Grand Theft Auto 6 ruffled some feathers over its relatively expensive $79.99 standard version, a price that’s $10 more than the AAA norm. Others were also upset over its Ultimate Edition, too, as it seems like those who don’t plunk down the cash will be locked out of certain stores. Despite the online rage, though, this pricier version is currently selling more than the cheaper one.
As spotted by Insider Gaming, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick talked to CNBC about the highly anticipated open-world game. In his short interview hit, he said pre-orders were “much better than expected,” and, when prompted by one of the hosts about which edition was selling more, Zelnick talked about the two versions and how their pre-order numbers differed.
“Actually, [pre-orders are] skewing more toward the premium edition,” said Zelnick. “But that might be a reflection, again, of the fact that the most avid consumers are the ones pre-ordering now.”
This conclusion makes sense. The ones most willing to put down money on the game now, despite not seeing a second of live gameplay around three months from launch, are likely going to be the hardest of the hardcore who are already bought in. There’s also not a more expensive edition in physical stores, either, so the Ultimate Edition is the priciest one fans can purchase. It’s unlikely the $99.99 Ultimate Edition outsells the standard one in the long run, though, but it remains to seen how long the scales will favor the more expensive SKU.
Zelnick closed out the interview noting how retailers could make the game cheaper this holiday if they wish, but it would mean their margins would take a hit. He also said Grand Theft Auto 5 kept its value for some time, but didn’t give any hints about the upcoming Netflix deep dive other than saying it is “really worth watching.”
Grand Theft Auto 6: Ultimate Edition does at least seem to have a lot in it. It comes with an “exclusive collection” of around 16 cosmetic and vehicle sets that seem to shut out base edition players from certain stores or at least severely limit what they can buy. While an Ultimate Edition is meant to yield value, it seemed to some as though Rockstar Games was siphoning off various bits of content in order to capitalize on the fear of missing out and get some players to spend extra.
But the current pre-order numbers show that the pushback was drown out by the overwhelming hype. The recent social post about the Ultimate Edition demonstrates this, too, as many are just begging for another trailer and aren’t expressing any disappointment regarding exclusive cosmetics. So even with a dour economy and cost-of-living crisis, it seems as though players will partake in the “treat economy” and get the biggest version of Grand Theft Auto 6 they can buy.
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