It may be the norm these days for AAA games to be $70, but Saber chief executive officer Matthew Karch thinks that trend is on the way out.
Having recently been set free from the threat of closure by the troubled Embracer Group, Saber Interactive is ready to take on serious game development once again. CEO Matthew Karch revealed that they're currently working on a Space Marine sequel, which he said will come with a $70 price tag when it comes out.
Karch notes that they've only attached this number out of fear that players will equate a lower price for an AAA game to an equally inferior quality. However, he believes that this pricing trend will soon disappear.
He believes this will happen as developers seek a balance between reduced development costs and quality.
“As games become more expensive to make, the $70 title will go the way of the dodo [bird].” he opined.
Karch pointed out that pouring a significant amount of resources into AAA development and attaching a $70 tag is a risky practice, as there is a chance that the game will fail.
The Saber chief alluded to the layoffs throughout the games industry and predicted that studios would start lowering their budgets and shorten development cycles.
“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 finding ways to reduce costs,” he concluded.
In addition to Space Marine 2, Saber also revealed that they're still developing a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic entry.
Players were previously concerned that the game's development had been put on hold, but Karch assured the market that it was "alive and well."
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