Why is Dead Space 2 $60?

I know the reason why computer games are cheaper and why they go down in price lower and quicker when compared to consoles, but there are some games like COd and this new Dead Space that break that mold.

Why?

There is no reason why a new game comes out and is $50 and then another is $60. Besides the fact that it is published by EA.

It's becoming a norm for some publishers.

Did you know that every multiplat game from EA on PC will be 60 bucks now? Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Crysis 2 are all 60 bucks. I think it started with Medal of Honor last year for EA seeing how Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age were 50 bucks each.

Aye id start getting used to this price tag..It couldnt stay 40 bucks to 50 bucks for games on the pc for ever..

Thats not exactly fair. They don't have to pay to put thier games on the PC like they do with consoles. Doesn't that border price gouging?monkey_muffin

Thats not exactly fair. They don't have to pay to put thier games on the PC like they do with consoles. Doesn't that border price gouging?monkey_muffin

How is it not fair?

You're getting the same exact game as others pay $60 for.

Don't give me that "licensing is expensive." Licensing to make games on the consoles is not nearly the millions it costs for all other parts of game deveopment.

Gaming isn't cheap. I thought we all knew this. Game development costs have risen exponentially over the years. Did everybody expect these big-budget titles to cost less?

Also, you all should know that DirectX requires a licensing fee.

This really only applies to these big budget blockbusters. Games from devs like Paradox don't sink the millions into the game development, so they don't run nearly as much on costs so they can afford to release games for cheaper. High production values are extremely expensive.

You always find games cheaper at retail.

Gaming isn't cheap. I thought we all knew this. Game development costs have risen exponentially over the years. Did everybody expect these big-budget titles to cost less?

Also, you all should know that DirectX requires a licensing fee.

Wasdie

Also DirectX licesing is nowhere near close to the royalties that they have to pay FOR EACH GAME sold on a console, plus the DirectX SDK is already required for making games on the Xbox 360 anyway.

[QUOTE="monkey_muffin"]Thats not exactly fair. They don't have to pay to put thier games on the PC like they do with consoles. Doesn't that border price gouging?Wasdie

How is it not fair?

You're getting the same exact game as others pay $60 for.

Don't give me that "licensing is expensive." Licensing to make games on the consoles is not nearly the millions it costs for all other parts of game deveopment.

Gaming isn't cheap. I thought we all knew this. Game development costs have risen exponentially over the years. Did everybody expect these big-budget titles to cost less?

Also, you all should know that DirectX requires a licensing fee.

This really only applies to these big budget blockbusters. Games from devs like Paradox don't sink the millions into the game development, so they don't run nearly as much on costs so they can afford to release games for cheaper. High production values are extremely expensive.

Don't give me that "Gaming is expensive, get used to it" stuff. Just b/c you want to flaunt your money, doesn't mean some of us want to taken advantage of.

Fact is: there is no licensing fee. Regardless of how much that is,the prices should not be the same.

It's like someone who bought a motorcycle to save on gas who has to paymore per gallon b/c he doesn't use as much.

Seriously,point blank: Why are you ok with paying more? You really think they careif you lose yourjob, get kicked out on the streets and can't afford to eat? NO.

He is right, you have to get used to the default retail price becoming $60. There is enough consumer willingness for the publishers to realize that they can charge extra $10 for PC games and get away with it. I am personally not happy with this trend and will most likely avoid buying almost any game on release date now.the_ChEeSe_mAn2

It's because we have hoards of idiots that will pay $60 for subpar games.Remmib

[QUOTE="the_ChEeSe_mAn2"]He is right, you have to get used to the default retail price becoming $60. There is enough consumer willingness for the publishers to realize that they can charge extra $10 for PC games and get away with it. I am personally not happy with this trend and will most likely avoid buying almost any game on release date now.devious742

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

Thinking about it, maybe EA wants to make some fast cash anticipating TOR's epic failure:P Also there's no way they can win the Activision lawsuit.

[QUOTE="devious742"]

[QUOTE="the_ChEeSe_mAn2"]He is right, you have to get used to the default retail price becoming $60. There is enough consumer willingness for the publishers to realize that they can charge extra $10 for PC games and get away with it. I am personally not happy with this trend and will most likely avoid buying almost any game on release date now.Wasdie

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="devious742"] pretty much... just like how activision can get away with charging $15 for a 5 map pack dlc

guynamedbilly

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

Why do you think less and less every year do come and most of those are complete consolized garbage?

