Wait, what? Next-Gen Games Cost £60?

[rob_simple]

I feel really stupid for this, but somehow amidst the furor of the console pricing war between the Xbone and PS4 I didn't catch how much the games now cost. Then, while combing Play.com for rogue deals I decided to check out the PS4 section and found, to my surprise, that every single next-gen game is coming in at an RRP of sixty bangers and above?

I don't know about you guys, but I can probably count on my fingers the number of games I bought at the full £40 RRP this gen, and among those the number of games that actually merited the price would probably only require one hand.

I've been on the fence regarding this new generation up until now, but if this is going to be the going rate for games there's no way in hell I'll be picking up either console for a long, long time.

So, is it just me? Is the price hike in keeping with the general inflation of prices for just about everything else, these days? I wouldn't say so, since both new-release DVD's and Blu-Rays now sell for much cheaper than they did a few years ago, but what do you think?

 

[Maximum Bert]

They tried hiking prices again at the start of this gen when everything was about 50 pounds and see how long that lasted. I believe they would like to charge people 60 pounds for a game and thats one of the reasons they want to go full digital so they can make people pay it but in the shops I dont see that shit lasting this isnt the days of the SNES where some of the games were that price (so god knows what they would be now with inflation) or even the early PS1 days where games would still be 50 pounds in places.

People have become used to 40 pounds as standard game price for consoles now, if it goes above that people really start to question it or at least I do. With the exception of COD which can get away with being 5 pounds more than any other game for no reason I cant think of any game that has marketed itself above the 40 pounds mark and met with huge success. Most people are content to wait for price drops now anyway it seems (or at least look around before buying).

I think it will mirror the start of this gen where they get away with it at first due to the first wave new console adoptees tending to consist of people who dont care much about price but later on unless they are content with low software sales I believe the price will drop and then ofc they will try and hike it back up again once they have an installed base just like now on 360 and PS3 (buy digital for only 20 extra pounds er.....no).

I hope 60 dosent become standard again though otherwise I will be buying much less console games maybe only one or two a year or more likely I will be mainly playing older games from the SNES era onwards I havent got around to (dont think there are many NES and before games I want to play now).

 

[rob_simple]

Snip

I really hope you're right, to be honest I'd completely forgotten that at the beginning of this gen games were going for fifty bucks.

It just seems insane to me, given the current economic climate, that they'd even attempt such a bold price hike, even if it is just to hit the early adopters who have enough disposable income to not bother about paying more. If people who aren't that up on games get it into their heads that £60 is the going rate I think it could put off a lot of casual gamers and axe a big chunk of the market.

Only time will tell, I suppose.

 

[Evonisia]

Wait, £60? Wow, either the games are more expensive to make or the publishers are greedy. Probably both.

Damn I was used to new games being £40-£45.

 

[shrekfan246]

Though I've no experience with how Play.com works, if it's anything like Amazon then I'd say take their prices with a grain of salt because it's entirely possible they're simply placeholders.

That being said, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the price of games goes up to $80 USD then the gaming industry can kiss my business goodbye. I barely have the income to buy the games I want as it is.

 

[rob_simple]

Though I've no experience with how Play.com works, if it's anything like Amazon then I'd say take their prices with a grain of salt because it's entirely possible they're simply placeholders.

That being said, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the price of games goes up to $80 USD then the gaming industry can kiss my business goodbye. I barely have the income to buy the games I want as it is.

This was pretty much my thinking, too, but as I mentioned, at a time when price is more of an issue for many people than ever before with luxury goods, it seems nuts, from a PR perspective, for them to do this; even if it is just a tentative price until they get the real RRP's.

If it is true though, and they really have hiked the prices, I will be very interested to see the sales figures around about Q1 or Q2 of next year.

 

[rob_simple]

Wait, £60? Wow, either the games are more expensive to make or the publishers are greedy. Probably both.

Damn I was used to new games being £40-£45.

Well, the interesting thing is that at least half of the games listed on Play.com at the moment are also going to be on PS3 and 360 (Ass Creed IV, Watchdogs, CoD:Ghosts) presumably for the normal £40 RRP so I can't see the 'it's more expensive to make, now' excuse ringing true, should the devs decide to play that particular card.

 

[shrekfan246]

Though I've no experience with how Play.com works, if it's anything like Amazon then I'd say take their prices with a grain of salt because it's entirely possible they're simply placeholders.

That being said, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the price of games goes up to $80 USD then the gaming industry can kiss my business goodbye. I barely have the income to buy the games I want as it is.

This was pretty much my thinking, too, but as I mentioned, at a time when price is more of an issue for many people than ever before with luxury goods, it seems nuts, from a PR perspective, for them to do this; even if it is just a tentative price until they get the real RRP's.

As far as I'm aware, it's not the publishers who set the placeholder prices. Though I could very well be wrong about that. Granted, I'm sure everyone who stumbles across it is just going to assume the publishers are trying to get higher prices and will then fly into a rage about it, but you know.

If it is true though, and they really have hiked the prices, I will be very interested to see the sales figures around about Q1 or Q2 of next year.

Yeah, a price hike of £20/$20 for AAA would be suicide. People lament the price of video games these days, but the biggest ones have almost always sold for $50-60 USD on release, even going back to the days of the NES.

