Nintendo…sigh, Nintendo.
I'm not even into Nintendo games, but this price hike? It's got me worried. $80 for a game is insane—and now Xbox is following in Nintendo's footsteps. What we're seeing isn't just a one-off bump. It's a shift. A signal. And it might just redefine what "standard pricing" means in gaming—and not in a good way.
I remember when pricing was $50 back in the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. That felt like a lot at the time, but at least we were paying for a complete product. There was that huge sense of accomplishment when you beat a really tough boss and unlocked an overpowered character or spell—it felt earned and rewarding. No time-savers, no pre-order gimmicks, no microtransactions. If a game was broken on release, it stayed broken. And if it was a gem, it stayed a gem.
Now? We're being asked to shell out $80 for games that often feel half-finished, bloated with microtransactions, or rushed to release. There are exceptions, of course—cough Baldur's Gate 3 cough—but they're rare. And let's be honest: we're rewarding companies for doing the bare minimum by calling it "premium." If a game is broken at launch, there's no urgency to get it right the first time—they can just patch it later. That safety net has become a crutch, not a last resort. There's no real incentive to double-check everything before release when customers are already locked in.
In just the past few years, game prices jumped from $60 to $70—a hike that already felt hard to justify. And now, somehow, we're staring down $80 as the new normal.
Meanwhile, indie studios—easier than ever to start and free from corporate bloat—have become the go-to for players who want solid games without the premium price tag. Take Schedule 1, for example—an impressive title created by just one person. No $80 fee, no pre-order gimmicks—just a focused, passionate game. He honed in on what makes gaming great: that addictive gameplay loop that keeps you hooked, with graphics that support the experience, not overshadow it.
It's becoming clear: the people who used to run this industry are falling behind. As the tools to create games become more accessible, it's easier than ever for indie devs to blow AAA studios out of the water. And maybe that's what the industry needs—a reminder that passion beats polish, every time.