Posted July 05, 2014
I see games come out at $30/40/50/60 or more on release day, and then depending on the game the regular price drops down $5-10 after so many months, then another $5-10 months later, etc. to the point where the majority of games are less than $10 within 12 months of their initial release. Take Tomb Raider (2013) or Bioshock Infinite for example. $50-60 games on release day. One year later $10 on seasonal promos or cheaper if bought in a bundle with part or all of their prior game series.
The market is so flooded with games nowadays that it's hard to believe any PC gamer doesn't have 100-1000 games stockpiled to keep them busy for 10 lifetimes, with little incentive generally speaking to fork out $60 for every cool game that comes out on release day which they'd like to play. Everyone's gaming habits vary of course, but there aren't going to be very many games that get $30+ out of me on release day or at any point after that. Most games I buy will be $3 or less simply because as interesting as they may be, I generally have ample to keep me busy and can wait 4/8/12/16/20/24 months or whatever until the game is $2/3/5 etc. Very very few games can sustain a high price over the long haul. Even if someone points out a title that is $50+ 2/3/4/5 years after it first came out, for every one game like that there are 2000 that are 10% of their initial retail price in under a year or less.
What you're doing is up to you though. I'm not criticizing, I'm just explaining the effects that actions of thousands of gamers have.
If a game publisher can't survive in the marketplace under the free market driven by consumer demand regardless of what consumers choose or how much a individual consumer or the entire cross section of consumers is willing to pay (for whatever their own individual reasons might be) then they will either adapt to the changing demands of the consumer and/or alter their busines model or they will eventually go out of business while someone else takes their place.
I wonder how much money the game industry made off me between 2006 and 2012 when I completely stopped buying video games entirely and just played the 2006 and older games I already owned. I was not under any obligation to buy their games, and if the industry suffered, it is because they didn't offer me what I wanted at that time and I have a completely clear conscience about whatever may or may not have happened in that time. Now I am buying games again because there is something out there that I perceive of value to me at a price that sinks the deal for me.
Publishers/developers can design whatever game however they like, and can use whatever monetization model they like with it and I'm perfectly fine with that. If they want to put out a 10 minute game with 500 DLC each of another 10 minutes long and that sells and makes billions, I'll probably buy some of their publicly traded stock and come along for the ride. But I'm not interested in that type of game and would never buy it.
Wherever the market goes no matter where that might be, I am completely ok with that even if no company makes any games I'm interested in. They shouldn't make games for me or price them the way I want. They should design games they think are a good business investment and price them how they think the current market at a given time is willing to pay for them.
Free market capitalism when it is working correctly separates the good ideas from the bad ideas and I support that whether what is on the market is something I wish to own and part with my money for it or not.
What I decide to do with my money doesn't drive the market. But if there are enough like minded people voting with their wallet and a company can't make profit from what they're doing - then they're doing it wrong and either someone else will come along and do it right, or they'll figure it out themselves.
Ubisoft should go nuts and make games however they want. They wont see any of my money unless they make a game I find interesting though and it shows up on GOG.com DRM-free for $3 or less, or $5 or less if it is particularly appealing to me. If they put up a big kick ass AAA title on day-1 DRM-free here, hell I'll spring full price for it much like I plan on doing for The Witcher 3. If not, they wont see my money though and if they go out of business entirely tomorrow I'll sleep like a baby, guilt free as it isn't my responsibility to keep them alive, it's their own bean counter's job.
One should think about how much money a game company makes selling their games digital download at $3 per game versus not selling any of them at all. If they put a price on a game of $3 and it is still around in stores tomorrow, a week later, a month later, then it's making them money.
If they want the big money from me for one of their games (any company) though, then they'll need to take some lessons from CD Projekt RED. I've got $50ish sitting aside here smiling at me waiting for me to hand it to them as The WItcher 3 release date nears. Cyberpunk 2077 is next on deck for me after that. The rest of the game industry won't get a dime more from me than I feel like parting with though, and if that displeases them in any way, I'll keep my money and they can keep their games.
I'll sleep like a baby. Like a baby.
