PS3Blog.net pointed out an interesting fact. I had assumed that next-gen games would be comparible in price to current generation titles, but it looks like EA, among others, will be increasing the bottom line price of their games by 50% or more.
The exception to this rule is the cost of producing game software. As consoles (and computers) become ever more complicated, software developers just have to put in that much more work to wring the most out of the hardware.
There have been many doom and gloom predictions about developing software for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Costs will double! Costs will triple! But at least one developer, the biggest one at that, is aiming to keep costs reasonably in control. EA is targetting a 50% cost increase for their games. What? 50%! Yeah, well, that’s what “reasonably in control” means these days. But at least it’s not 200% or 300%!