EA wants to make digital games MORE expensive than retail

[u2rocksbaby]

So a while back, Jim called out a number of game producers for charging the same price for cheaper-to-produce digital games when making them cheaper to buy would eliminate all the middlemen between them and the money-loaded consumer:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/5684-Dont-Charge-Retail-Prices-For-Digital-Games

Now, a particularly familiar company, EA, has started charging $20 extra for all sorts of laughable "limited editions" of their games. This, my friends, is known as the "Digital Deluxe Edition". Mass Effect 3, Darksiders, Sim City, Medal of Honor, it's a pervasive tactic throughout Origin. Now look, I'm aware that many of you fellow forumgoers purchase these, but I'm not going to waste time telling you that you got ripped off. If you're invested in franchises enough to spend that much on them for the little extras, I'm guilty of that too (in the past). However, what worries me about this whole "Digital Deluxe" crap is that it's making digital games seem like some sort of luxury that you have to pay extra for if you want to take FULL ADVANTAGE of the method, when in actuality it saves the company millions on top of profiting from the ridiculously over-priced stuff for that extra 20 bucks in what is essentially disc-locked content. You're not getting any of the physical bonuses or collectible value, you're paying for a few changed lines of code so that you can access more weapons and multiplayer modes. On top of that, it's setting a dangerous precedent that digital games can be priced at even higher prices than retail and make it seem necessary, to get you all those precious goodies. The bottom line is that you don't need to stand for it, ESPECIALLY when they typically release all of that stuff later in DLC that, let's face it, you're going to buy if you purchased the "Digital Ripoff Edition".

 

[Sangnz]

Try being in the Oceanic region.
I live in New Zealand, ME3 is currently priced at $89.99 US (about $113 NZ), it was more expensive on release. I am paying about $30-40 more than some one in the US for a digital copy of a game from Origin. To buy a physical copy from EBgames atm is about $98 NZ a full $15 cheaper than the digital copy.

Often it is cheaper for me to order a game from Amazon and pay for postage&packaging than get it from Origin, especially new releases.

 

[StriderShinryu]

So basically you're paying more money for more content. Yeah, that doesn't sound reasonable to me at all.

Anyway, as Draech said, this is neither something new nor something limited to EA. Put simply, if you don't see value in it, then don't buy it. There are so many places to get both physical and digital copies of games these days, and there are so many good/great games out these days, that if you don't want to support one company/store you don't have to.

 

[Hazy992]

So... EA are charging more money for extra content?

I'm sorry but what's the issue here?

 

[Keoul]

You shouldn't get angry over "Digital Deluxe" editions, after all they're not forcing you to purchase those versions, just get the regular one if you don't feel like spending an extra 20 dollars.
I don't see why you're so angry at all, sure you don't get any physical bonuses but that's why you get digital bonuses, also most of these bonuses are exactly that, bonuses. You don't need them for the game, they don't contain vital plot points or anything it's just something added on. Exhibit A would be Assassins creed brotherhood, when it was released on steam, the digital deluxe version gave you a bonus map (totally unrelated to the story) and a harlequin character for multiplayer, which is a purely cosmetic feature mind you.

As for me I'll stick to steam sales and my local game store.

 

[Sangnz]

I think you want to check Origin's prices again. I dont know about your region prices, but Origins ME3 price has dropped with 50% since release in my region.

Keeping in my situation that both Digital and Retail was 399 Dkr at release. I dont know why it is so different in your country.

I did, I'm talking about the normal retail price not the special sale it is on atm, unless it magically stays that low which is highly unlikely.

 

[Twilight_guy]

You do realize that digital deluxe edition is a collectors edition right? Like at the store when there is a super special extra version that cost more? You can argue about how digital game should be priced by charging extra for the collectors edition, whether its physical or digital seems obvious.

Also, It's not like just because its a digital copy means it cost them nothing. The cost of development is spread across all their sold copies. It might cost them nearly nothing to copy the binary, but the cost of producing the binary still exists. Some people don't seem to get this sometimes, so FYI.

 

[bioject]

Try being in the Oceanic region.
I live in New Zealand, ME3 is currently priced at $89.99 US (about $113 NZ), it was more expensive on release. I am paying about $30-40 more than some one in the US for a digital copy of a game from Origin. To buy a physical copy from EBgames atm is about $98 NZ a full $15 cheaper than the digital copy.

Often it is cheaper for me to order a game from Amazon and pay for postage&packaging than get it from Origin, especially new releases.

Well I can tell you this. After EA destroyed Mass Effect and Dragon Age 2, I don't plan to ever purchase their products again. Just look at their failing stock price and see how bad they are doing right now. Looks like Valve's Steam will continue taking the lead. EA is just a stupid greedy shell of a company.