There's good news for next-gen gamers: while Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that the Xbox Series X and PS5 NBA 2K21 editions will cost $69.99, Ubisoft next-gen game prices will not be going up.— at least for the first few games.
"Big news: Ubisoft said on today's earnings call that their next-gen games this fall will be the same price as current-gen games ($60)," stated Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. "Take-Two had announced that NBA 2K21 will be $70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X."
Currently, Ubisoft has several major titles in the world and set to release later this year and in early 2021. These games include Watch Dogs: Legion on October 29, 2020, Assassin's Creed Valhalla on November 17, 2020, and Far Cry 6 on February 21, 2021. Now, we can rest assured that the new Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs games will only cost $59.99 for the standard edition, although the pricing on Far Cry 6 isn't quite as certain.
Will Ubisoft Next-Gen Game Prices Go Up?
While the Ubisoft next-gen game prices won't go up right away, the company hasn't yet stated whether or not things will stay that way.
"Ubisoft wouldn't answer when asked about next-gen pricing after this fall," Schreier continued.
"We are concentrating on the Christmas releases. We have decided those games will be launched at $60," Ubisoft reportedly stated.
If we consider the worst-case scenario, we may well see Far Cry 6 launch at a $69.99 price point on next-gen platforms. However, the backlash to the $69.99 price point for NBA 2K21 may cause the company to delay their plans for bumping up prices beyond that game's release.
While the current focus is on three big franchises (Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, and Far Cry 6), Ubisoft has plenty more games in the works outside of those franchises. God & Monsters and Skull & Bones are still very much in development as reported by game journalist Mike Futter and feedback from the Roller Champions beta will cause that game to be "refactored" based on player response.
Ubisoft Has Stellar First Quarter
Speaking of prices and money, Ubisoft has raked in fat stacks of cash in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2020. Their first quarter report notes that overall sales have gone from $363.4 million to 427.3 million for Q1, a 17.6% increase year-over-year.
However, that same momentum might not carry through for the next three months. The company notes that Q2 2019 was especially strong thanks to the debut of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint; the company has no such major release to bring in the big bucks this time around, so they expect an approximate 16% decline in sales for Q2 2020 when compared with the previous year.
Either way, Ubisoft is rolling in cash and it looks like they're content to keep their next-gen game prices at $60 for now. We'll probably find out whether or not things will stay that way sometime after Christmas.
Do you think Ubisoft next-gen game prices will go up starting with Far Cry 6? Would a $10 increase put you off from purchasing games? Let us know in the comments below!
