Rockstar GamesEA’s $55bn takeover could set the stage for $100 video games before GTA 6 even launches, a finance expert warns.
The $55 billion deal to take Electronic Arts private might sound like business jargon reserved for investors and shareholders, but it’s a move that could ripple far beyond Wall Street.
EA needs no introduction, but for most of us, it’s hard not to see them as the FIFA or The Sims machine. In reality, it’s the company behind the games that sell tens of millions of copies every year. With new owners looking to recoup eye-watering debt, industry analysts say gamers, not executives, may end up footing the bill.
EA’s buyout is a snapshot of what’s happening across gaming: publishers turning into entertainment giants, live service revenue replacing boxed sales, and costs being passed straight to players.
EA buyout could mean $100 games before GTA 6
Speaking to Esports Insider, Professor Rob Wilson, Director of Executive Education at the University Campus of Football Business in London, said EA’s flagship titles could be the first to tip past today’s $70 benchmark.
EA / Dexerto“EA Sports FC is quite simply the jewel in the crown,” Wilson explained. “The idea that new blockbuster titles might push toward $100 or even $120 is not far-fetched, especially since speculation around GTA 6 suggests the industry is already flirting with that threshold.”
The logic is simple, if depressing. With $20 billion in debt baked into the deal, EA’s new owners need every franchise to squeeze harder. Wilson didn’t mince words: “There is a genuine concern for consumers and a real danger that cost-cutting becomes inevitable, monetisation strategies may be stretched further, and they will be charged more.”
Wilson says you can expect tiered editions, pricier battle passes, and more “premium” extras. “In a leveraged environment, there’s little room for generosity,” Wilson added. “The priority will be squeezing every incremental dollar from existing franchises rather than funding risky new bets.”
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For players, that could mean $100 becoming the new normal before Rockstar’s long-awaited sequel even has a chance to set the bar itself.
And yet, not every release is coming with a dollar sign attached. The year 2026 has Marvel’s Wolverine, Pragmata, and Crimson Desert on the horizon, all games people actually feel excited about, not just anxious over. What they’ll cost is anyone’s guess, but those titles will be the litmus test: are we still buying dreams, or just bankrolling someone else’s debt?