What is with $60 PC Games these days?

from Sins Forums

Ever since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released at $60 dollars, all the big publishers have started pricing games at 60 dollars, Crysis 2, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Bulletstorm, its a really become a negative trend now. While PS3 and Xbox 360 games have always been $60, $10 of that went into Sony or Microsoft's pocket. There's no reason for PC other than to price gouge. All I see is greed, and with these publishers you get little to no patch support, DLC that was cut from the original game, and a whole load of other BS.

With internet distribution on the rise, I really hope good indie games can topple these giants. Activision, I formally raise my middle finger to you for starting this nonsense.

(/rant)

off-topic
44,506 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

 They're $60 because people will buy them for that much. The same reason that the direct downloads are also not (usually) discounted, even though they have no packaging, CD's, manuals, shelf space, etc. And there's no way the digital version's facsimiles come close to matching those costs. Even Impulse charges $10+S&H for a $.50 padded envelope and a CD for their "boxed" versions (at least, each one I've bought has arrived that way.)

 

 If they don't sell well at $60, they won't cost $60. The trick is to convince everyone not to buy it, and please call me when you figure that one out.

 

 

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

It's a simple supply and demand curve (Economics 101). The people willing to buy the game at $60 dollars are hit first until demand runs out. Then the price is lowered to hit the next level of targetted demand which wouldn't spend $60 but are willing to spend $30 or $40 dollars. Then eventually the game goes on final sales to tap out the rest of the curve.

If they just set the price at $30 dollars they are quite frankly missing an opportunity to maximize profits as anyone willing to buy at $60 would most assuredly buy at $30. Given prices of games tend to always drop I don't think anyone is missing out in the equation.

SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

That's why lying in wait two years and then looking on Amazon works so well ;)

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Blizzard has always priced their games highly. Starcraft wasn't that much cheaper than Starcraft 2.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Inflation can also play a factor.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting ZombiesRus5, reply 2
It's a simple supply and demand curve (Economics 101). The people willing to buy the game at $60 dollars are hit first until demand runs out. Then the price is lowered to hit the next level of targetted demand which wouldn't spend $60 but are willing to spend $30 or $40 dollars. Then eventually the game goes on final sales to tap out the rest of the curve.

If they just set the price at $30 dollars they are quite frankly missing an opportunity to maximize profits as anyone willing to buy at $60 would most assuredly buy at $30. Given prices of games tend to always drop I don't think anyone is missing out in the equation.

Agreed. Some games people just gotta have it at release. Some people just set their budget to no more than $30-$40 for a game.

With DD you lose nothing by having a sale. You have the files and the server, why not have a 50 to 75 percent sale and pull in some cash to keep things running.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Stop buying games and the price will go down.

 

:fox: