Xbox Game Pass is even more valuable with next-gen games at $70

[Windows Central]

Next-gen games might be getting a price hike; in that scenario, the ultimate winner could be Xbox Game Pass.
As we head towards next-gen, more and more details about the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are coming to light. We have the full specs and designs of both consoles, and we'll have the full roadmap of Xbox exclusives, hopefully, in late July with the next Xbox event.
Another less palatable revelation came today via 2K, who confirmed it will sell the next-gen versions of its games for $70. I fully expect to see PC games see a bump in price as well shortly, as game worlds and their complexity balloon to accommodate more powerful hardware, across an incrementally more competitive landscape. The bump also accommodates market changes, inflation, and other financial landscape realities.
NPD games industry analyst Mat Piscatella posited that the bump probably should've happened in 2013, noting that initially, game developers were nervous about the low prices being offered by mobile games. It seems though that in reality, both sections of the market overlap, rather than cannibalize each other.

The shift to $69.99 should have taken place in 2013 imo, but folks thought Mobile was a threat to the console business (among a couple other drivers, but in retrospect, lol). Instead, we got collector's, silver and gold editions that elevated above $59.99 anyways.
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 2, 2020​

Still, I feel as though the price hike may be a tough sell, particularly with a looming recession as much of the world struggles with the pandemic fallout. In that scenario, the winner could ultimately be Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Now, and other similar subscription services.

Full story from the WindowsCentral blog...