Although Take-Two Interactive has already set the price of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) at $80, some market analysts are openly dissatisfied with the decision. Among them is Ben Thompson, author of the Stratechery newsletter, who argues that the publisher missed a golden opportunity to charge up to $200 for what he considers “the last great game” in history.
During an appearance on the show TBPN, Thompson explained that GTA 6 represents the final example of a type of massive project that will cease to exist in the future.
“It was essentially made in this era before AI, it is the pinnacle of this AAA-level mastery — years and years and years of blood, sweat, and tears —, to the point where you have Twitter analysts counting cigarette butts to see how much crunch exists at Rockstar,” Thompson explained.
The analyst agrees with the premise that because of the game’s immense development budget, it is only fair for its creators to charge consumers more. If the game follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, it has the potential to offer an experience capable of lasting more than 10 years without losing momentum.
Thompson is not alone in his criticism of the pricing. Several other market analysts were displeased with the $80 price point, a sentiment that temporarily shook Take-Two Interactive’s stock prices.
While the game features another edition priced at $100, many industry observers believed it could—and should—have been even more expensive, given the massive expectations surrounding its debut.
During the TBPN broadcast—a program that was recently acquired by OpenAI, Thompson revealed that he does not actually intend to play GTA 6, though he still plans to purchase a copy of the game.
Thompson and the show’s hosts also took the opportunity to dismiss criticisms from consumers who argue that the $80 price tag is too expensive:
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