Ubisoft has publicly committed to keeping prices for new games released on next-gen consoles this fall at $60, the company said in an earnings call on Wednesday. That diverges from the strategy of fellow video game publisher Take-Two Interactive and its subsidiary 2K Games, which are planning to charge an extra $10 for next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of the upcoming NBA 2K21.
“We plan to come with the same price as the previous generation of consoles” were the company’s words, though in reference only to its fall slate of new releases. While this is Ubisoft’s first time saying aloud it will not raise prices for next-gen games released this holiday season, its Xbox preorder pages for games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion already indicated that prices would stay the same.
Big news: Ubisoft said on today’s earnings call that their next-gen games this fall will be the same price as current-gen games ($60). Take-Two had announced that NBA 2K21 will be $70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) July 22, 2020
For instance, a GameStop preorder for Watch Dogs Legion for Xbox One, which comes with a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X version thanks to Microsoft’s Smart Delivery initiative, is just $59.99. Sony and its publishing partners have not yet released preorder pages for any PS5 launch games or cross-platform releases.
What’s not clear right now is whether Ubisoft plans to ever increase prices. It makes sense for the publisher to keep its prices static this fall, when many of its games are designed as cross-generation titles that will release on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. But in the future, after adoption of next-gen consoles becomes stronger, we may see publishers decide to raise prices for games that are designed or at the very least optimized for newer devices, as 2K Games intends to do.