Warhorse Studios Co-Founder Hopes GTA 6 Will Make Every Game More Expensive: What He Said and Why It Matters
Most developers keep quiet about game prices. Martin Klima, co-founder of Warhorse Studios, the team behind the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series, did the opposite. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, he said he is rooting for the GTA 6 price to succeed so the rest of the industry can charge more too. The twist is that he also says he has no interest in playing the game.
Below I break down what he actually said, the economics behind it, what we know about GTA 6 pricing so far, and what the "wait and see" part of this story looks like for players.
Quick Answer: Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klima told PC Gamer he hopes GTA 6, which launches at $79.99 on November 19, 2026, helps normalize higher prices across the industry. This is one developer's opinion, not a confirmed industry shift.
Table of Contents
- What Martin Klima Actually Said
- Why He Thinks Game Prices Must Rise
- GTA 6 Ultimate Edition and the Full Price Breakdown
- He Is Not the Only Voice Saying This
- What This Could Mean for Players in 2027
- What Is Still Unknown
- FAQ
- Conclusion
What Martin Klima Actually Said
The comments come from an interview with PC Gamer published on October 1, 2026. Klima was blunt about two things at once.
First, GTA is not for him. He said the series does not appeal to him, that he does not understand why it is so popular, and that he will not play GTA 6 unless he is somehow forced to. He did add that he has no ill will toward Rockstar and considers the games technological marvels.
Second, he wants the game to succeed for a very practical reason. In his view, raising the base price of games is one of the few options left to studios, but most companies are afraid to do it. His hope is that GTA will "blaze the trail" so others can follow.
He also argued that Rockstar and Take-Two are among the few companies that can afford to, or dare to, raise prices. He called a price increase long overdue and necessary for the business to survive. That is a paraphrase of his argument, and you can read the full context in the original PC Gamer interview.
Why He Thinks Game Prices Must Rise
Klima's argument is about economics, not about GTA itself. According to PC Gamer's coverage, his reasoning goes like this:
- Development keeps getting more expensive. As hardware improves, players expect bigger and more detailed games, and that costs more to build.
- The audience has mostly stopped growing. More players are not arriving to cover those higher costs.
- Digital distribution has already paid off. Cutting out physical retail used to save money, but he argues that benefit is already used up.
- The pandemic boost faded. He described the surge in demand during that period as artificial, and the industry has since gone through layoffs and closures.
In his words, that leaves the unit price as the last lever to pull. It is a clear argument, but it is a developer's view of the problem. Players may reasonably see it differently, since their budgets have not grown with development costs.
GTA 6 Ultimate Edition and the Full Price Breakdown
To understand why Klima is looking at GTA 6, it helps to see what Rockstar and Take-Two have actually announced. Based on reporting from PC Gamer, GameSpot, and Dexerto, here is where things stand:
| Edition | Reported Price (US) | Notes |
| Standard Edition | $79.99 | About $10 above the common $69.99 AAA price |
| Ultimate Edition | $99.99 | Includes content that is locked away from the standard edition |
| Collector's Edition | $399.99 | Reported to include merchandise but not the game itself |
Two details stand out. PC Gamer points out that because a meaningful amount of content sits in the more expensive edition, the game can feel closer to a $100 purchase in practice. VGC also reports that Take-Two says the $100 edition is its top seller, so some players are clearly willing to pay.
The GTA 6 release date is November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A PC release has not been announced.
It is also worth noting what GameSpot reports about Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick: earlier this year he said Rockstar could have used the huge demand to charge more, but chose not to. So Rockstar itself presents $79.99 as a measured price, not an aggressive one.
He Is Not the Only Voice Saying This
Klima's comments fit a pattern that has been building for a while. Here are the other voices reported in coverage of this story:
- Omar Dessouky, Bank of America analyst: In May, he argued that a higher GTA 6 price would raise the price point for the entire industry, according to PC Gamer.
- Matthew Ball, industry analyst: In a 2025 report covered by TechRadar, he said some in the industry hoped GTA 6 would break the $70 barrier, which could let $50 games move to $60, $60 games to $70, and so on.
- Michael Douse, Larian Studios: Dexerto notes that in late 2024 he suggested the whole industry was waiting for Rockstar to make the first move on a bigger price.
- Joe Brammer, Wardogs: GamesRadar notes he has argued Rockstar should have been a trendsetter because games are too cheap.
The last time a major pricing shift happened, the move to $70 for top-tier games, it started with Sony in 2020, and Microsoft followed in 2023. So the idea that one big player moves first and others follow has a real precedent.
What This Could Mean for Players in 2027
If GTA 6 holds at $79.99 and sells as strongly as expected, other publishers may feel more comfortable testing $80 for their biggest releases. PC Gamer's own take is that we could see quite a few more expensive games in 2027 and beyond. That is an opinion from the writer, and nobody can confirm it yet.
For players, the practical effects could include:
- More $80 standard prices on big AAA releases
- More premium editions with early access or extra content, which can push the real cost higher
- More waiting for sales, since many players already hold off on full-price purchases
On the other side, smaller games may not follow. If you mostly play indie or mid-budget titles, you may not see much change at all. Higher prices at the top do not automatically raise prices everywhere.
What Is Still Unknown
It is easy to treat Klima's wish as a prediction, so here is what we do not actually know:
- GTA 6 has not launched yet, so its price has not been tested against real sales over time.
- Klima speaks for himself. Warhorse has not announced new pricing for any of its games as part of these comments.
- Other publishers have not announced plans to follow GTA 6's pricing.
- Outlets describe his role differently. PC Gamer calls him a co-founder, while VGC refers to him as the studio's COO.
In other words, this is a story about an opinion and a possible trend, not a confirmed change in how the industry prices games.
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FAQ
Who is Martin Klima?
He is a co-founder of Warhorse Studios, the developer of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series.
Does he like the GTA series?
No. He told PC Gamer the series does not appeal to him and that he will not play GTA 6 unless forced to. He did call the games technological marvels.
What does he want GTA 6 to do?
He hopes its pricing helps pave the way for other studios to raise their own game prices, which he considers necessary for the industry to survive.
How much does GTA 6 cost?
Reported prices are $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. A $399.99 collector's edition has also been reported, and it does not include the game.
When does GTA 6 come out?
November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A PC release date has not been announced.
Will all games get more expensive because of GTA 6?
Nobody can say for sure. Some developers and analysts expect GTA 6 to normalize higher prices, but no major publisher has confirmed plans to follow it.
Why does Klima say prices need to go up?
He points to rising development costs, a player base that has stopped growing, and the fading of the pandemic demand boost.
Conclusion
Klima's comments are interesting because they are so honest. A developer who does not even want to play GTA 6 is openly rooting for its success because it could change what the rest of the industry is allowed to charge. Whether you agree with him or not, the argument about rising costs is real, and many other voices in the industry are making similar points.
The real test comes after November 19. If GTA 6 sells well at $79.99 and the $99.99 edition keeps selling, expect more publishers to test higher prices. If players push back hard, the industry may stay cautious. Either way, a lot of studios are watching.
What do you think: is a higher base price a fair correction, or the start of everything getting more expensive? Let me know in the comments.