GTA 6 Publisher Says Video Games Should be Priced Per Hour

With GTA 6's recent announcements, Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two are garnering a lot of attention across the globe. However, the CEO of Take-Two had something interesting to share regarding how the pricing of a video game should ideally work. According to Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick, games are underpriced. Given the current pricing of video games, the length of a title can serve as a decent pricing point, as the CEO says. 

Strauss Zelnick was paid $42.1 million in FY 2023. The CEO told his investors about his pricing philosophy for games. Despite this philosophy being not exactly viable in the current market, he still stated that Grand Theft Auto is one of the best values in the present market regarding its pricing. 

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GTA Publisher Believes Video Games Should Be Priced by the Hour

According to Zelnick's recent statement, the CEO stated that in terms of the pricing of any entertainment property, the algorithm is the value of the entertainment usage. He continues the statement by saying that it means the per-hour value multiplied by the number of 'expected' hours plus the terminal value that is perceived by customers in ownership. 

"In terms of our pricing for any entertainment property, basically the algorithm is the value of the expected entertainment usage, which is to say the per hour value times the number of expected hours plus the terminal value that's perceived by the customer in ownership, if the title is owned rather than rented or subscribed to."

During the quarterly financial results for Rockstar Games, Zelnick also mentioned that the prices for their titles are extremely low by current standards. He also mentioned that Rockstar offers many hours of engagement, the value of which is very high for the price gamers pay. 

This statement itself can be a bit controversial to the general audience within the gaming community as this philosophy may not apply to every game in the industry. For example, titles like the recent Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Studios offer a brief playtime. However, the game delivers a unique atmosphere and a different experience in its 12-hour journey. 

Grand Theft Auto has always been one of the beloved titles in the industry that can offer hours of playtime depending on what the player wants. With Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar also included the Online mode that allowed to pour in hours with multiple heists and new challenges. However, gamers are unlikely to pay out a price which will be on a per-hour basis. With the recent pricing shift in the gaming industry, most fans and critics are already against the hike. Moreover, Zelnick's recent statement is already not favoured by gamers. 

While the CEO did not specifically mention the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game in his statement, it is safe to assume that the CEO was hinting at the title while stating his words.