Video games are expensive to produce, and with the constant advancements in technology, they are becoming increasingly expensive. So it should come as no surprise that 2K Games has revealed that "NBA 2K21" will be priced at $69/£65 on next-generation platforms.

2K confirmed the price increase in a press release, revealing that the Xbox Series X and PS5 versions of the upcoming basketball title will demand a $10 premium over that of the current consoles.

To make matters worse, NBA 2K21 will not be compatible with Xbox Smart Delivery or the compatible version Sony will have for the PS5. In other words, one cannot purchase the Xbox One or PS4 versions of the game, which will be released on September 4, and get the next-generation console version, which will be released during the "holiday season," for free.

Rather, for players who want to enjoy the game across both generations, there is another version of NBA 2K21. The Mamba Forever Edition costs $99 and provides access to both the current and next-generation versions of the game within the same platform family.

The last part, "within the same console family," is the kicker. Owners of Mamba Forever can access either the PS4 and PS5 versions of NBA 2K21 or the Xbox One and Series X versions. For example, they cannot purchase the game on PS4 and redeem it for the next-generation version on the Xbox Series X. They must choose either the PlayStation or Xbox team and stick with it.

Really, 2K should support a system like Smart Delivery, as many other publishers are doing. However, one silver lining in avoiding Smart Delivery is that the company is not bound by Microsoft's system of locking into current and next-generation Xbox bundles. In theory, there is nothing to prevent 2K from implementing an option to access either the current or next generation consoles at the point of sale, and to be able to use a combination of the two.

So, in summary, NBA 2K21 is not only $10 more expensive than any modern game, it will be more expensive to play across generations and annoyingly particular about how it carries over to the PS5/Series X era. Major titles like "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" and "Cyberpunk 2077" are already set to support free upgrades to next-gen consoles, but a troubling trend could emerge if more publishers choose to go the 2K route.

Also, as for the $70 price, we have no idea if this will be the standard going forward for certain publishers or the new standard for the industry as a whole; when the price was raised to $60 with the launch of the Xbox 360, it quickly became the status quo. We haven't seen such a leap in the last 15 years, so it's not surprising that companies are jumping at the chance to take advantage of the start of a new generation of gaming consoles and introduce them right now.

At least one next-generation game, the Scarlet Nexus for the Xbox Series X, is listed on Amazon for $59. So it is quite possible that there will be a mix of $60 and $70 releases until there is more uniformity over time.

If you're looking forward to NBA 2K21 and don't want to be somehow swept up in this confusing new era of generational pricing structures, you can pre-order your favorite version on the game's website right now. Just be sure to have a table within reach to help you understand it all.