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[flamesofchaos]

more like higher development costs.

If that's the case then why are the PC versions typically 10 - 30 dollars less(not referring to digital releases but retail copies)? It's a combination of royalties and people are willing to spend $60 on PS3 and 360 games so it became the de facto.

 

[Evlar]

If that's the case then why are the PC versions typically 10 - 30 dollars less(not referring to digital releases but retail copies)? It's a combination of royalties and people are willing to spend $60 on PS3 and 360 games so it became the de facto.

There was no process of price discovery, no "becoming" the de facto. The $60 price tag was decided and announced before the launch of both 360 and PS3.

 

[LiK]

If that's the case then why are the PC versions typically 10 - 30 dollars less(not referring to digital releases but retail copies)? It's a combination of royalties and people are willing to spend $60 on PS3 and 360 games so it became the de facto.

i think it's because PC versions sell less than their console counterparts. high-profile retail PC only games tend to sell for the usual premium prices just like with consoles. i still have my original Diablo II box with the price tag and it was $54.99 when it first came out. i wouldn't be surprised if Starcraft II was $60 during launch.

 

[flamesofchaos]

There was no process of price discovery, no "becoming" the de facto. The $60 price tag was decided and announced before the launch of both 360 and PS3.

Nope, back when the 360 launched, Microsoft published 360 games retailed at 49.99 while 3rd parties settled at 59.99. Few months later, MS bumped up the price for their games to 59.99.

 

[Megadragon15]

I remember when Sega debuted Virtua Racing and Phantasy Star IV at $100 a pop. And this was during the early 90s.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Nope, back when the 360 launched, Microsoft published 360 games retailed at 49.99 while 3rd parties settled at 59.99. Few months later, MS bumped up the price for their games to 59.99.

I believe that the first first party published 360 game to sell for $60 was Gears of War. All others before hand were $50.

I remember when Sega debuted Virtua Racing and Phantasy Star IV at $100 a pop. And this was during the early 90s.

That's only because the medium they were on. That is the ONLY reason they cost that much. Remember, Virtua Racing for the SEGA Saturn was only $50 because it was on CD.

 

[reKon]

I hope next gen games aren't $70.

 

[Megadragon15]

Let's not bring up the butchered Saturn Virtua Racing.

 

[LiK]

I hope next gen games aren't $70.

it depends on the market. but judging from the rampant price drops after the initial release dates, i don't think they will go past $60 anytime soon. many preorders from major online sites like Amazon sell games for $54.99 or less. some games jump down $10 within a few weeks after release. FYI, this is what i've seen when i'm doing comparison shopping online for new games.

 

[Malio]

Games are expensive, always have been. That's why I wait. I can count on two fingers the number of games I've bought at launch this gen. Bargain bin/Ebay ftw.

 

[LosDaddie]

Inflation......but mainly (much) higher dev costs.

 

[Ettie]

Games are expensive, always have been. That's why I wait. I can count on two fingers the number of games I've bought at launch this gen. Bargain bin ftw.

This, for me. + handhelds, I stay busy playing what everyone else finished long ago. :lol

 

[Warm Machine]

Budget and price go hand in hand...unfortunately budget is no indicator of quality.

Army of Two was an extremely expensive game for EA to make but is a piss poor game.

Gears is at the same price, had a smaller budget, and is a superior game. They increase the purchase price to get day 1 profits because Gears can demand it and in the end the game is worth the asking price.

Games are still cheaper than they have ever been outside of the Dreamcast days. We used to pay $70 for Intellivision carts back in 1981.

 

[magus]

Console Tax! PC Games = $50

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Let's not bring up the butchered Saturn Virtua Racing.

Fine, let's bring up the superior 32X version of Virtua Racing which was not $100 because it didn't need all the special chips that the Genesis version needed. Again, that doesn't disprove my point that the ONLY reason those games were such high prices were the medium they were on so it's not a good excuse to fall back on.

