KCD2 Dev Wants GTA 6 to Make Games Pricier

Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klíma hopes GTA 6's success leads to higher game prices, even though he doesn't understand the series' appeal and won't play it.

Ever feel like $70 is the new normal for games? Well, one developer is hoping GTA 6 pushes that even higher.

Martin Klíma, executive producer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and co-founder of Warhorse Studios, told PC Gamer that he wants GTA 6 to "blaze the trail" and allow developers to charge more. "Rockstar is the only developer who can afford, or who can dare, to increase the price of games," he said, calling it "long overdue and also necessary for this business to survive."

His comments come after Rockstar reportedly priced GTA 6 at $80, matching Nintendo's Mario Kart World on Switch 2. That's higher than the standard $70, but not the $100 some predicted. Still, it's a sign that the $80 barrier is being tested.

Klíma isn't alone. Joe Brammer, lead of Wardogs, previously argued Rockstar should have been a trendsetter because "games are too cheap." But not everyone agrees. Many players already feel squeezed by rising costs, and some point out that CEOs often get huge bonuses after layoffs, questioning whether price hikes are really about sustainability.

Interestingly, Klíma admits he doesn't get GTA's appeal at all. "The reason why it is so popular—it beats me. It's something which I just fail to understand," he said. He won't play GTA 6 unless forced to, but he still praises it as a "technological marvel."

So, will GTA 6's success open the floodgates for $80 games across the board? That remains to be seen. Rockstar and Nintendo have massive fanbases that might stomach the extra cost, but that doesn't mean every studio can get away with it.

What do you think? Would you pay $80 for your most anticipated game, or is that a hard pass? Let us know in the comments.