[QUOTE="devious742"]

He is right, you have to get used to the default retail price becoming $60. There is enough consumer willingness for the publishers to realize that they can charge extra $10 for PC games and get away with it. I am personally not happy with this trend and will most likely avoid buying almost any game on release date now.the_ChEeSe_mAn2

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="devious742"] pretty much... just like how activision can get away with charging $15 for a 5 map pack dlc

monkey_muffin

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

Why would any company go out of their way to help you in a time of need if they don't desperately rely on your business? It's not worth the trouble.

Companies don't owe you squat. This idea that we are entitled to stuff is crazy.

I guess we could start paying people $0.01 for work, i mean its not like developers have families, food, shelter and clothing.

Now that i think about it y don't we pay them $0.0001 for a days work. Cheaper.

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.Wasdie

Then, he showed how that combination of service and smarter pricing allowed the company to run experiments and make a lot more money -- competing quite successfully against piracy. The most stunning example: last weekend, the company ran an experiment with the game Left 4 Dead. It heavily discounted the price, and sales shot up 3,000%. And this wasn't just a case of building off a small base. The sales over the weekend were more than when the game launched.

In fact, it looks like a big part of the problem facing the industry is that they charge way too much for their products. Here are the numbers Newell shared from Valve's experiments with "sale" pricing:

• 10% off = 35% increase in sales (real dollars, not units shipped)
• 25% off = 245% increase in sales
• 50% off = 320% increase in sales
• 75% off = 1470% increase in sales

Newell then says when they decrease the price by 75%, they are making 15% more than when they were charging at full priceValve Exec Explains How To Compete With Piracy

"This is a tremendous amount and more than we ever thought we would," the blog post reads. "Our 'dream estimates' before release was something around 100k, and to be able to double that feels insane." The post goes on to note that the majority of sales came at promotional pricing, but the studio is now in an "incredibly good" financial position as a result of the game.

Frictional also expressed optimism over the sales potential of the PC platform. "The sales that we have had (and are having) are more than enough to motivate developing a game with the PC as the main (and even only) platform," Frictional said. "Based on what we have seen, the online PC market is just getting bigger and bigger, and we are convinced we are far from the end of this growth. We think that other developers that consider making their game exclusive to a console might want to think again."Amnesia sales

I guess we could start paying people $0.01 for work, i mean its not like developers have families, food, shelter and clothing.

Now that i think about it y don't we pay them $0.0001 for a days work. Cheaper.

urbangamez

I guess they could all go back into their parents basement, not hire any voice actors or sound editors, say the hell with writers...

Why do you think less and less every year do come and most of those are complete consolized garbage?

Wasdie

That statement just makes no sense. If they didn't make money, they wouldn't constantly be putting stuff for sale for the pc at a loss. Their stockholders would jump ship and the executives would be fined.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"] Here are some stuff I found that has led me to believe otherwise

[QUOTE="Valve Exec Explains How To Compete With Piracy"]Then, he showed how that combination of service and smarter pricing allowed the company to run experiments and make a lot more money -- competing quite successfully against piracy. The most stunning example: last weekend, the company ran an experiment with the game Left 4 Dead. It heavily discounted the price, and sales shot up 3,000%. And this wasn't just a case of building off a small base. The sales over the weekend were more than when the game launched.

In fact, it looks like a big part of the problem facing the industry is that they charge way too much for their products. Here are the numbers Newell shared from Valve's experiments with "sale" pricing:

• 10% off = 35% increase in sales (real dollars, not units shipped)
• 25% off = 245% increase in sales
• 50% off = 320% increase in sales
• 75% off = 1470% increase in sales

Newell then says when they decrease the price by 75%, they are making 15% more than when they were charging at full pricedevious742

"This is a tremendous amount and more than we ever thought we would," the blog post reads. "Our 'dream estimates' before release was something around 100k, and to be able to double that feels insane." The post goes on to note that the majority of sales came at promotional pricing, but the studio is now in an "incredibly good" financial position as a result of the game.

Frictional also expressed optimism over the sales potential of the PC platform. "The sales that we have had (and are having) are more than enough to motivate developing a game with the PC as the main (and even only) platform," Frictional said. "Based on what we have seen, the online PC market is just getting bigger and bigger, and we are convinced we are far from the end of this growth. We think that other developers that consider making their game exclusive to a console might want to think again."Amnesia sales

You're also assuming that all small budget games are as good as Amnesia and that all games that drop by 75% will sell that much...

I hate to break it to you, but 90% of indie games go completely unnoticed and these sales of those big budget games only happen after they are proven to be great titles. Then you're also assuming a developer on the PC could sell the quantity required to make back the budget of a game.

Remember Amnesia and Minecraft are complete oddities and most big budget titles are never near the quality of a Valve game. You're making a lot of assumptions and then applying them to the entire gaming industry.

