The higher price of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has fans wondering why it’s 70 dollars. The standard edition of Vanguard launched at $60 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC last year, but MW2 is $70 on every platform. So, what’s the deal with the price increase?
Why does Modern Warfare 2 cost more on PS4, Xbox One, and PC than Vanguard?
The short answer as to why Modern Warfare 2 is $70 on all platforms is:
- That’s the new standard MSRP for AAA games
- Because Call of Duty is popular enough that Activision can charge more without worrying about affecting sales
Modern Warfare 2 costs $70 on all platforms because that’s the new standard MSRP. Publishers rolled out higher prices when the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S launched in late 2020 but had kept PS4, Xbox One, and PC at the same $60 MSRP that’s persisted since the days of the PS1 and N64 until recently. The fact is, Activision is charging more money for last-gen versions of MW2 because it can.
Call of Duty is one of the most popular franchises in the world, and enough time has passed since $70 became the norm for AAA games that Activision is willing to risk backlash for increased profits. Vanguard didn’t meet sales expectations, so the company likely sees it worth any criticism to hedge against another disappointing year.
With inflation and a cooling video game market, it’s not surprising that prices for last-gen titles have increased. Unfortunately, it’s a policy that is unlikely to be walked back, and we’ll just have to get used to it.
