- During an interview, Rockstar North's former technical director spoke on the subject of GTA 6's price.
- He stated that the title is unlikely to cost $100 and will probably be a "regular-priced game."
- The ex-Rockstar staffer also claimed that GTA 6 will be the most expensive game ever made for years to come.
The subject of GTA 6’s pricing has attracted as much discourse as the game itself, with fans and analysts hedging their best bets at the game’s cost. We still have no official word from Rockstar, of course, which leaves the room wide open for speculation. The latest figure to chime in on the discussion is Rockstar North’s former technical director, Obbe Vermeij, who provided his opinion on the game’s development cost, as well as the pricing he expects the publisher to stick with.
Former Rockstar Director Thinks GTA 6 Won’t Cost $100
During an interview with the GamesHub, Vermeij had this to say while speaking about the possibility of GTA 6 costing $100: “Rockstar haven’t said anything about $100. This is just something that the internet has decided.”
He continued, “I think that they probably won’t do that because, although they haven’t said anything about it either, they will have a GTA VI online component, and they’ll be thinking we want the biggest user base we can possibly have. Rather than trying to cash in that extra $30, I think they’re just going to make it a regular-priced game ($70) and then make the money on the back-end in the years to come.”
Vermeij, who’s currently developing an indie title named Plentiful, clearly thinks that Rockstar will be banking on GTA 6’s online component to rake in most of the revenue. And the most obvious way to ensure success through microtransactions is by allowing as many players into the experience as possible. It’s a strategy that is already paying dividends in the shape of GTA Online, and will almost certainly do so when Leonida turns into a criminal empire simulator.
The ex-Rockstar staffer also provided his two cents on the game’s development cost and how AI integration will see GTA 6 remain the most expensive game ever made for years to come: “The price of development is just kind of out of control.”
“My theory is that GTA VI will be the most expensive game ever developed and it will remain that way because AI is going to take up a lot of the monotonous work that artists have to do,” he added. “I think games in the future will be faster to make and hopefully a little cheaper and that becomes more interesting.”
Aside from Vermeij’s perfectly reasonable arguments, Rockstar will also be somewhat wary of the expectations a beefy price tag can bring. We’ve already seen $80 releases get blasted online, even Nintendo’s Mario Kart: World wasn’t spared. GTA 6 is already facing the monumental task of matching the weight of endless anticipation. Adding an expensive cost of admission to the mix will only make matters worse, and result in the game facing harsher scrutiny than it would’ve at $70.
Of course, this is all speculation for the time being. There’s no telling what price Rockstar is aiming for, although fans will certainly be hoping that it’s reasonable.
