On May 16, 2023, executives at Sega’s parent company released a translated transcript from their earnings call for the end of the fiscal year (which ended March 2023). According to pcmag, when company executives were asked about unit sales prices, they responded by saying that Sega leadership is preparing to raise the price of their high-budget AAA games to $70 as well.
As games have begun to take more time and money to make, the increased price for many games over the last year seems to be warranted. Nintendo right now is the most recent example of companies making the change, with their highly successful Tears of the Kingdom being their first AAA title being sold for $70. Within the first week of it being released Tears of the Kingdom sold over 10 million units worldwide, and it appears as though Sega has taken notice.
In the report, the Sega executives’ response to increasing sales price was:
In the global marketplace, AAA game titles for consoles have been sold at $59.99 for many years, but titles sold at $69.99 have appeared in the last year. We would like to review the prices of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions. Also, for titles that are planned to be offered via subscription services, revenue made via contract deals are also included in sales figures, so we would like you to be aware that when these figures are divided by the number of units, there is an apparent impact on the increase in unit price.
As Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have increased the prices of their major titles, it will be interesting to see how Sega responds. Since Sonic is the mascot of the franchise, it would make sense that that would be the game Sega would put their efforts into making their first $70 title, but fans will have to wait and see since Sonic Frontiers only released last year.