Inflation: Microsoft plans to raise prices for games

Virtual economies are becoming more common in contemporary games, and much like in real-world economies, they too must cope with economic problems like inflation.

Microsoft announced in a statement that it would increase the price of games created by its studios to $70 starting in 2019. Other game developers have made similar moves, citing rising development expenses. As a whole, the actions will probably lead to continued global inflation.

Redfall, a vampire-shooting game, and Starfield, a space exploration epic, will cost around 15% more than the average $60 pricing that the business has maintained for more than a decade, according to the software behemoth that develops the Xbox gaming platform. The teams for several high-profile games have increased by a factor of two or more throughout that time period.

Numerous well-known cases of hyperinflation that rendered a game’s principal currency useless have occurred throughout the history of video games.

Since the scale of game development studios has increased along with the marketing resources for their most popular games, players have commonly predicted price increases like Microsoft’s. Earlier this year, Sony raised the price of its PlayStation 5 video gaming console in select regions outside the United States.

Understanding and accounting for the likelihood of inflation during the game development process means you won’t be scrambling to adjust when costs for basic things skyrocket into the billions or your players abandon your currency to establish their own barter markets.

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