Martin Klima, co-founder of Warhorse Studios—the studio behind the “Kingdom Come: Deliverance” series—has drawn attention after stating in an interview with the international media outletPC Gamerthat he hopes “Grand Theft Auto VI” (hereinafter “GTA 6”) will take the lead in raising game prices.
“I hope GTA will pave the way.”
Klima points out that while the technical demands and scale of games continue to expand—driving up development costs—market growth has already reached its limit.
He explained that the proliferation of digital sales has left little room to cut distribution costs, and the only remaining option to sustain the business is to raise the retail price per game. However, he also noted that companies are hesitant to make this decision because raising prices unilaterally would provoke a backlash.
He added that only major companies like Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two, have the clout to implement such a price hike, and expressed his hope that “GTA 6” will “pave the way” for industry-wide price increases.
It should be noted that Klima himself is not a fan of the *GTA* series and has no plans to play *GTA 6*. On the other hand, he praises Rockstar Games’ titles as technical marvels and expressed his hope that *GTA 6* will achieve the success everyone expects.
Regarding game pricing, Nintendo has also set the price for *Mario Kart World* at $79.99 in North America. Doug Bowser, who was president of Nintendo of America in 2025, explained the company’s policy of not using $80 as a uniform benchmark price, but rather determining the price for each title based on development costs and content.
While titles priced at $80 have already been released, Klima seems to hope that the success of *GTA 6*—which is garnering overwhelming attention—will pave the way for higher price points to spread across the entire industry.
The U.S. prices for *GTA 6* are $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition (in Japan, the Standard Edition is 9,800 yen and the Ultimate Edition is 12,280 yen).
This represents a price increase from the $70 range that has been typical for major titles in the past. PC Gamer, noting that the premium edition includes a wealth of exclusive content, has described it as “effectively a $100 game.”
Harsh reactions on Reddit: “GTA is different from other games”
Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio co-founder hopes Grand Theft Auto 6 will 'blaze a trail' to higher game prices
by
u/Ph0enixes in
PS5
In response to this statement, the PlayStation community on Reddit has largely pointed out that *GTA 6* will sell even at a high price precisely because it’s *GTA 6*, and that other titles might not be accepted if they follow suit. Some have also suggested that even if the price is raised, consumers will simply wait for a sale if they deem the price not worth it.
[OTHER] Warhorse co-founder hopes GTA 6 will lead to higher game prices.
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u/Skelligean in
kingdomcome
Within the ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance’ fan community, there are also voices expressing disappointment with management’s stance on raising prices. Given that it’s not uncommon for games to be released in an unfinished state or sold in installments via DLC, some opinions suggest that the company should reevaluate quality and distribution methods before focusing on price.
In a gaming industry grappling with soaring development costs, will the price of *GTA 6* influence future major titles? On the other hand, for users to accept a price increase, the game will likely need to offer scale, quality, and polish that justify the cost.
*Grand Theft Auto VI* is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, forPS5/XBOX Series X|S. The Japanese prices are 9,800 yen for the Standard Edition and 12,280 yen for the Ultimate Edition.
￥12,480
(価格・在庫状況は記事公開時点のものです)
￥12,480
(価格・在庫状況は記事公開時点のものです)
