$60 PC Games Descend Upon the States

[Tanuki]

Dead Space 2
Diablo III
Dragon Age 2
Rage
Deus Ex: Human Evolution
Crysis 2

Feel free to horrify us with your nation's current dollar equivalent.

This puts PC games at the same price level as new console games. Does this mean better selection and support in the future for PC games? Or is this a case of if you raise it those who would buy it will still buy it?

[Abram]

As soon as I saw MW2 PC going for $60, I knew more were to follow... Lame. At least in Canad, the prices are most always the same as their US counterparts. I wonder if Aussies will starting paying $120?

[MobsterOO7]

better selection and support in the future for PC games

OH YOU

[Fraggle42]

I just pre-ordered Witcher 2 Collectors edition through EB games here in Australia = $150 AUD

Pc games here are routinely around the $80 - $110 AUD mark.

[Nedder]

I think Aussies can bypass the ripoff by having a friend gift them a game on Steam (at the North American price).

[GeneralAdmission]

Or is this a case of if you raise it those who would buy it will still buy it?

Most likely this.

I can't remember the last time I dropped more than $30 on any single PC game. $60 has about the same chance of happening as me paying for a subscription MMO--basically zero. My purchases average about 6-12 months behind the release curve for new games, so maybe now it will be 8-14 months. Doesn't really bother me.

Now, the broader issue of how wise it is for the industry to push this direction has my interest. The movie industry has been increasing annual revenues by price increases for a while, at the expense of continually decreasing audience attendance. Sure, you have more money in the bank, but achieving this by shrinking one's customer base strikes me as long-term folly.

[sixshot]

If the games I am looking forward to ends up at this price, I will be put off by it. It will force me to reevaluate the option of snagging the game early. Three to four titles are currently on my must-have list: Portal 2, Guild Wars 2, BF3, and Trine 2. I pray that none of them ever touch the $60 pricetag.

[yogibbear]

I'm specifically not picking up Dead Space 2 due to the $60 price tag. Will wait for it to drop to $40.

[DaFox]

Blizzard still has me by the dick.

[MobsterOO7]

Blizzard still has me by the dick.

Stop pretending that you don't like it.

[Ryom]

Mass Effect 3 is going to be $60 too. Combine that with $30-40 in DLC and you are looking at up to $100 USD for the latest Bioware games. I'll wait on the all-inclusive ultimate editions on sale. And if that doesn't happen, I may not buy it at all.

I posted a rant on another forum...

Well, if it's anything like the Dragon Age 2 launch... it'll be $60, you will pay extra for release day DLC if you want it on Steam, and you'll have to pre-order months beforehand to get the release day DLC. And if it's anything like Mass Effect 1-2, there will be plot threads started, rehashed, but that only get resolved in paid DLC (Shadow Broker; or not resolved in Witch Hunt's case).

I love Bioware's games, but with EA controlling them they are really working your wallet over. They are releasing games with the intention of having DLC costs take the "complete" game to over $100. I'll definitely wait for an all inclusive version for Dragon Age 2 on sale, and maybe even for Mass Effect... if they release one. They may decide to force you to buy DLC piecemeal and for full price now that they've gotten gamers used to it. Time will tell. I think we'd all benefit if devs didn't have monolithic publishers like Activision and EA, and instead took the risk of self-publishing. A studio like Bioware has a pretty reliable source of repeat buyers for their releases, combined with an actual pre-order should help fund the dev cycle. Smaller studios would work off of games like Magicka to increase their prestige until they can bankroll a triple-A game.

All the publishers and dev studios got to where they were today from a much smaller user base, using more costly tools (you usually had to roll your own engine back in the day, and seamless integration with content creation programs was not available), as well not having solid API's to work with (gotta figure out physics and things like speedtree by yourself, and handle code paths for OpenGL AND Direct3D, AND Glide). Yet today with full engines available, full APIs available, faster and cheaper hardware, content generation programs available, more trained workers available (there are colleges that teach game programming these days) and a larger userbase buying their products, and options for low cost self publishing (Steam, bandwidth is cheap if you want to do your own Direct Download)... they can no longer make a profit?

Something is funny with games these days.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Yup, I was looking forward to Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3 etc... but if prices are going up, I won't be buying them on release day. Looks like my game purchasing will be focussed purely on the times Steam is doing a sale... ;)

Although Witcher 2 and Dawn of War 2: Retribution I'll probably bite on shortly after their release. Or maybe not. Haven't decided.

As for Blizzard... chances of me buying Diablo 3 at more than a tenner is slim to nil.

I guess I'll be waiting for the 'Ultimate Editions'...

[Anprionsa]

Agree with what was said already. Not paying. And will wait.

[DaFox]

As for Blizzard... chances of me buying Diablo 3 at more than a tenner is slim to nil.

Knowing Blizzard you will have to wait 10 years before it's at that price. Then you will want to buy both expansions. :roll:

[GeneralAdmission]

[quote]As for Blizzard... chances of me buying Diablo 3 at more than a tenner is slim to nil.

Knowing Blizzard you will have to wait 10 years before it's at that price. Then you will want to buy both expansions. :roll:
Knowing Blizzard, 10 years from now they *might* be ready to release Diablo IV or Starcraft III along with their evil overlord's CODBLOPSMW 16.

I'll prophesy my reaction: meh.

[Unknownsock]

Usually PC games in the UK are around £30 or less, which is about 47 USD according to google, which I don't mind paying.

Although I do have Dragon Age on Pre-order for just under $40 atm :mrgreen:

[Paradigm Shifter]

Highstreet prices are now £35-40 for PC games. We were spoiled for a few years with Amazon and Play getting really good at having low prices, that even they've been going up in recent years.

...

And I'm sure I got Warcraft 3 in a kind of 'best of' line for a tenner when it was four years old. I had to, as I let a friend borrow my copy of Warcraft 3, and he "lost" it - he still had the case, but the manual (and therefore CD Key) and disc were AWOL. Got Starcraft the same way IIRC.

[Unknownsock]

I'd say most games are still obtainable for £30, if not cheaper.

Although PC games generally do have a lack of sales.
And pretty much all the PC sections in retail have dissappeared near me.

I mean a granger games store just opened near me. It has 8 PC games. 8! Thats total, not titles.

[dopefish]

I don't really care.

If it's a game that I absolutely want to play, then I'm going to buy it whether it's $40, $50, or $60 (or even more).

If it's not that important of a game and I can wait to play it, then I'll just wait until it's on sale or something.

[X-Warrior]

Oh don't you worry about $60 games. Out here those games are €60. Which at the current rates translates to $81.69.

€50 ($68) has been normal for years until recently.