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General discussion (archive)Good Game Pricing: a lost art?(81 posts)(81 posts)
(81 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 27, 2010
As a (big) side note, and slightly off-topic - in my opinion, Solium Infernum is easily worth $30. One of the best games of 2009, without a doubt. I also loved Armageddon Empires.
Posted January 27, 2010
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Catshade: Didn't most SNES games cost $70-80 back then?
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Red_Avatar: This was because SNES games were cartridge based. I remember reading in Retro Gamer than manufacturing a game cost $30 or so. That's why there were no "budget" releases like on home computers. After all, a floppy disk costs like 20p for companies to produce so even at �5-10 they still make a lot of profit. But when even just the cartridge costs $30 .... Now, they can very cheaply manufacture games - if the overheads used to be 50% of the game's total price, they're now maybe 5% yet the price of a game has not dropped. Even for digital games, they stick to that price tag even though you don't get a manual or box or DVD.

Yes, but it also costs a helluva lot more to develop a game these days.
Posted January 27, 2010
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Mikee: Recently we were very positively surprised that MS (we distribute Xbox hard&software here)

Very interesting post, really, but unfortunately all I've got to say is this:
Microsoft you say? ;)
Edit: actually on a related note, Ubisoft is now warning publishers to keep costs down so game prices don't go higher.
Really enjoyed the post on piracy, too Mikee. Love your insights. :)
As a customer, I say you're spot on about everything. I'm a loyal CDP fan. :)
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El_Caz: So in the end, it's not just about products and marketing, it's also about the way you deal with your customers that helps make people feel happy with the service. That's something pirates usually won't do.

Well said. To quote The Office: "Business is the most personal thing in the world." :D
Post edited January 27, 2010 by chautemoc
Posted January 27, 2010
If I was still in the UK I'd probably find the Steam Sales a lot less appealing, as you can usually find games dropped to a few quid within 1-2 weeks of launch on play.com or other UK sites. Heck, sometimes they're selling the retail titles so low that they must be losing money on postage.
CDP for president.
Posted January 27, 2010
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soulgrindr: If people aren't careful they'll end up with a situation were no-one buys games at full price anymore.

Not really seeing a problem with that. All that would mean is that the price being asked is beyond what the market is willing to bear, and as a result game prices will undergo a bit of a correction so that they once again reflect the reality of what people are willing to pay.
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Mikee: <Snip>

Very interesting read. I just wanted to commend you and everyone else at CD Projekt for taking such a sensible and enlightened approach to doing business. I'm also very glad to hear that this approach has proved successful for you guys and continues to prove successful (TW: EE certainly deserves the continued good sales you mentioned it's seeing). Here's hoping that more folks in the gaming industry take note of your business philosophy.
Posted January 28, 2010
Yes thank you Mikee indeed.
Anyway I could toss your company like an extra donation without buying more copies of the game?? Or anyone not have it that wants a copy shipped via amazon ?
Posted January 28, 2010
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Tarm: I think he's saying basically what gamers have been saying for years. Give me a product I like for the right price and I'll buy it.
Basic market economy competition.

The more basic it is, the more frustrating becomes the fact that it is not so widely practiced.
BTW: And I’m not sure guys, if you noticed, that this “customer treatment” problem is not only present in games industry? The idea of making money in a short run without taking into account broaden perspective is quite popular, here are two annoying recent examples from my everyday life.
My dishwasher broke exactly 1 month after the 2 years guarantee (how precise evil engineers design it!;))), and started pouring water all over the floor (good that I was around, otherwise my wooden floor would be destroyed and that would be reaaally annoying;). The best was when the mechanic came, I asked him which brand will be better in future (beware, I had AEG;) He said that those days all of them are the same sh.t and that before they were far more reliable (sic!)
And then cooker followed the dishwasher well known patch and completely refused to cook me anything;) It was also an interesting case;) It cost new ~1k usd, and estimated repair cost was 1.2usd (sic!) cause two so called integrated circuits get burnt and each of them cost in 600usd. How the hell they can cost more than the whole piece! So I trashed it (poor environment – it was pretty big chunk of different materials), and bought a new one for 800usd.
So that were my examples how strange the current free market works. And how the idea of earning money win over the idea of pleasing customer (or even meeting basic demand – not destroying customers household;)
So it seems that gaming industry is not alone. But I’m not sure if it is a reason to be more or less happy;)
Post edited January 28, 2010 by Mikee
Posted January 28, 2010
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akwater: Yes thank you Mikee indeed.
Anyway I could toss your company like an extra donation without buying more copies of the game?? Or anyone not have it that wants a copy shipped via amazon ?

