The Price is Right? Gaming Price Discussion - General Discussion Forum - Page 3

Th3solution · 2018-10-23T11:05:35+00:00

The recent news article about Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s quick price drop has be thinking about gaming prices in general and I wanted to know the community’s feelings and discussion on game prices in general. So this is not meant to be about a specific game like Tomb Raider per se, but rather where are gaming prices going, and what do you as a video game consumer consider fair pricing? Let me start with some food for thought to initiate discussion. These are just observations: We know that standard new release AAA game prices have been locked at $60 (sorry, I don’t know the British or European equivalent off the top of my head) for a long time. Much too long probably. Games have actually been more expensive many years ago in the cartridge eras, I believe (I didn’t really buy them but this is what I’m told) and I think that $60 has been standard since PS2, despite inflation and increased development cost. Publishers have tried to close the gap and compensate by adding DLC and microtransactions to effectively keep the base price down but keep their profit margins. Another interesting observation is that despite all games being $60 at launch, their price will settle in at different price points within a few months. Some stay at $60, some come down drastically. I’m no economist, but I think the long term price of games is effected by a few things — obviously the popularity of the game is one. Also the availability of the game (many Japanese ‘niche’ games remain more expensive due to shortages). The second hand market I believe effects the price greatly. I’ve observed that as soon as used copies flood the stores, typically PSN sales start happening which mimic the pre-owned prices. Despite the market norms, some high quality games have hit market at $40 or $50. Lost Legacy and Ratchet and Clank come to mind. And obviously indie games and AA games hit lower launch price points as well. So taking these and your other thoughts and observations into account — Would you be willing to pay more for a new game if it meant less DLC paywalls and microtransactions? If so how much is a fair price? What do you predict PS5 new game prices will be? Do you think game prices are too high? What do you think about price drops? Do you wait to buy a game due to inevitable sales and decreases in price? Do you fear the move to digital will do away with second hand game availability and take away market pressure to reduce the price of games after they have been out for a while? How do you feel about that? Basically whatever you want to rant or discuss about pricing, have at it. 😃

Topic: The Price is Right? Gaming Price Discussion

Posts 41 to 43 of 43

41
themcnoisy
Mon 29th Oct 2018

@Octane I know but I hate micros. Just an idea which could support smaller games going micro free.

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42
blacklivesmatter
Mon 29th Oct 2018

£50 for an AAA title is fine by me. The quality of titles and content has gone up significantly in the last few years. Games drop in price too quickly which means a lot of people hold off buying titles until they reduce in price reducing the profitablity of games. I do not want to see price drops within the first 3 months of a title being released. I feel its a slap in the face for those who have supported the titles from day one.

blacklivesmatter

43
Octane
Mon 29th Oct 2018

@themcnoisy Yeah I know, I like the idea, but I just don't think it'll ever work. They certainly want more than that. And in the end we're still paying for heir greed indirectly.

Octane

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