, that standard feels increasingly blurred, buried beneath corporate excuses and profit-driven decisions. 

Would I personally spend $80 on a game, even if it checked all the boxes for a high-quality title? Honestly, no. As consumers, every time we accept these rising price points, we’re giving companies the green light to keep pushing them higher. The common excuse is always, “Video games are expensive to make.” And while that’s true, it doesn’t mean the average player should have to bear the brunt of unchecked price hikes. If this trend continues, games will eventually become unaffordable for most people — leaving the industry out of touch with its own audience. It’s a lose-lose situation for players and even developers in the long run, though the CEOs and shareholders stay comfortably insulated from the fallout. It’s time to remind these companies who really keeps the industry alive: us. The most effective way to get their attention is to hit them where it hurts — their profits. Don’t buy $80 games. Don’t support unreasonable pricing. A collective refusal to pay inflated prices is how we, as a community, make them care again.