„They don’t even notice that prices have gone up.” Analyst on who is really buying AAA games today

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Gaming can be an expensive hobby, particularly when you want to play the latest high-budget games, which now typically cost over $70. Even with these high prices, these games continue to sell well, and one analyst believes this is largely because there’s a growing number of players with more disposable income.

“They might not even notice that prices went up”

Mat Piscatella, a leading industry analyst and executive at Circana, was recently a guest on the Delayed Input podcast with Kyle Bosman. They discussed how increasing living costs are impacting the video game market.

The analyst noted that people are changing how they spend their money, likely because of increasing costs for things like food and housing. But these shifts haven’t been felt by those with more financial means.

Wealthier individuals are continuing to spend money at the same rate, even though prices have increased. They may not even notice the higher costs, and are still able to maintain their spending habits.

Piscatella described a situation he called “silent inflation,” where those with more money often don’t notice or choose to overlook rising prices. This is a key reason why big-budget (AAA) games continue to sell well, as these players aren’t as affected by the cost.

People are happy to spend $70 on Ghost of Yotei, even if it means spending more on a PlayStation 5 than they originally intended, or choosing it over a new Nintendo Switch.

However, the increasing cost of living is significantly affecting many people. Piscatella notes that a growing number of gamers are now choosing less expensive games, or even free options like Roblox and Fortnite.

The analyst says many gamers are moving away from buying games at full price and are choosing subscription services like Game Pass instead. He pointed out that subscriptions became much more popular in 2025, mainly because people are changing how they spend their money on games.

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2025-11-14 17:32