COMMENTARY - Mid tier pricing in the double A space is what the industry needs to break the rut

Give our wallets a chance.

By Jonathan Garrett
25/04/24

We have certainly not been starved of content throughout this current gen, with more subscription offerings, fresh IP, and crowdfunding success stories than ever before. At the same time, it can feel disingenuous acknowledging the relentless pace of interesting new releases when layoffs and studio closures have been so prevalent. But from a more superficial consumer angle, it has been an embarrassment of riches where diversity and choice are concerned.

Publishers like Focus Entertainment have found meaningful success in this space; Banishers was a wonderful experience, and that AA output with relative pricing generates so much good will and positive sentiment. A quick peek at Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2, smartly priced (and secured) by Sony, is ticking similar boxes, where the community is wholly engaged and there’s no discussions around value for money.

The whole endeavour is one giant business after all, and publishers have to make enough doshins to keep the lights on. But £70 standard edition releases, with some titles pushing into triple digits for their various elaborate digital editions, have stretched many wallets to breaking point. It’s understandable that wider discourse is pushing back, but equally, publishers wouldn’t still be doing it if they weren’t seeing a meaningful return. Regardless, the AA space will definitely be a focus for us moving forward, even if certain exclusive releases may tempt us.

Boom.