In a recent financial call addressing investors, EA's CEO Andrew Wilson made it clear that the company has no intentions of following the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo in raising game prices to $80. Wilson emphasized EA's commitment to delivering "incredible quality and exponential value for our playerbase," citing 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 a shift from primarily selling physical copies to a more diverse pricing strategy that includes everything from free-to-play games to deluxe editions. "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. "We now have pricing representing everything from free-to-play all the way to deluxe editions and beyond."
The CEO underscored the importance of balancing quality and value, stating, "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. And what we've discovered over the course of time is [when] we can marry quality and value together, our business is strong, resilient, and continues to grow."
EA's CFO, Stuart Canfield, reinforced this stance by stating that the company's current pricing strategy remains unchanged, indicating no immediate plans for price adjustments.
This news will be welcomed by gamers, especially in light of recent announcements from other major players in the industry. Just last week, Microsoft confirmed it was raising Xbox prices, along with the cost of controllers, headsets, and some games. The price increase for consoles and accessories has already taken effect, and while game prices will remain the same for now, Microsoft plans to charge $79.99 for new, first-party games around the holiday season.
This move reflects a broader trend in AAA gaming, where prices have escalated from $60 to $70 over the last five years. Nintendo has also announced $80 pricing for its upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, Mario Kart World, and other Switch 2 Edition games. The Switch 2 itself will launch at $450, a price that has sparked debate among fans, though analysts suggest such pricing is inevitable amid current economic conditions.
Given EA's stance, fans can expect the next iterations of EA Sports FC, Madden, and Battlefield to maintain the $70 standard edition pricing.
In other EA news, last week, IGN reported that EA cut around 100 jobs at Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment, with broader cuts affecting approximately 300 individuals across the organization.
