If you were already dreading shelling out hundreds of dollars to secure Sony’s next-gen console when it arrives in November, you might want to sit down before giving this latest revelation a read.
Following yesterday’s long-awaited showcase – which included several game trailers as well as an official release date and price for PlayStation 5 – the company confirmed in a subsequent post over on PlayStation Blog that the long-standing $60 cap on triple-A titles is being retired in favor of $70. The 16% increase won’t be applicable for all games – some of which will start at $50 – but as far as first-party exclusives are concerned, it seems the premium is here to stay.
As confirmed by SIE president and CEO Jim Ryan, Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales as well as Bluepoint’s mesmerizing Demon’s Souls remake will fall into this category, with third-party publishers also free to charge the revised price, if they so wish. Activision, having been one of the first to confirm bigger expenses for the consumer, has already added this year’s Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War to the $70 list.
The prices for all first-party PS5 launch titles have been confirmed as follows:
- Astro’s Playroom (Japan Studio) – Comes pre-installed on every PS5.
- Demon’s Souls (Bluepoint Games / Japan Studio) – US$69.99/CAD$89.99/¥7,900/€79.99 (RRP)
- Destruction All Stars (Lucid Games / XDEV) – US$69.99/CAD$89.99/¥7,900/€79.99 (RRP)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games) – US$49.99/CAD$64.99/¥5,900/€59.99 (RRP)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mile Morales Ultimate Edition (Insomniac Games) – US$69.99/CAD$89.99/¥7,900/€79.99 (RRP)
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital / XDEV) – US$59.99/CAD$79.99/¥6,900/€69.99 (RRP)
Considering the already hefty upfront cost required to even play any of the above in the first place, Sony’s timing will leave much to be desired for many, especially those who choose to go all-digital, as the opportunity to pick up second-hand releases for cheaper simply won’t be an option. With COVID-19’s continued spread causing financial woes for millions, it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see sales suffer because of this hike, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
PlayStation 5 is out November 12th in North America and Japan and one week later for other territories. Let us know what you make of this assuredly contentious development in the usual place below!
