I think they came to the wrong conclusion. Yes those games were cheaper, but really they were just good, and mostly finished at launch. Didn't feel like we were nickle and dimed for more DLC or season passes or mtxs, we got whole games that were fun.
All the big "AAA blockbuster" games anymore are reskinned, half finished versions of the last version, and the only thing they've put a ton of time into is analyzing how to get addicts hooked and spending the maximum amount on micro transactions.
I'm not sure how anybody can look at the way GTA 5 online was monetized to hell and not seriously question how far they're going to try to go with GTA 6. I'm fully expecting it to leak into GTA 6's single player with an intense focus on getting more and more out of mtx.
If GTA 5 came out today it wouldn’t be worth $60. The “big open sandbox” experience isn’t as big a pull as it used to be.
I bought 5 because it was “the next GTA” and I remembered having a good time with 4. Today it’s a little harder to remember the last time i even played a GTA game. 5 released a decade ago, 4 is going on 16 years old, fucken San Andreas turns 20 this year.
The next release is just gonna be GTA Online 2, we all know it already.