I know we aren't really supposed to link to other sites, but I just don't give a shit so here:
Videogames Can't Afford To Cost This Much
and
GameStop The ScapeGoat
I thought that these were extremely well thought out articles on not only the state of used games, but the cost of new ones as well.
I tend to agree with all points the author brings up. How about you?
I think that publishers and developers need to take an honest look at their games and ask themselves if this game is worth 60 bucks? Will this sell better at $40 bucks? Is a tacked on MP (cough*Dead Space 2*cough) really going to sell more copies of your game?
I think the last new game I bought that was only $50 bucks, at launch, was Perfect Dark Zero and that launched with the 360.
I'm not saying GameStop is perfect, but their trade-in policies have allowed me to get many a new game I otherwise wouldn't have and for that I'm grateful and frankly, the developers should be, too.
Also, Goozex.
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This whole thing makes me wonder who came up with the default price of $60 for a new game. I remember back in the SNES days, I'd look at games in different stores in the mall and they would range all the way from $50 to $70 for a new game.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing I wonder about is if any of these companies have considered lowering their overall price for a new game. Or maybe offering different versions of their game at different prices? I'll just use Call of Duty as an example because that's the most popular game (as evidenced by their pre-order numbers and sales, etc). What if they offered up a disc with just the campaign on it for $30, the "standard" version as we now know it for $50, and the uber-version with a year's worth of DLC for $80?
There's a lot of discussion around pricing for games, and the used sales industry is only a small part of that. I think the way a game gets priced at 60 bucks is because... well... we keep buying it.
ReplyDeleteSince COD's success, the sale of a "season pass" of some sort has become standard practice. It may as well be included in the price of the game! If you have any interest in playing online with any of the current multiplayer games, you basically need it, or else the game maker finds some way to severely limit your online experience (can't join other players who have content, lack of dedicated servers, etc.)
2K sports, prior to EA games buying exclusive rights to the NFL, used to sell their new football game each year for 40 bucks. Many have argued that it was a better game anyways, but they made a killing! They really hurt EA's sales for those years... the millions they must have paid the NFL to be the only show in town was well worth it considering the sort of dent 2K was making.