EA Defies Trend: No Plans to Raise Video Game Prices

In a recent financial call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson firmly stated that the company has no intention of increasing its game prices, despite competitors like Microsoft and Nintendo moving towards an $80 price point for their new releases. Wilson emphasized EA's commitment to providing "incredible quality and exponential value" for its players, highlighting the success of their co-op adventure game Split Fiction, which has sold an impressive 4 million copies.

Wilson elaborated on the evolution of EA's business model over the past decade, noting the shift from primarily selling physical copies in retail stores to a more diverse range of pricing strategies. "In a world where everything we did 10 years ago was about selling shiny discs in plastic boxes on retail shelves — well, that's still a *part* of our business, but it's a significantly smaller part," he explained. Today, EA's offerings span from free-to-play games to deluxe editions, catering to a broad spectrum of player preferences and budgets.

"At the end of the day, whether we're doing something that costs a dollar, or we're doing something that costs $10, or we're doing something that costs $100, our objective is always to deliver incredible quality and exponential value for our playerbase," Wilson stated. He further emphasized that this focus on quality and value has proven to be a successful strategy for EA, ensuring a strong, resilient, and growing business.

EA's CFO, Stuart Canfield, supported Wilson's comments by confirming that the company's current pricing strategy remains unchanged. "From a guidance perspective [...] we have reflected no changes in our current [pricing] strategy at this point," Canfield added.

This news comes as a relief to gamers, especially following Microsoft's recent announcement of increased prices for Xbox consoles, accessories, and some first-party games, which are set to reach $79.99 around the holiday season. The broader trend in the AAA gaming industry has seen prices rise from $60 to $70 over the last five years, with Nintendo setting $80 prices for upcoming Switch 2 exclusives like Mario Kart World and other Switch 2 Edition games. The Switch 2 itself is set to launch at $450, a move that has stirred debate among fans, though analysts argue that such pricing is inevitable given current economic conditions.

Based on EA's stance, fans can anticipate that future releases like EA Sports FC, Madden, and Battlefield will maintain the $70 standard edition pricing. However, this comes amidst reports from IGN that EA has cut around 100 jobs at Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment, along with broader layoffs affecting approximately 300 individuals across the organization.