There is no denying that the video game industry is going through a difficult period on multiple fronts, which is why we have seen studio closures, mass layoffs, and project cancellations in recent months and years. How can these problems be solved? It is a complicated question, but one of the creators of Kingdom Come: Deliverance believes that raising game prices could go a long way toward helping the industry.
In that regard, the Warhorse developer believes Grand Theft Auto VI could be the game that “blazes a trail” for other studios that are also desperately looking to sell their titles at a higher price to achieve profitability and deal with the challenges inherent to the industry.
Warhorse co-founder believes games should cost more
The subject came up during a recent interview with [PC Gamer]. In the conversation, Martin Klima, co-founder of the studio behind the successful Kingdom Come: Deliverance, discussed the upcoming release of GTA VI, which is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious games ever made.
The Warhorse Studios executive was candid and admitted that he personally has no interest in Rockstar Games’ upcoming project. He said he simply doesn’t understand the excitement surrounding the sandbox and doubts he will ever play it.
“GTA VI doesn’t appeal to me at all. I’m not going to play it unless I’m forced to. And the reason for its popularity… I don’t understand it. It’s something I simply cannot comprehend,” Martin Klima said.
Although the developer has no interest in the game starring Jason and Lucia, he can understand its importance to the rest of the industry. For that very reason, he believes Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are in a unique position within the market.
According to Martin Klima, the two companies are the only ones that “can afford, or dare, to raise the price of games.” The Warhorse Studios co-founder says making games more expensive is something that “should have been done a long time ago” and is also necessary for the business to survive.
The Kingdom Come: Deliverance creator argues that developing new games is becoming increasingly expensive, which is a problem because audience sizes have stagnated, traditional retail is on its last legs, and there are no additional revenue streams capable of covering production costs.
In this context, Martin Klima believes raising the price per game is one way to deal with the crisis, and he hopes GTA VI will be the title that changes the paradigm for the rest of the industry.
“The last thing we can do is increase the unit price. That would help a lot, but everyone is panicking. So now, hopefully, GTA will set the tone and allow us to raise the price,” he said.
GTA VI is an expensive game, just as the industry wanted
The price of Grand Theft Auto VI was a topic of discussion for quite some time, as the industry spent months debating how much Rockstar Games’ new open-world title should cost. One analyst said the industry hoped it would cost $100 USD or more, as that could allow other studios to follow its lead.
In May 2026, Omar Dessouky of Bank of America said GTA VI [should be sold at a high price for the benefit of its creators and the rest of the industry. Ultimately, Rockstar’s sandbox is indeed slightly more expensive than average.
Rockstar Games’ title is priced at $80 USD for its standard edition, while the Deluxe Edition, which includes additional exclusive content, costs $100 USD. Interestingly, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, revealed that the more expensive edition is the most popular among players.
That said, Martin Klima’s comments may stem from the fact that Grand Theft Auto VI has a standard edition price of £69.99 GBP in the United Kingdom, which is fairly normal for a high-profile AAA release.
The Warhorse co-founder is not the only industry figure who believes the open-world title could establish a new standard for the market. Just a few days ago, Joe Brammer, lead developer of Wardogs, said in an interview that video games should cost more and criticized Rockstar Games for failing to raise the bar with GTA VI.
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