What If You Didn’t Have to Pay €70+ for a New Game?

By Daniel Gaming News
22 December 2024 no comments

So you’re hyped for a new game, watching every trailer, absorbing every leak, and building up serious excitement – only to realize you’ll need to fork over €70 to get it. Sound familiar?

New releases now frequently arrive with a premium price tag, a trend that’s becoming the standard across consoles, from the Xbox Series X to the PlayStation 5. Why the jump in price, though? A lot of it has to do with the increasing complexity, production time, and financial risks of modern game development.

The Cost of Longer Development Cycles

In the early 2000s, most games took a couple of years to make. Now, developing a blockbuster can take five, sometimes even ten years. Think about titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or The Last of Us Part II – games that set new standards but also took half a decade or more to develop.

These projects involve huge teams, some as large as a small town, each focusing on different aspects, from designing photorealistic graphics to creating expansive, detailed worlds and dynamic storylines. When game companies pour so much time and effort into their projects, they naturally want to recoup the cost.

Every extra year in development means salaries, resources, testing, and of course, those insanely complex visual effects that bring our favorite characters and worlds to life. For every hour of groundbreaking cutscenes, there are teams working on rendering, voice acting, story development, and countless rounds of polish. This adds up quickly, making the price hike understandable, even if it’s a bit hard to swallow.

High-Tech Expectations Mean High-Price Tags

Remember when gaming graphics were pixelated, and “cutting edge” meant smooth 3D characters that vaguely resembled human shapes? Times have changed. Today, players expect hyper-realistic characters and interactive environments that feel like the real world.

Game studios now have to work with expensive motion capture, advanced rendering engines, and sometimes even professional actors for voice and facial captures.

Consider the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases, where games are now loaded with ray tracing, lifelike shadows, and complex particle effects. It’s like going from a drawing on a notepad to a full-on Hollywood production. So yes, all these advanced features look amazing, but they also mean games are way pricier to make.

Does Every Game Justify the €70?

One look at recent releases, and it’s clear that some titles are absolutely worth the price for the quality and replayability they offer. Take Elden Ring or Baldur’s Gate 3, for example – games that offer hours upon hours of gameplay, immense replayability value, multiple endings, and worlds worth getting lost in.

But then, there are those that release with bugs, missing features, or short playtimes, which make a €70 price tag feel harder to justify. It raises the question: do we really want to be paying top dollar for games that may or may not meet our expectations?

For some players, the solution is to wait a few months post-launch when game prices usually drop, or to look for discounts. But you don’t have to!

If you’re on console like PS5, you could simply grab a PSN gift card on Eneba at a cheaper price, and start saving on your gaming right now. And speaking of Eneba…

How To Save Money on Gaming

While there’s no denying that game prices are up, savvy gamers have found ways to beat the system. One of the easiest ways? Digital marketplaces. Websites like Eneba offer deals on digital gift cards, game keys, and even subscriptions for Xbox, PlayStation, and other platforms.

Not only can you snag deals on the latest AAA games, but you can also find cheaper indies, seasonal sales, and classic titles at steal.

So, next time you’re gearing up for a new release and see that €70 price tag, remember there are options. Grab a PSN gift card at a discount at a digital marketplace. It’s all about finding ways to game smarter, not harder.

Daniel

Fueled by a passion for gaming and the ever-evolving world of gaming news, Daniel loves connecting with seasoned and new players to bring games to life on the page, exploring their narratives and gaming trends. A self-published fiction and fantasy author, Daniel has nearly 20 years of experience writing gaming news and a love for storytelling that drives his enthusiasm to deliver breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry innovations. You will find him in-game as "Windfell."