[QUOTE="urbangamez"]

I guess we could start paying people $0.01 for work, i mean its not like developers have families, food, shelter and clothing.

Now that i think about it y don't we pay them $0.0001 for a days work. Cheaper.

Wasdie

I guess they could all go back into their parents basement, not hire any voice actors or sound editors, say the hell with writers...

Way to go wasdie, now that i think about it, houses should cost $0, nobody would be homeless, food too

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]Why do you think less and less every year do come and most of those are complete consolized garbage?

guynamedbilly

That statement just makes no sense. If they didn't make money, they wouldn't constantly be putting stuff for sale for the pc at a loss. Their stockholders would jump ship and the executives would be fined.

Game sales have increased nearly every single year during these recessions...

[QUOTE="guynamedbilly"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]Why do you think less and less every year do come and most of those are complete consolized garbage?

Wasdie

That statement just makes no sense. If they didn't make money, they wouldn't constantly be putting stuff for sale for the pc at a loss. Their stockholders would jump ship and the executives would be fined.

Game sales have increased nearly every single year during these recessions...

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="urbangamez"]

I guess we could start paying people $0.01 for work, i mean its not like developers have families, food, shelter and clothing.

Now that i think about it y don't we pay them $0.0001 for a days work. Cheaper.

urbangamez

I guess they could all go back into their parents basement, not hire any voice actors or sound editors, say the hell with writers...

Way to go wasdie, now that i think about it, houses should cost $0, nobody would be homeless, food too

Aye id start getting used to this price tag..It couldnt stay 40 bucks to 50 bucks for games on the pc for ever..

Gladestone1

What makes $50 the magic number? Renevent42

Apparently for the past 10 years PC games have been completely immune to development cost increases.

What makes $50 the magic number? Renevent42

You're also assuming that all small budget games are as good as Amnesia and that all games that drop by 75% will sell that much...

I hate to break it to you, but 90% of indie games go completely unnoticed and these sales of those big budget games only happen after they are proven to be great titles. Then you're also assuming a developer on the PC could sell the quantity required to make back the budget of a game.

Remember Amnesia and Minecraft are complete oddities and most big budget titles are never near the quality of a Valve game. You're making a lot of assumptions and then applying them to the entire gaming industry.Wasdie

another example on how lower prices means more sales on pc...keep in mind that Risen was on special on Steam when this happened... Risen Developer:

By the way, putting all this into perspective and why we were that surprised: The game sold more copies over the last 4 days than since its release in October 2009 in total(over almost one year) on Steam! It's like earning a year's salary in 4 days and that is truly something no one anticipated from our side.

It seems to me that lower pricing seems to work on PC perfectly..just look at mmos that have gone F2P and have doubled their sales

Developers count on people being trained monkeys that are afraid to go against the flow. They know that if they can just get enough people to accept higher prices that the followers will just go along with it, for fear of being "different".

Developers charge exactly what gamers let them charge. . If everyone refused to pay higher prices, and waited for a price drop - they couldn't get away with it.

[QUOTE="Renevent42"]What makes $50 the magic number? Wasdie

Apparently for the past 10 years PC games have been completely immune to development cost increases.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]You're also assuming that all small budget games are as good as Amnesia and that all games that drop by 75% will sell that much...

I hate to break it to you, but 90% of indie games go completely unnoticed and these sales of those big budget games only happen after they are proven to be great titles. Then you're also assuming a developer on the PC could sell the quantity required to make back the budget of a game.

Remember Amnesia and Minecraft are complete oddities and most big budget titles are never near the quality of a Valve game. You're making a lot of assumptions and then applying them to the entire gaming industry.devious742

another example on how lower prices means more sales on pc... Risen Developer:

By the way, putting all this into perspective and why we were that surprised: The game sold more copies over the last 4 days than since its release in October 2009 in total(over almost one year) on Steam! It's like earning a year's salary in 4 days and that is truly something no one anticipated from our side.

It seems to me that lower pricing seems to work on PC perfectly..just look at mmos that have gone F2P and have doubled their sales

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]You're also assuming that all small budget games are as good as Amnesia and that all games that drop by 75% will sell that much...

I hate to break it to you, but 90% of indie games go completely unnoticed and these sales of those big budget games only happen after they are proven to be great titles. Then you're also assuming a developer on the PC could sell the quantity required to make back the budget of a game.

Remember Amnesia and Minecraft are complete oddities and most big budget titles are never near the quality of a Valve game. You're making a lot of assumptions and then applying them to the entire gaming industry.devious742

another example on how lower prices means more sales on pc... Risen Developer:

By the way, putting all this into perspective and why we were that surprised: The game sold more copies over the last 4 days than since its release in October 2009 in total(over almost one year) on Steam! It's like earning a year's salary in 4 days and that is truly something no one anticipated from our side.

