Next Gen Game Costs May Not increase...

[SykoWolf]

As we know, with each new console generation, games cost more and more money to develop and for us to buy.

However according to two high up Dev Ceo's , This Next Gen may not see such a huge increase in cost....at first it seems.

 

The following is taken from an article on Gamezone.com

 

Source

 

Gaming publishers Activision, Take-Two, and Ubisoft have begun weighing in on the potential costs of game development for next-gen consoles. Over time, as development costs have skyrocketed with new technology, with consumers' wallets bearing much of the burden. Now, with the Playstation 4 and Xbox 720 presumably on the horizon, there's some worry that next-gen development on the new consoles could further increase the costs of games. At $59.99 a pop, gaming is already an expensive hobby; how much higher can it go?

 

Well, that depends on who you ask. CEOs of both Ubisoft and Take-Two seem in agreement that next-gen development costs won't increase nearly as much as we've seen in the past -- at least in the short term.

"What we've said is that, for the first two years of those machines, the costs will not increase because we can use a lot of the engines that we've already created," said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.

 

In Take-Two's recent investor call, CEO Strauss Zelnick echoed that statement. "We don’t have any reason to believe our development budgets will change significantly," he said. "If anything we have become – group-wide – much tighter in terms of how we spend our money."

 

But not all publishers are of this belief. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, with his 22 years of experience, is a little more skeptical about the rising costs.

 

"This is my 22nd year doing this, and in every single console transition, we've seen an increase in development costs. Over long periods of time, it gets smoothed out, but I would say this is not a transition where that's going to be an exception," he said.

"We're going to have to figure out how to take advantage of the unique capabilities of new hardware, and that requires new skills and investment in tools and technology and engines and so yes, that's likely," he acknowledged.

 

If the rumors are true, and Sony and Microsoft are set to reveal their new consoles this year, then odds are these guys have a pretty good idea of the costs already. Then again, the differences in agreement could be a result of some being better equipped to handle the transition. The good news is that Sony and Microsoft's new consoles are both rumored to be much closer to a traditional PC in design, which could help lessen the cost for development.

 

Sony is expected to unveil the Playstation 4 at an event later this month, but I don't expect they'll disclose any pricing.

[SuperIntendant]

They shouldn't cost any more because just about every new game that comes out is also made for the PC which the new consoles are most certainly not going to be better than. So the only real difference would be that console ports are a bit less 'watered down' so to speak.

 

Also, games are getting cheaper to buy with time, not more expensive. Old cartridge games could cost upwards of $100.

[AnimeAddict]

Yea i mean i still wonder why its 60 bucks a pop in this kind of economy just for a hobby thats a bit much dont you guys think? and if it does go up hopefully it wont be too much cause if its too much i might have to buy  a new xbox 360

[BeckoningZebra1]

I buy like 2 or 3 games a year because that's what I can afford, so I really hope the next-gen consoles don't cost upwards of $300

[AnimeAddict]

No kidding lol i cant tell you how much i thought the 360 was over priced when it first came out too xD

[BeckoningZebra1]

No kidding lol i cant tell you how much i thought the 360 was over priced when it first came out too xD

Yeah, when I was trying to decide between 360 or PS4, I looked at the PS4's price tag and the decision came a lot easier.

[Silent Orbis]

Well, guys. Here's the thing. There was this tweet about some concept about in-game purchases that a next gen developer said. So if it DOESN'T increase, we still have a whole lot coming our way. I wish the next gen would be easier to grasp, but it just isn't...