GTA 6 Release Will Increase Console Sales
As GTA 6 prepares for its November release, millions of people waiting for the game may still not have switched to a next-generation console. However, when release day arrives, players who want to buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S may face much higher prices than they expected. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella thinks this will be surprising, especially for players who don’t closely follow console prices.
GTA 6 Could Increase Console Demand
In an interview with The Game Business, Mat Piscatella said that with the release of GTA 6, a large number of players who want to buy a console will face price increases. According to him, many people are only following the “GTA is coming” information and are unaware of the increase in current console prices. When these players go to the store or look at online prices, they may find that the next-generation experience has become much more expensive than they expected.
Recent increases in RAM prices and economic fluctuations have driven up the prices of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. Following the April price hike, the standard PlayStation 5 is reportedly priced at $649, while the PlayStation 5 Pro has reached $900. Piscatella believes further price increases are possible in the future, suggesting that some players may face hardware costs approaching $1,000 for the GTA 6 experience.
This is particularly significant for the large audience planning to buy a console for GTA 6. Rockstar games can motivate not only regular console players but also users who haven’t played games for years or have been delaying upgrading to the next generation. Given the long-standing success of GTA 5, GTA 6 is expected to significantly boost hardware sales.
Meanwhile, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously responded to claims of a $100 price tag for GTA 6 without directly giving a specific figure. Zelnick has stated that developers want to deliver experiences that make players feel they’re getting their money’s worth. However, regardless of the game’s price, the real cost for some players might be on the console side. As GTA 6 prepares to make history, it seems poised to reopen the debate about the cost of switching to the next generation.
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