It seems to me that lower pricing seems to work on PC perfectly..just look at mmos that have gone F2P and have doubled their sales

Again you're assuming that the big budget games could lower their price and make up the difference in pure sales quantity.

Risen wasn't a massive budget game like Dead Space 2 will be or games like GTA4, CoD, BFBC2, SC2, and many others.

Also MMOs are going F2P becaue they cannot compete against WoW directly and they needed a new way to generate revenue. They have switched to an in-game store based way to generate revenue and advertising.

[QUOTE="monkey_muffin"][QUOTE="Wasdie"]

No. This is a different matter. Overpiced DLC is becuase they can get away with it. Big budget games are a different story. You start spending over $30 million on a game, you need to keep your prices high. Even multiplat, the chances of a game failing are pretty high when there are other major games out there. The PC version is by far going to sell the least even with lower prices. It would be foolish to lower the profit margins. By lowering the price they still won't sell enough on the PC to make up the costs. Even low-budget PC exclusives at cheaper prices, even after word of mouth + advertising, don't sell the millions of copies required to turn a profit.

This is why the indie guy will always be around. They can make games for far cheaper than the big guys and put them out for much cheaper. Big budget games will always carry the bigger price tag.

Wasdie

Why would any company go out of their way to help you in a time of need if they don't desperately rely on your business? It's not worth the trouble.

Companies don't owe you squat. This idea that we are entitled to stuff is crazy.

Do you usually make up stuff to avoid being wrong? Where did I say I was entitled to those things......I didn't. The point is they would not help you, so why are you so inclined to make sure they get money for overpricing stuff?Plus 25% of GTA 4 profits are $250,000,000!!! They can stand to lose $10!

[QUOTE="devious742"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]You're also assuming that all small budget games are as good as Amnesia and that all games that drop by 75% will sell that much...

I hate to break it to you, but 90% of indie games go completely unnoticed and these sales of those big budget games only happen after they are proven to be great titles. Then you're also assuming a developer on the PC could sell the quantity required to make back the budget of a game.

Remember Amnesia and Minecraft are complete oddities and most big budget titles are never near the quality of a Valve game. You're making a lot of assumptions and then applying them to the entire gaming industry.guynamedbilly

another example on how lower prices means more sales on pc... Risen Developer:

By the way, putting all this into perspective and why we were that surprised: The game sold more copies over the last 4 days than since its release in October 2009 in total(over almost one year) on Steam! It's like earning a year's salary in 4 days and that is truly something no one anticipated from our side.

It seems to me that lower pricing seems to work on PC perfectly..just look at mmos that have gone F2P and have doubled their sales

Developers count on people being trained monkeys that are afraid to go against the flow. They know that if they can just get enough people to accept higher prices that the followers will just go along with it, for fear of being "different".

Developers charge exactly what gamers let them charge. . If everyone refused to pay higher prices, and waited for a price drop - they couldn't gey away with it.

Born_Lucky

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="monkey_muffin"] You do know that 25% of the profits of GTA 4 are $250 million. I think $30 milltion is a little bearable. PLUS, you never answered my quesiton. Do you think they would help YOU out in a time of need?monkey_muffin

Why would any company go out of their way to help you in a time of need if they don't desperately rely on your business? It's not worth the trouble.

Companies don't owe you squat. This idea that we are entitled to stuff is crazy.

Do you usually make up stuff to avoid being wrong? Where did I say I was entitled to those things......I didn't. The point is they would not help you, so why are you so inclined to make sure they get money for overpricing stuff?Plus 25% of GTA 4 profits are $250,000,000!!! They can stand to lose $10!

Where did they sell at least 16 million copies? I don't believe GTA 4 has sold that much. Oh and if it did, it will have to had sold at $60 bucks a copy.

Developers count on people being trained monkeys that are afraid to go against the flow. They know that if they can just get enough people to accept higher prices that the followers will just go along with it, for fear of being "different".

Developers charge exactly what gamers let them charge. . If everyone refused to pay higher prices, and waited for a price drop - they couldn't gey away with it.

Born_Lucky

Hey im with you bro, everyone loves the idea of freeware and cheap prices, that until they apply for a job and they are asked to work freely and cheaply.

Apparently - some people believe that we owe these multi billion dollar corporations our money.

We don't.

:lol:

Yeah, you guys are super smart...apparently you are the first people to realize we don't have to buy games. Man! I wish I read this thread earlier I was just going out and buying games because I thought I had to!

Darn evil mind controlling developers! Damn you! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!!