I do not own The Witcher. I'd like a copy.
Posted January 28, 2010
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Tarm: I think he's saying basically what gamers have been saying for years. Give me a product I like for the right price and I'll buy it.
Basic market economy competition.
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Mikee: The more basic it is, the more frustrating becomes the fact that it is not so widely practiced.
BTW: And I’m not sure guys, if you noticed, that this “customer treatment” problem is not only present in games industry? The idea of making money in a short run without taking into account broaden perspective is quite popular

I think for a large part the stock market is to blame. Big companies work only for the stockholders these days. It's all about maximizing short term profits in order to make the stock go up. Privately owned, non-traded companies are more often driven by a particular vision of excellence in a given field, and are often willing to use long term planning and investments in order to reach their goals in the best, rather than the fastest possible, way.
Posted January 28, 2010
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Mikee: The more basic it is, the more frustrating becomes the fact that it is not so widely practiced.
BTW: And I’m not sure guys, if you noticed, that this “customer treatment” problem is not only present in games industry? The idea of making money in a short run without taking into account broaden perspective is quite popular, here are two annoying recent examples from my everyday life.
My dishwasher broke exactly 1 month after the 2 years guarantee (how precise evil engineers design it!;))), and started pouring water all over the floor (good that I was around, otherwise my wooden floor would be destroyed and that would be reaaally annoying;). The best was when the mechanic came, I asked him which brand will be better in future (beware, I had AEG;) He said that those days all of them are the same sh.t and that before they were far more reliable (sic!)

Most house hold appliances from 70s to 80s could last anything between 10-20 years or more while todays home electronics have life expendancy of 1 to 5 years at most. Heck, my parents still have the vacuum cleaner they bought late 70's and it works better than most vacuum cleaners sold at stores today.
My parents first tv and vhs video recoder lasted about 2 decades and video even survived two buckets of water when TV started burning. It could probably have lasted to this day if I had not accidentially broken it. For comparison over the decade that followed, 3 vhs video recoders and 2 TV's broke down.
My parents house also still boasts several other household appliances from 80's that still work perfectly. Number of newer models have to be replaced every few years.
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Mikee: And then cooker followed the dishwasher well known patch and completely refused to cook me anything;) It was also an interesting case;) It cost new ~1k usd, and estimated repair cost was 1.2usd (sic!) cause two so called integrated circuits get burnt and each of them cost in 600usd. How the hell they can cost more than the whole piece! So I trashed it (poor environment – it was pretty big chunk of different materials), and bought a new one for 800usd.

This is nothing new and been happening for past 20 year or so. The manufacturers simply do not produce spare parts making spare part prices sky rocket. Most parts cost almost the same as buying new one if not more. There isn't that many electronic repair stores here in finland anymore these days as it's not economically viable to offer repair services. Most repairs involve replacing the whole product these days anyway.
Posted January 28, 2010
A quote from the first episode of Metalocalypse series 3 springs to mind
"Damian is a record executive! A cunning, hotheaded opportunist! Don't you see? They thrive on misleading, tricking and ensnaring. They're like feral animals, rabid dogs thinking only of what will benefit them in the moment"
Sound familiar?
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El_Caz: In my eyes, you guys are not this big, faceless company the average customer is used to dealing with. Every time you guys post, be it to say something important or to say a joke, makes you look all that more human

Don't fall for it, <ackbar>its a trap!</ackbar>. They probably have a book called "To serve man", ITS A COOKBOOK!
Woah, 2 nerdy scifi references in one post. I'm on form today
Posted January 28, 2010
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michaelleung: I do not own The Witcher. I'd like a copy.

what's your email addy? i'll email you
Posted January 28, 2010
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Petrell: Most house hold appliances from 70s to 80s could last anything between 10-20 years or more while todays home electronics have life expendancy of 1 to 5 years at most.

Yeah but there is a secondary reason from it, complexity. Stuff from the 70s was mostly big, clunky, expensive and mechanical whereas modern stuff is digital, smaller, more compact and cheap as hell when made in bulk. ts not JUST shit cheapskate shoddy manufacturing thats the problem, its that combined with having a lot more than a "Stop" and "Go" button
Depending on the device, the difference between a 1970s & 2000s machine of like function is like the difference between a paper aeroplane and an F16
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michaelleung: I do not own The Witcher. I'd like a copy.
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akwater: what's your email addy? i'll email you

Is it free? I'll have one too!
Post edited January 28, 2010 by Aliasalpha
Posted January 28, 2010
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michaelleung: I do not own The Witcher. I'd like a copy.
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akwater: what's your email addy? i'll email you

leung.mleung AT gmail DOT com
Posted January 28, 2010
your email addy alpha? and tonight ill work on getting steam for easier gifting
On a Side note.........................hhgdjgskbw,nnb,fbc steam lol.... why cant yoube a good company and tell AE/AP people that info as they sign up
Post edited January 28, 2010 by akwater
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)Good Game Pricing: a lost art?(81 posts)(81 posts)
(81 posts)