$70 Games Are Just a Phase, Believes Saber Interactive CEO

Video games retailing at £70 / $70 is just a temporary thing, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch believes. Speaking to IGN following the company’s split from the Embracer Group, he reckons the price point is not sustainable as production costs continue to increase, so a middle ground needs to be found where budgets are reduced.

Karch’s quote reads: “I think that as games become more expensive to make, the $70 title is going to go the way of the dodo. I do. I just don’t think it’s sustainable… Look, you remember the hype for Cyberpunk 2077, which I think actually ultimately performed okay, but when the expectations are so high and so much money is put into one title, it’s hugely risky for the company that’s doing it. What if it fails? You remember what happened when Ubisoft a couple of years ago, all their titles slipped out of the year, and then all of a sudden they were in an entirely different place? It’s hard to recover from that. I think the market is going to shift to development which is not necessarily lower quality, but there’s going to be an emphasis on trying to find ways to reduce costs.”

Funnily enough, Saber Interactive itself is planning on launching Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 at $70, but Karch says this is being done to avoid concerns of a lower price point indicating it’s a worse game. Where the company really sees itself is in a “middle market” in between indie development and the biggest budget titles. Referencing Arrowhead Studios, who just put out the wildly successful Helldivers 2, Karch believes Saber Interactive fits that sort of mould.

Do you agree with Karch that game prices will come back down, or are $70 titles here to say? Share your thoughts in the comments below.