Retail Radar: Modern Warfare 2 to retail for 54.99

With the current financial climate far from rosy, the last thing that consumers want to hear is news of increasing prices. Unfortunately for gamers it looks like that's about to happen as a games retail trade publication is reporting that upcoming shooter Modern Warfare 2 will have a recommended retail price of £54.99, £10 more than the original, on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The price rise could set an unwelcome precedent, especially as the game is set to be one of the biggest sellers this Christmas. The rise could in turn encourage other publishers to increase the RRP of their own titles. The reason for the price hike is unclear but could be attributed to a number of factors including current exchange rates between the strong Euro and the weak Pound. Rising development costs could also be a significant issue with games such as Assassins Creed 2 having more than 450 people on staff, and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot predicting next-gen games could cost up to $60 million to develop – though Ubisoft's murderous sequel is currently listed as having an RRP of £49.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Though the RRP is £54.99, online retailers such as Amazon and Play have the game available to pre-order for £44.99, having applied a hefty discount. Prices for the special "hardened edition" and the over-the-top "prestige edition", complete with night vision goggles have not yet been announced.