Game Prices are Increasing, But should we be Angry About it?
14With the Switch 2’s lineup now out in the open, one number is grabbing more attention than any other: the price tag. Mario Kart World is launching at $119 AUD. Other first-party titles, like the new Donkey Kong Country Returns, are set at $109. Then we have remakes like Bravely Default: Rediscovered are asking for $59. That’s a full spread of pricing, and not everyone’s happy about it. As someone who spent years behind the counter at EB Games, it’s wild to see $119 make a comeback. During the Xbox 360 era, that price point was pretty standard. I remember selling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and other multi-disc titles at that exact RRP. For a while, competition knocked those prices down to around $99, and they just sort of stayed there. But now, game prices are on the move again. And as a reviewer, a parent, and someone saving up for the Switch 2 like so many of you, I’ve been thinking about what that means—for families, for players, and for the industry. This isn’t a rant. It’s a look at the reality we’re walking into—and whether it might actually be overdue.