Why are digital games...

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Because people will still pay that amount

That's the only reason. It's also the reason why physical games are $60 to begin with; people will pay it. It has nothing to do with the cost of development at this point, it's just an arbitrary $10 increase on the already arbitrary cost of a game from last gen, done because people expect things to get more expensive over time.

$60! I hate you guys =D

MW3 is STILL $99.99 for us.

And you guys make twice as much money a year on average than we do. Your point?

Relative wages aren't really a factor, gaming is a luxury item.

You're joking, right? The amount of money people earn, adjusted for cost of living, has nothing to do with how easy it is to afford a luxury item? And besides, games are a luxury item on the order of books or DVDs. To hear people use that excuse, you'd think it was caviar.

 

[Total LOLige]

I like to think their charging for the convenience of instant download. I'm yet to buy a game from Steam it's overpriced, the only time it isn't is in sales. Dead Space 2 29.99 on steam 4,98 on Shopto. Also Amazon blows steam out of the water on cheapness.

 

[targren]

An added factor is that digital games go on sale much more frequently than their store bought counterparts, so for digital distribution users it is usually just a waiting game till the thing you want is on sale.

Clearly you never used the NCSoft online store.

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

 

[ResonanceSD]

An added factor is that digital games go on sale much more frequently than their store bought counterparts, so for digital distribution users it is usually just a waiting game till the thing you want is on sale.

Clearly you never used the NCSoft online store.

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

I got facs and NF in a bundle together for $15, during a sale.

I'm also one of the pod people who bought the mercenary pack =\

 

[Corven]

An added factor is that digital games go on sale much more frequently than their store bought counterparts, so for digital distribution users it is usually just a waiting game till the thing you want is on sale.

Clearly you never used the NCSoft online store.

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

My post wasn't intended for self owned sevices where the parent company controls the price, I was talking more along the lines of like third party distributors like steam, gamersgate, gog.com, etc.

 

[octafish]

Uh.. what?

I'm from Australia too, and the downloadable prices (at least on Steam) are often significantly less that what I see in stores.

They also go down faster.

What stores are you going to? How much is Skyrim? I can get it for $68 in most stores and about $35 physically shipped from the UK, it is still $90 from Steam. Prices do tend to go lower on Steam once they drop but that takes at least six months, sometimes longer. Before then you are better off buying retail or importing from the UK.

 

[targren]

In my opinion, it's simply because they can. There's no rule saying you have to lower the right just because you distribute it via the internet.

Pretty much this. DLC is even worse, even on non-"mainstream" games. While waiting for Lollipop Chainsaw, I figured I'd work on my last two cheevos for Onechanbara. On a lark I went onto the XBL store.

Five years later, the game is $9.99, but the DLC hasn't been price-adjusted. Each of the three unlockables still costs 500 pts (about $6.25).

 

[Blade_125]

Everything is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it.

I have noticed that digial distribution has sales sooner and more often than physical retail. (Damn steam an their awesome sales, making me have too many games to play).

 

[Tanakh]

Also, the boxing and shipping and all that is a minuscule expense, compared to everything else that goes into a game.

Wrong, if you look it up they make a lot more profit on a DD version than a boxed version.

Ahh, no, he is right, the actual phisical copy costs around $4 all things included (a small ammount for a $60 videogame), but publishers do make around 20% more on the PC games DD version because they forgo the plataform royalty, the digital distributors charge less than the phisical retailers and they do save on the boxing and shipping.

Clearly you never used the NCSoft online store.

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

Well... they are still selling 20 item slots on the bank for 9.99 aint they? NCSoft GW 1 store is like a trip to the 90s poor pricing and service.

(Damn steam an their awesome sales, making me have too many games to play).

Also this... the steam/GoG/Amazon/Origin offer is soo good i have stopped buying because i have too many awesome games to play, most of them bought for cheap.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Also, the boxing and shipping and all that is a minuscule expense, compared to everything else that goes into a game.

Wrong, if you look it up they make a lot more profit on a DD version than a boxed version.

Ahh, no, he is right, the actual phisical copy costs around $4 all things included (a small ammount for a $60 videogame), but publishers do make around 20% more on the PC games DD version because they forgo the plataform royalty, the digital distributors charge less than the phisical retailers and they do save on the boxing and shipping.

Clearly you never used the NCSoft online store.

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

Well... they are still selling 20 item slots on the bank for 9.99 aint they? NCSoft GW 1 store is like a trip to the 90s poor pricing and service.

(Damn steam an their awesome sales, making me have too many games to play).

Also this... the steam/GoG/Amazon/Origin offer is soo good i have stopped buying because i have too many awesome games to play, most of them bought for cheap.

Poor pricing and service? Sounds like any Aussie retail store you care to name.

 

[targren]

They were selling GW:Factions for $39.99 when it was on shelves for $4.99...

Well... they are still selling 20 item slots on the bank for 9.99 aint they? NCSoft GW 1 store is like a trip to the 90s poor pricing and service.
[/quote]

Don't remind me... And the gem-store in GW2 is overtly selling power, now, too. Wish I had links to every time someone told me I was wrong for worrying that they'd do that "because Arenanet said they wouldn't." Hah.

 

[Tanakh]

Poor pricing and service? Sounds like any Aussie retail store you care to name.

Korean, also... well, i am too lazy to do the math, but it's kinda boring to see all this australian complains. It is impossible that australia has the worst videogame pricing when adjusted to the average family income, and without adjusting you are not talking economy, just QQing...

But i do agree, fuck americans and their awesome prices.

Don't remind me... And the gem-store in GW2 is overtly selling power, now, too. Wish I had links to every time someone told me I was wrong for worrying that they'd do that "because Arenanet said they wouldn't." Hah.

Yeah... i am fine with them "selling power" as in lets say the equivalent of heirlooms for WoW, or even top of the line gear if gear is easy to get or not as important. You know, as long as a noob with cash can't faceroll dedicated players.

Well c, but NCSoft record on that is... sigh, i dont even want to think about it.

 

[Cronq]

Goods are NEVER priced at what it costs to produce, they are ALWAYS priced at what people will pay. There are plenty of products/services businesses lose money on and then some they make TONS of money on, all based on consumers' willingness to pay. Any business who lowers the price of a good solely based on their cost going down is being run by a moron or a philanthropist.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Hah! And it's the JQ video for today! I'm so psychic.