Game prices up for Xmas?

Where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 leads on pricing others will surely follow. Yup, the cost of top software titles is expected to rise just in time for the festive season. Gee, thanks Santa...

Blame increasing game development costs, poor exchange rates, cash-strapped punters and Activision for proposing to charge £54.99 for Modern Warfare 2 and kick-starting what is expected to be a broad-scale hiking of prices. Don’t just take our word for it, either. Here’s the gospel according to THQ’s exec vice-prez of worldwide publishing, Ian Curran:

“You can’t continue to trade as normal when the biggest territory in Europe has seen cost of goods increase by 30 per cent due to the strengthening of the Euro. Publishers somehow need to offset this drastic increase in costs. I’m not surprised to see the (Modern Warfare 2) SRP go up and I feel this will continue across more key titles,” he tells gamestrade mag MCV.

“Also, development costs for next gen software has increased at a time when the take-up on these machines is slower than expected and therefore the opportunity to sell more units is limited. The increase in cost of goods due to the weak pound has added to this burden, and therefore something has to happen to ensure publishers’ return on their investment.”

The end-result of all the above? Well, perhaps not cost increases right across the board, but most likely hefty price tags for the very biggest Xmas games. We’re talking RRPs of £50 and upwards. Will you be happy to pay that...?