I won't grab for the pitchforks yet, though to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if certain publishers tried doing this.

 

[Evonisia]

Wait, £60? Wow, either the games are more expensive to make or the publishers are greedy. Probably both.

Damn I was used to new games being £40-£45.

Well, the interesting thing is that at least half of the games listed on Play.com at the moment are also going to be on PS3 and 360 (Ass Creed IV, Watchdogs, CoD:Ghosts) presumably for the normal £40 RRP so I can't see the 'it's more expensive to make, now' excuse ringing true, should the devs decide to play that particular card.

Hmm true, hopefully the Publishers can be called out on their bullshit so games after the first Xbox One/PS4 games will be properly priced.

Oh wait, I have another alternative. They're desperate to turn a profit from the new consoles, presumabley the Xbox One and PS4 cost more to make than the 360 and the PS3. At least the WiiU has a bit of dignity, but that's probably because of lackluster sales regardless of price.

 

[Xarathox]

I barely pay full price for a game this generation. Half the time, it's because I'm late getting to the party (so to speak) and new copies aren't available, or in some instances, they're marked down in price. For instance, I didn't pick up a copy of Mass Effect 2 until a full year after its release simply because I never had the time to sit down and play games due to life getting in the way. So, by the time I did get a copy, the only option was used. An added bonus was that the previous owner had it pre-ordered and never used the activation code to get the Terminus Armor, nor did they activate the Online Pass, a trend I've noticed in my used game buying habit over the years.

The other half of the equation is that sometimes I simply don't think a game is worth $60 or whatever the "new" game price tag is. So I wait, and snag a deal at a later time. I got the Limited Edition of BF3 for 30-fucking-bucks at GameStop only a few months after release because they had way too many in stock and couldn't move them.

Anywho, that was a bit long to prove a point that I'm not sure where I'm going with. So, uh... fuck paying $80 for a new game? Yeah, we'll go with that.

Since I'm moving to PC only for next gen, I wonder if Steam will still run off the "sweet deals" model it built up this last gen? If so, then this price hike might not affect me in the slightest.

 

[kenu12345]

I thought Sony already verified the price of their next gen games. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they have
EDIT: Yeah first party games http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122311-Sony-CEO-Gives-PS4-Games-0-99-to-60-Price-Range

 

[rob_simple]

I thought Sony already verified the price of their next gen games. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they have
EDIT: Yeah first party games http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122311-Sony-CEO-Gives-PS4-Games-0-99-to-60-Price-Range

Hmm, strange then for a major seller, (in the UK, at least) to go against that. Although I'm beginning to lean towards what shrekfan246 said: that these are just placeholder prices until the real deal drops.

I guess we've only got a few more months until we find out, either way.

 

[gigastar]

Then wait for the price to drop. Is not so complex.

 

[kenu12345]

I thought Sony already verified the price of their next gen games. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they have
EDIT: Yeah first party games http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122311-Sony-CEO-Gives-PS4-Games-0-99-to-60-Price-Range

Hmm, strange then for a major seller, (in the UK, at least) to go against that. Although I'm beginning to lean towards what shrekfan246 said: that these are just placeholder prices until the real deal drops.

I guess we've only got a few more months until we find out, either way.

Thats what I think it would be too. I mean they basically already confirmed that it wont be that price. Placeholder prices just make sense at this point. I don't see no reason for anyone to get worried about this
This of course isnt going to stop people from jumping to conclusions as this thread shows though

 

[InterrogationBear]

The price hike is UK only. The British pound lost a lot of its value (about 25%) since the banks tried to destroy the economy in 2008. And now you pay the price for flooding the market with cheap money and blocking all regulations the EU is proposing for Europe.

Have fun.

 

[Alexi089]

I know someone somewhere will see that as reasonable, but I'll never understand why (Also: Called it. I knew they'd try for a price hike ~ 1/3 for this generation). There's no way the majority of game releases will offer a good entertainment time: cost ratio at that price point. I'm sticking to avoiding paying over £30 like I always have.

Maybe they're going to shock everyone with £60 now with the intention to drop the price to £50 later and try to paint themselves in an overall positive light. Still won't pay it myself, but meh, my best guess.

This entire new console generation is quickly becoming too much extra hassle and sharp practise for me.

 

[laggyteabag]

£60? Wow, thats a lot. I heard that first-party XBone games were going to be £50, and I thought that was a hike.

Turns out PC releases are £30 - £40, which hasnt changed much. I really feel for you man, an extra £20 is a lot of money.

I guess its also worth noting that in the US next gen releases are sticking at $60, which is exactly the same, so I guess its a case of us getting shafted again.

 

[mad825]

People were complaining that Australia's tag price was too much...So they raised the cost for everyone else. I know this isn't true but it would be a sad day if it was.

 

[SerBrittanicus]

Though I've no experience with how Play.com works, if it's anything like Amazon then I'd say take their prices with a grain of salt because it's entirely possible they're simply placeholders.

That being said, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the price of games goes up to $80 USD then the gaming industry can kiss my business goodbye. I barely have the income to buy the games I want as it is.

Unfortunately they are not placeholders. I don't know about every publisher/developer, but several companies such as EA have already confirmed they will be selling games at £55+ next gen (and already started end of this gen). They have another thing coming if they think I am going to be paying that much for games.