Console Tax! PC Games = $50

Console tax huh? Keep holding onto the dream cause it's starting to change...

http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Pc/dp/B00269QLJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1248885833&sr=1-1

 

[hyduK]

Nintendo decreased their game prices this gen, I think. They went from 60 EUR to 50 EUR. Pretty nice.

They pretty much had to though. No one would buy most of the shit that graces the Wii at full price.

 

[DeVeAn]

I believe $40 is the sweet spot. I always wonder how a game like FF13 which will probably cost $60, and a game like KOF12 be the same price at launch. I know they are different games, but content wise KOF12 should not be $60. Well thats my opinion.

 

[demosthenes]

Who officially started $60?

 

[Anony]

i think on half of the people read the op's questions
the only other industry (i can think of) to do this is the movie where every movie had a fixed price
movies and cds too, but i think they vary in price now
stupid looking at it, but it's more about the quantity sold than adjusting prices at retail

of course, wait a few months and/or wait for discounts doesnt hurt

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Who officially started $60?

It was collective through all third parties at the start of this gen. MS tried to hold back and had first party games published at $50 but then switched to $60 after a while. Sony had first party published titles from $60 the day the system launched including games like Untold Legends that sold for $60.

 

[Evlar]

Nope, back when the 360 launched, Microsoft published 360 games retailed at 49.99 while 3rd parties settled at 59.99. Few months later, MS bumped up the price for their games to 59.99.

I think this is evidence of in-fighting within the consortium, not price discovery. If it had been price discovery I believe the third parties would have reduced their prices to $50 considering how dominant first party published sales were during the first twelve months; the reverse happened.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

I think this is evidence of in-fighting within the consortium, not price discovery. If it had been price discovery I believe the third parties would have reduced their prices to $50 considering how dominant first party published sales were during the first twelve months; the reverse happened.

It's MS's fault. Once Gears started selling for $60 they pretty much cemented that price point for all games. The first parties lead by example.

 

[Drkirby]

Thats one thing I always over look, a publisher can technically price a game what ever they want. Activision could sell CoD7 for $70 if they really felt like it.

I believe $40 is the sweet spot. I always wonder how a game like FF13 which will probably cost $60, and a game like KOF12 be the same price at launch. I know they are different games, but content wise KOF12 should not be $60. Well thats my opinion.

Trust me, any fan of Fighter games will Argue you to death about this. Most of the Hard Core Shump fans will too, since they don't have a problem paying $100 for the latest low print Japanese only 360 Cave shooter that can only be played on there $250 imported Japanese Arcade unit.

Be thankful that people bringing shumps to the US realize its not that big of a market and tend to price the games rather low.

 

[LiK]

at least we have fixed prices. prices for Japanese games are more varied. high-profile games like MGS4 and RE5 both retailed for 8,800 yen originally.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I blame Micro$oft.

Doesn't really affect me though.

 

[jkanownik]

The chart is a little misleading because it represents everything as percentages. In reality some costs are fixed, which means if you drop price by X% you have to sell X% + Y% more to make the same percentage profit. The percentages are also misleading because even though percentages are static, the total dollar amounts are not. From a percentage basis a $20MM development budget / 1M units is the same as a $10MM budget / 0.5MM units.

 

[Biff]

In Canada, games are $70. Currency conversion only equals $65? WHAT YOU SPEAK OF??? $70 FOR YOU.

You pay future costs now. PAY NOW!!

 

[LiquidJin]

Because that's what the consumer thinks it's the right ammount to pay and if not it sure doesn't stop them from buying.

This. Price-fixing was accepted in order to get the consoles sold. But now that there isn't enough room on the shelves for all games it's time to take the gloves off. If people exercise patience and wait for sales and bargains then they are bringing down the prices of games. If you keep buying into the hype then you have no one to blame but yourself.

I'm going to jump on Fight Night Round 4 as soon as it hits $40, but no way am I paying $60 for it when it doesn't even come close to offering the same things as FIFA does at the same price.