Warhorse Co-Founder Urges GTA 6 to Blaze Trail for Higher Game Prices
The push for a higher price ceiling is coming from a studio boss who says the market has no other lever left, and he is betting the industry's most-watched release can absorb the backlash others cannot.
Key Facts
- Martin Klima is co-founder of Warhorse Studios, the developer behind the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series.
- Klima made the remarks about game pricing in an interview with PC Gamer.
- Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- GTA 6 is priced at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition in the US.
- Domestic GTA 6 prices are 9,800 yen for the standard version and 12,280 yen for the Ultimate Edition.
Reporting from 2 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Martin Klima, co-founder of Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio Warhorse Studios, told PC Gamer he wants Grand Theft Auto VI to lead the way toward higher game prices. Klima said the technology and scale demanded of games keep expanding and development costs keep rising, while market growth has already hit its limit. The spread of digital sales has also cut the room to reduce distribution costs, leaving a higher sale price per game as the only remaining means to sustain the business. He said companies fear raising prices alone because it invites backlash, and that only major players like Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two can take the plunge. Klima said he is not a fan of the GTA series and does not plan to play the game, but he regards Rockstar's work as a technical marvel. Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Klima's comments landed in two Reddit threads at once, and neither response backed him. In the PS5 community, the dominant argument was that GTA 6 can sell at a high price because it is GTA 6, and that other titles following the same path may not be accepted. Others said players who decide a game is not worth the money will simply wait for a sale.
- r/PS5: thread posted by u/Ph0enixes, the main thread cited in both Japanese write-ups.
- r/kingdomcome: posted by u/Skelligean, where Warhorse's own fans voiced disappointment with management's stance, arguing quality and sales methods should be reviewed before any price increase, given unfinished releases and content split off as DLC.
The comparison point both outlets raise is Mario Kart World, priced at $79.99 in North America. Doug Bowser, who was president of Nintendo of America in 2025, said the company would not make $80 a uniform standard, pricing each title on development cost and content instead. GTA 6's own US prices are already $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition, with domestic prices at 9,800 yen and 12,280 yen. PC Gamer described the pricier edition as "effectively a $100 game," noting its large amount of exclusive content.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.