15 Bold Gaming Predictions For 2018

13. AAA Publishers Will Trial Higher Game Prices

The Prediction: At least one AAA game will be released at an inflated price beyond the usual $60/£42 price tag, costing somewhere between $70-80.

Why It Will Happen: With publishers being raked over the coals for predatory microtransactions at present, companies need to find another way to hike their prices up to, as they call it, "match the rising costs of game development" (players might call it "line the shareholders' pockets").

If the trial price is attempted with a major property like Spider-Man, player thirst will drive huge profits regardless, which will probably reclaim a huge chunk of the revenue "lost" by not including loot box garbage.

In their defence, at least it's an upfront way of asking the consumer to pay more money, rather than trying to get them psychologically addicted to the loot grind or pay-walling content after the fact.

Why It Might Not: It's entirely possible that publishers will simply find another insidious way to try and squeeze money out of players, either by re-branding loot box gambling or coming up with something else nobody's even thought of yet.