A discussion on the price increase in the industry
- Thread starter jman1954goat
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If you're willing to wait a few months, these games do drop £10-15 on average.
Check Demon's Souls for example, it launched at £70 and now you can easily pick it up for around £50.
Check Demon's Souls for example, it launched at £70 and now you can easily pick it up for around £50.
So basically your entire argument for why games should be 70 dollars is basically "deal with it"? Don't act like price is the issue here? Wtf in a thread about price? Are you high lol
thats fine I'm more than happy to support devs and companies with my money, just as I always have. Gaming always has and always will be this. Sure there will be services to live alongside ownership, such as Gamepass, PS Now etc, but it will most certainly not be the future. For one, majority of brand new releases will never be on the service. Sure you may get MS games day and date but you will never get majority of third parties, Sony, Nintendo etc. this alone makes it not the future.
I do agree with the fact that services like these are great complimentary services to game ownership however. For people who cannot afford lots of new releases, people with kids etc.
Whenever Game Pass gets brought up as the future I instantly think back to 2012/13 about how consoles were dead and mobile was the future and they would be the last console generation. Not every game will be $70. You don't have to buy at launch. And you can trade/sell/shop around for better deals. You can save in advance. There are plenty of options available to you. A few games a year at $70 isn't going to magically make everyone want to pay a monthly fee to be able to play a game that most probably isn't even on said gaming service.
Yep! All to pubs :). It really seems to need reiterating but look at the companies advocating for the price increase. Big publishers. Devs won't see this money.
The "help people make financially sound decisions" argument I keep seeing every page is really weird and kinda creepy in a way lol.
While I'm not a fan simply because paying more sucks no matter your situation, I'm not sure the poor arguement really comes into it. I mean if you'll struggle to spend $70 on a game financially, then you probably struggled to spend $60 on a game too... So you're still in the position of waiting for discounts regardless. And it's not like it's Nintendo that's upped the price yet, so you can be assured that games will go down to pennies within ~2 years. Might take a bit longer, but they'll get there.
I mean no shit Sherlock haha what else are they gonna do? Steal it from a store? Doesn't mean that the price increase can't be complained about
Games used to be 60€ for first part titles here in europe and ps+ for 40€ a year. Now with games at 80€ and ps+ at 60€ it's harder to justify paying at release. Not to mention that sales are worse now as well.
I hate to admit that im checking out now how long it takes to beat the game. And im definitely buying less games on consoles than before. In slowly transitioning into the pc eco system since online play is free and sales games in general are cheaper with better discounts.
I hate to admit that im checking out now how long it takes to beat the game. And im definitely buying less games on consoles than before. In slowly transitioning into the pc eco system since online play is free and sales games in general are cheaper with better discounts.
it sucks
but all it simply means is that I will buy less games if it comes to that. Probably for the best anyway lol.
people really need to stop making everything into this serious outrage and that anyone who isn't livid are corporate shills.
It sucks. But videogames aren't that important and if 10 extra dollars is the line...then I need to get out anyway. Sony games also tend to drop in price super duper fast and even if not...the used game market is still luckily a thing. There are various avenues to paying what you think a product is worth. It may require you missing the release day hype but again that is not that important .
but all it simply means is that I will buy less games if it comes to that. Probably for the best anyway lol.
people really need to stop making everything into this serious outrage and that anyone who isn't livid are corporate shills.
It sucks. But videogames aren't that important and if 10 extra dollars is the line...then I need to get out anyway. Sony games also tend to drop in price super duper fast and even if not...the used game market is still luckily a thing. There are various avenues to paying what you think a product is worth. It may require you missing the release day hype but again that is not that important .
I don't personally have a problem with $70 for a game. I know many others have trouble affording it, and those same people may also have trouble affording it at $60. I'm an American and can only speak to my experiences here.
With all that said, there's never been more ways to not pay full price for a game than their is now. From frequent game sales, to used games, to services like GamePass, there's so many ways to not pay full price for a game. Sony obviously does not have GamesPass, but I do not necessarily blame them for increasing the price from 60-70. It was going to happen eventually.
