While this is a somewhat snarky article, I think the underlying concept is genuinely interesting and important.

Over the past few years there has been a lot of speculation about the pricing for GTA 6 with some expecting the game to retail for $100 plus dollars, potentially resetting industry pricing expectations as other publishers attempt to follow suit without starting a revolution. The theory behind this speculation was simple, the Grand Theft Auto series boasts so much hype and influence that people will be willing to shell out more for it than any other game coming to market. Additionally, Rockstar has been working on Grand Theft Auto 6 in some capacity for 13 years, with the bulk of the studio focused on the project for the last 8 years, since the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2. That massive amount of development effort and cost in some way justifies a higher price tag. This isn’t Ubisoft dumping out another cookie cutter open world game, but a billion dollar genre defining tent pole releases from Rockstar, how can any question the price?

Well, in the lead-up to Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders starting on at Midnight, June 25th, Rockstar unveiled some new information regarding the two editions of the game: the Standard Edition, $80, and the Ultimate Edition $100.

This pricing is incredibly interesting. On the one hand, $80 for the base version of the game doesn’t sound so crazy based on expectations, but it is a modest increase over the industry standard $70 price set this console generation. But whats more interesting is the $80 price tag in conjunction with the $100 ultimate edition. It evokes a feeling of sunk cost; I’m already spending $80 on this experience, why buy the hamstrung version for the measly savings of $20?

This feeling is intentional and manipulative and yet not surprising and honestly, kind of understandable.

If they were being more honest, the Standard Edition would be the $100 version, with a Lite edition at $80.

The real price of GTA 6 is $100, but Take Two knows that would be a real sticker shock moment potentially spawning a community rebellion and who knows what else. Maybe it would have been a non-issue, but gamers are fickle, and the nuisance of petitions and boycotts leading up to such a momentous launch simply isn’t worth the hassle.

But that doesn’t change what they wanted the price to be, so how could they charge $100 with the plausible deniability required to keep the angry internet warriors at bay? A slightly hamstrung $80 edition.

By setting a base price more in line with typical pricing, they can shut us all up, and sleep soundly knowing that people are going to cough up the extra $20 so they don’t feel like they received a lesser version of the game they waited 13 years for. Take2 can have their cake and eat it too. If you are going to complain about $20, then fine buy the $80 version, but I’d wager a significant chunk of sales will be the ultimate edition.

If the prices were $60 and $100, I think there would be a real cause for consideration on what edition to get; what am I getting for my extra $40? But at a mere $20 gap on top of the $80 base price, we edge into no brainer territory. For the price of lunch I can make sure I get the full GTA 6 experience.

Thats not to say that the ultimate edition even brings that much extra, because it doesn’t. The ultimate edition brings with it some weapons and vehicles, and most importantly to me, access to a selection of in game stores. While not a huge deal, the idea that at some point in my journey I’m going to try to walk into a vendor and be hit with the “Buy Ultimate Edition Upgrade?” screen is just annoying enough for me to front the cash.

It’s a clever trick to have it both ways, and being that I expected their to only be one edition of the game at $100, I guess I can’t complain. For those who are okay with buying the $80 version, having the option to do so is a good compromise. Take2 treaded the line well, adding enough to justify the cost, without adding so much to piss people off to much.