the collector's box is just price anchoring to make the ultimate edition look cheap

Rockstar knew the $100 ultimate edition was getting side eye the second preorders opened. Then the collector's box shows up at $400 with no game inside and suddenly that $100 doesn't seem so bad.

The box smells like classic price anchoring. You show people a $400 hunk of merch, then the $100 ultimate edition looks like a deal even though it's still the most expensive standard-ish version of a game we've seen from them. The box exists to make the game feel cheaper without actually cutting the price.

The timing is what gets me. The extended look aired, hype was at a peak, and a couple weeks later this $400 box drops. If it was just for hardcore collectors they could have announced it with preorders back in June. Instead they waited until people were already complaining about the $100 price. Now the conversation shifts from 'why is GTA 6 $100' to 'who is buying a $400 box with no game.'

And it works. I've seen people in comments defending the ultimate edition by pointing at the box like 'at least it's not $400.' That's the whole point. Rockstar gets to look like they're offering options while the middle option suddenly feels reasonable.

The box itself probably costs them way less than $400 to produce. Some map, maybe a keychain, art prints, whatever. The margin on that thing is probably insane. The real goal is to make $100 feel normal for a base-ish edition.

It's a pricing strategy that's been around forever. Car dealerships do it with trim levels. Fast food does it with drink sizes. The $400 box is the large drink that makes the medium look sensible.

What do you all think, is the collector's box just a decoy to make the ultimate edition feel like a better value?

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Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.