With all that said, there's never been more ways to not pay full price for a game than their is now. From frequent game sales, to used games, to services like GamePass, there's so many ways to not pay full price for a game. Sony obviously does not have GamesPass, but I do not necessarily blame them for increasing the price from 60-70. It was going to happen eventually.
love the Games are a Luxury parrot. why are they? why should they be? are they art? if so, are they the kind a bourgeois pays hundreds for to hang on their wall? i don't think so. most of em are popcorn flicks. why is playing the game equivalent of a b-list action movie a luxury?
if i want wall art i'll buy those steelbooks. if i want to support art house cinema i'll hit up itch.io. but why would i want to give even more money to the biggest industry out there?
maybe, probably there are gaping holes in my logic and i'm too idealistic but that how i've been feeling
if i want wall art i'll buy those steelbooks. if i want to support art house cinema i'll hit up itch.io. but why would i want to give even more money to the biggest industry out there?
maybe, probably there are gaping holes in my logic and i'm too idealistic but that how i've been feeling
Game length to price is a bad comparison.
Picross games provide me with 30-50 hours of gameplay and I don't think all games should be $10 that don't provide that much time. Some games have artificial lengtheners like AC: Valhalla. I'd hate to see all big titles get bad grinds added to them to make people think that the cinematic story with life-like people isn't worth it cause I didn't reach XX hours.
Picross games provide me with 30-50 hours of gameplay and I don't think all games should be $10 that don't provide that much time. Some games have artificial lengtheners like AC: Valhalla. I'd hate to see all big titles get bad grinds added to them to make people think that the cinematic story with life-like people isn't worth it cause I didn't reach XX hours.
I just don't think most games are worth 70 dollars . I rarely buy new games anymore. There will be exceptions , like I just bought the new Guilty Gear ( which was still 60 ) and tons of games also try real hard to shove dlc or passes down our throats too.
I used to buy tons of new games but once gamepass started going harder I basically quit buying them . And once ms 1st party starts rolling I'll probably not buy new games period .
Another part of this is basically time. I dont have the time to even play all the new games I want like I used to so gamepass works out best for me and I always have something to play and also discover things I wouldn't have bought most likely .
I think we all new a price jump was coming but that extra 10 bucks for new games can definitely make a lot of people think twice .
I used to buy tons of new games but once gamepass started going harder I basically quit buying them . And once ms 1st party starts rolling I'll probably not buy new games period .
Another part of this is basically time. I dont have the time to even play all the new games I want like I used to so gamepass works out best for me and I always have something to play and also discover things I wouldn't have bought most likely .
I think we all new a price jump was coming but that extra 10 bucks for new games can definitely make a lot of people think twice .
We live in a time when games are more accessible than ever, game prices drop really fast and the market is filled with great free to play games, plus we are seeing the advent of subscriptions. Now, more than ever ever before, people with low income can access a plethora of games.
The 70 usd issue is only present in a small section of gaming (to be honest is very odd to see AAA console gaming increasing the access baddier when everywhere else is being shrunk). Those kind of games are a very small fraction of gaming and surely, there is plenty of alternative for people who can't pay that much for games.
The 70 usd issue is only present in a small section of gaming (to be honest is very odd to see AAA console gaming increasing the access baddier when everywhere else is being shrunk). Those kind of games are a very small fraction of gaming and surely, there is plenty of alternative for people who can't pay that much for games.
Sell all your gaming equipment, buy a decent (used) computer, wait for Steam and EGS sales and weekly free EGS games. You'll do a backflip and wonder how you're getting so many amazing games for so cheap/free.
Luckily gaming is not a necessity so you can take as long as you want to convert/wait for sales.
Luckily gaming is not a necessity so you can take as long as you want to convert/wait for sales.
Isn't that the point of this discussion? It's a luxury hobby especially buying $500 consoles in this economy.
When Apple charges premium prices for their services or phones, not many complain, apart from the initial surprise. But gaming crowd is far more vocal and portrays lower pricing as something that they are "owed".
Compared to something like an iphone or the services Apple provides, gaming industry is far less compensated, even though they are arguably the ones who are at the forefront of technology breakthroughs in graphics and other related software development fields.
I don't like the price increase as a consumer but I understand the need for it.
Why are video games a luxury item? Because AAA games cost hundreds of millions to produce? They require thousands of hours to create? How on earth are video games not a luxury item?
simply because they are not a requirement for life. They are a nice distraction from day to day, one that if you didn't do would do something else.
Same as anything that's a hobby. RC Cars, Go Karts, hell even Cars. I enjoy tinkering with my car in my free time, shit is expensive as fuck. I don't go complaining that to get a bigger Turbo and a tune cost me 3k and because it's a car should be $30.
