$59.99 too much for a single game? Tell that to Activision. We jest. In all seriousness, THQ boss Brian Farrell feels the $59.99 price tag that most titles carry at launch is becoming less viable in this current economic climate.

To pull in more users, Farrell reckons the initial barrier-to-entry should be lowered to a more accessible $39.99.

Doing so would not only bring in more users, it’d open up secondary streams of revenue – such as DLC – to a larger pool of potential customers, according to Farrell.

When we launched [MX vs. ATV] at $59.99, we’d do some units, and then when we brought the price down to the mass market-friendly price of $39.99, it would just pop. So the thinking this time is, let’s initially launch at $39.99 — it’s a very robust game, very high quality, so this is not about trying to get a secondary title out.

It’s an AAA title, at that price point, but then with a series of DLC so people can extend their experience. We think this is the future of gaming. We think that’s the way games are gonna go in the long term.

THQ’s Farrell: ‘Future Of Gaming’ In Mass-Market Retail Prices, More DLC Sales [Gamasutra]

Follow this author on Twitter.