Sony CEO Jim Ryan believes $70/£70 is a fair price for PS5 games such as the Demon's Souls remake given the "hours of entertainment they provide", especially compared to other media.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Ryan defended the next-gen game price hike, particularly as it affects UK buyers who face an even steeper markup at £70. "Yes, I do [consider it fair]," he said. "If you measure the hours of entertainment provided by a video game, such as Demon's Souls, compared to any other form of entertainment, I think that's a very straightforward comparison to draw."
Ryan also addressed reports that Sony had originally considered even higher prices for next-gen games, asserting that "that report that we were considering higher prices for first-party games is categorically false." However, when asked about the pricing of the premium first-party titles that Sony has come to prioritize, namely whatever Naughty Dog's first PS5 release turns out to be, Ryan wouldn't lock in $70/£70 prices and said he's "not making any predictions about anything that might or might not happen in the future."
Executives and designers across the games industry have defended the price increase on next-gen games, and Ryan's stance echoes one of the two main arguments that have surfaced – that games provide more entertainment per dollar or pound than movies or books or what-have-you. Others, such as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, have also argued that the size of next-gen games incurs production costs that necessitate a price increase.
Ryan also couldn't confirm that God of War Ragnarok would be a PS5 exclusive. Check out the latest options if you want to buy a PS5.