Even if you don't like that Sony's first party games have had a price hike at this point in time, the industry at large better serves games at all price points from free to $70 than it ever has. And then for those truly budget conscious, gamepass exists too, which I don't know how you could ignore in its current pricing structure, at least.
What's the need for it during a time in which companies are posting all time high record profits? Do you legitimately believe that the price increase, initiated by the largest gaming publishers in the world, is going to really go all that far in helping devs if these companies are already posting record profits yet not compensating devs enough? Yes it's obviously a luxury hobby, doesn't mean it HAS to become even MORE of a luxury hobby, you get me?
Very few people care about playing a game at release unless it's a multiplayer game and most of the big ones went to a F2P/seasonal format anyways. So the upfront cost isn't even the bulk of what you're paying.
You're making comparisons to mobile phones while ignoring the obvious Netflix vs physical debate:
The death of the DVD: Why sales dropped more than 86% in 13 years
DVD sales have been on the decline for over a decade, but a slew of new streaming services and a shift in how consumers are watching movies and TV shows could be the final death knell for the technology.
People like having a rotating library. That's not news.
Excellent point. For people complaining there's always so much choice.
Took the words right out my mouth, lol. Couldn't believe that, "most of em are popcorn flicks anyway" dismissive take.
On a personal level, high cost games obviously sucks. But at the end of the day they are a luxury product. They have a lot more money and manpower going into them than games from yore, so businesses have to adjust accordingly. You don't have to play it on release, or buy it at full price to extract full enjoyment. You can survive without it. Resist the FOMO.
Thankfully, there's so much more sales and quicker price drops than there used to be, and with the nature of games today so heavily reliant on updates and patches, waiting isn't even as hard as it used to be - because you'll usually get the best version of the game by that point.
I do. But it's a business and their aim is to grow. If the companies don't show a growing revenue, they aren't going to sustain. If it was a charity service, I would have agreed with you. Not even going to touch upon inflation and rising costs and growing game and team sizes.
An interesting distinction between games and other luxury items is that I think that games are non-essential goods first and luxury goods second, if that makes sense. Video games are most popular form of entertainment in the world. Video game consumption is just as much of a cultural phenomenon as consuming music, movies, sports, etc., and to have a widening gap that gatekeeps the have-nots from hanging out with the haves kinda sucks. Like people aren't trying to buy, store, and maintain Go Karts. They're looking for a foot in the door for the biggest form of entertainment / escapism.
Wait was that the title before? lol. I was mainly gonna say it is what it is. If you can't afford the hobby then that sucks but it's no different than PC gaming or collecting comic books (which have gone up in price dramatically in recent years) or anything. Gas is up, shipping is more expensive, I can't find a reasonably priced GPU to save my life and people have been waiting for PS5/Series X's for 6 months. This is a first world problem and I have no reason to reject it if it keeps the studios I love in business. Do I wish games were cheaper? Yep, but here we are.
Again, actions speak louder than words. Not buying the games will be the only thing that changes American capitalism. These are billion dollar companies.
I've been paying 60 dollars for new games since the days I could still pay 3-4 dollars to watch a new film.
The increase to 70 dollars for a new game has been a long time coming, and has probably been put off because of how many more copies a AAA game can sell. With the amount of people buying console games starting to level off (and even shrinking a little in some places) while budgets continue to rise, price increases seem inevitable IMO.
The increase to 70 dollars for a new game has been a long time coming, and has probably been put off because of how many more copies a AAA game can sell. With the amount of people buying console games starting to level off (and even shrinking a little in some places) while budgets continue to rise, price increases seem inevitable IMO.
You're arguing in bad faith. What I said is not an argument for or against "let the market decide." That's you twisting my words and turning it into a debate for a topic that we never specifically or formally discussed.
There is no inherent pressure that comes with a price hike of video games to 70 dollars. Like at some point, the consumer has to bear personal responsibility for capitulating to the price if they feel that they cannot afford the price in the first place. Hence why I said FOMO is a bad excuse.
Very few people care about playing a game at release unless it's a multiplayer game and most of the big ones went to a F2P/seasonal format anyways. So the upfront cost isn't even the bulk of what you're paying.
