Why Battlefield 2042 Costs Double on PS5: An Industry Insider Perspective
As a dedicated Battlefield player and industry analyst, the burning question on my mind post-launch was – why is EA charging $10 more for what seems like the same game on PS5? At a $59.99 price point, the PS4 edition even includes free next-gen upgrades.
After digging into the economics, it becomes clear that the PS5 edition‘s higher $69.99 premium pricing is tied to fundamental industry shifts this generation.
1. Showcasing Next-Gen Doesn‘t Come Cheap
Battlefield 2042 is architected from the ground up to showcase what only modern hardware can achieve. We‘re seeing the first glimpse of the franchise on truly cutting edge consoles.
- Building the enormous maps and game modes to handle 128 simultaneous players demands a massive design and testing effort to ensure balance, playability and stability.
- Processor-intensive features like ray tracing also ramp up production complexity compared to last-gen editions of the game.
This means vastly higher development and QA costs compared to earlier Battlefield titles. EA has invested serious money specifically to leverage the PS5‘s capabilities – an expenditure they aim to recoup via pricing.
In fact industry analysts estimate next-gen only games cost $135 million or more now, 2X budgets of PS4 games. With budgets ballooning, even established shooter franchises must price premium.
2. Sony‘s Royalty Premiums Add Up
As the platform holder, Sony charges publishers a royalty fee between 12-30% on every PS5 game sold. This allowed them to sell PS5 consoles at an initial loss.
With custom silicon production adding to their own costs this generation, Sony‘s fees are likely higher on PS5 titles compared to the PS4 era.
These royalties ultimately contribute to the end price tag – and help explain the disparity between PS4 and PS5 editions for third party titles.
3. Market Segmentation at Play
By differentiating PS4 and PS5 products, publishers like EA can optimize pricing based on what each gamer segment views as valuable.
The profile of early next-gen adopters reveals key insights:
- Willing to purchase $500 consoles
- Eager for showcase titles and best-in-class graphics
- Less price sensitive segment
This means PS5 gamers are a prime segment for pricier software. Segmenting them from the PS4‘s mass market allows tailored pricing strategy.
4. Live Service Scope Requires Higher Revenue
While PS4 owners get a complete experience, EA wants to highlight Battlefield 2042 as a games-as-a-service model with ever-growing scope.
The team aims to continue expanding modes, maps, weapons and technical capabilities over multiple years. This demands substantial early revenue to fund those ambitious live service plans.
Factor in rising dev costs, and the PS5 edition‘s $69.99 premium pricing is crucial for Battlefield‘s resources and sustainability as an ongoing, expanding product rather than a static release.
Of course, whether you view the added scope as worth the premium depends on your engagement as a Battlefield fan!
At 2X the price, the PS5 edition certainly carries high expectations. Based on my time in the alpha, DICE is crafting something special. But sustained content updates will be essential to realizing Battlefield‘s next-gen vision over the long term.
