A number of games in the new console generation will come with a price of US$70. Among them is Returnal, the PS5 exclusive. Though few question who actually sets the price, the developer or the publisher. While it’s mostly the publishers that are making most of the noise, we rarely see developers comment about it. In the case of the aforementioned Returnal, it seems to be the publishers that have the final say on price.
According to Axios, the devs at Housemarque only found out of its price when it was announced to the gaming public. During the development process, the studio was already focusing on justifying charging more than its usual US$20 arcade-style games. But it was also during this time that the game kept impressing Sony, the publisher and source of funding.
On the surface, it doesn’t sound too surprising. Being the source of funding, it’s pretty much expected that the publisher will also decide the launch price of a game. But the Axios report suggests that it’s not entirely up to the publisher either, as the devs have a say to a certain extent what they want the game to sell for. No doubt this will ultimately affect the budget that they are given to actually make it.
And for one of the earlier PS5 exclusives to be released, it may very well be worth it. Returnal has been generally very well received, by both critics and gamers. And this is despite its very short time in the market.
(Source: Axios. Image: PlayStation)
