Indies: PS4 and Xbox One games must cost £50 or less

Independent retailers are urging Microsoft and Sony to keep the cost of Xbox One and PS4 games at or below the 50 mark.

Retail lists have pencilled in Xbox One and PS4 game prices as anywhere between 50 to 70. EA so far is the only company to confirm its next-gen video game prices, with RRPs for Battlefield 4 and FIFA 14 set at 54.99. Microsoft has also stated that all first party Xbox One games will retail for 49.99.

But indies say that consumers won’t stand for anything higher than a 50 price tag.

Can publishers justify asking for twice the cost for what is definitely not twice the game?” said Gameseek MD Stephen Staley. The current-gen pricing is just about acceptable: around 40 to 50. This isn’t the right economic climate to ask someone to pay over 50 for a game.”

Games Centre boss Robert Lindsay concurs: Initial next gen owners aren’t going to be deterred by a 50 game. This has been the average price on console launch titles for years.”

Few retailers sell current gen games at the RRP of 49.99, instead selling them for around 35.

But ShopTo CEO Igor Cipolletta questions if this will be the case when Xbox One and PS4 arrive.

The question is: Will retailers drop margin and sell at the same price as before?,” he said. Or will the margin be higher for the next gen?”