You're making comparisons to mobile phones while ignoring the obvious Netflix vs physical debate:
The death of the DVD: Why sales dropped more than 86% in 13 years
DVD sales have been on the decline for over a decade, but a slew of new streaming services and a shift in how consumers are watching movies and TV shows could be the final death knell for the technology.www.cnbc.com
People like having a rotating library. That's not news.
If very few people care about playing on release why are so many games, especially single player games completely front loaded when it comes to sales?
also I get the Netflix vs physical argument, but also movies to video games are not comparable in the slightest just like how mobile and console gaming were not.
for starters many people do not watch a movie more than once. In Australia a movie to buy new would cost you $25 or so. You can't resell. Their is no second hand market. So than it would sit there. It makes sense to have a service in which you can stream. There are also TV Shows and things people watch weekly. I would argue Netflix has even taken over people watching free to air or cable shows. In my household we don't even have an aerial connected. It's all streaming.
video games last longer than an hour and a half. People replay them, especially if they have a multiplayer mode. And when people are done they than can sell them,usually at a high cost to put towards their next purchase which would pay the majority of it off!
it's a completely different beast and that's why I brought the mobile gaming to console gaming. Because in my mind people are comparing them thinking the same thing, but in reality the gaming market is so very different from other forms of media. As I said I believe thing like Game Pass have a place, but I don't think it's the future of gaming
EDIT; I need to add I am a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. I hardly use it, my kids use it when they need to but it's a "nice to have" rather than a necessity.
Right. But just because a multimillion dollar corporation is in the business of making as much money as possible doesn't mean they are immune to criticism. Keeping game prices at 60 dollars isn't running a charity service lmfao they're posting record high profits at 60 dollars. I want in on this charity scheme lol
I will only pay $70 for instant classic must plays. The rest I wait for a nice sale or rent from GameFly.
Here where I live PS5 games have jumped to 80€ which is like 85USD. Way more than I am ready to pay and this left me with these options :
1. Buy games, complete them and resell to get most of the money back
2. Wait for discounts
3. Buy used
4. Get an Xbox instead and a Gamepass sub
I am now an owner of a Series X, agreed the games I get with Gamepass are not Sony titles but there are plenty of good titles to choose from, and once Microsoft Studio games start to be released it will be even better. As it is now I don't see me buying games any soon.
1. Buy games, complete them and resell to get most of the money back
2. Wait for discounts
3. Buy used
4. Get an Xbox instead and a Gamepass sub
I am now an owner of a Series X, agreed the games I get with Gamepass are not Sony titles but there are plenty of good titles to choose from, and once Microsoft Studio games start to be released it will be even better. As it is now I don't see me buying games any soon.
Hopefully more people don't day 1 then and then you will the price drops you desire.
There's only a select few games I would day 1. When I was broke ass college student, I was very strategic with my console game purchases, averaging $15 to $20 a pop for what seemed like an incredible amount of entertainment. It's the same thing today except you now have a large amount of relatively high quality F2P games.
I'm actually curious here how many feel the need to day 1 these games. Like how do you have that much time?
There's only a select few games I would day 1. When I was broke ass college student, I was very strategic with my console game purchases, averaging $15 to $20 a pop for what seemed like an incredible amount of entertainment. It's the same thing today except you now have a large amount of relatively high quality F2P games.
I'm actually curious here how many feel the need to day 1 these games. Like how do you have that much time?
I feel this way about people who own VR and are like, passionate and adamant about everyone dropping 600$ for a headset, and get upset at the idea of people playing a mod for a VR game that adds traditional controls. With 70$ retail games, though, and this is coming from someone who's also got steady, but average income. Just limit how many games you buy, and make sure you pick games you're going to play a lot. You don't need to play every game, and I know it sucks to see other people raving about a title you can't afford, but just hold off for a sale. I hope this doesn't come off as insensitive, I just don't think anyone is finishing games at that fast of a rate. A lot of the times, I'll spend a month with a game I just bought. Plus, consider looking at independent releases. Not all of them are going to be great, but they deserve your support just as well, if not more, than a AAA studio.
Tbh, getting the newest video games and the newest consoles and the newest hardware, that was always a luxury to me growing up I (and others) could never afford. So. As far as I was concerned, a lifestyle fit for comprehensive, up to date video game consumption was always hard in the ghetto and under. The poor has always been screwed. 😔
if people are trolling threads that have nothing to do with pricing, & if it's not always a sony thing, then what, exactly, are we even talking about here?...
It really is just about unshackling yourself from the Day One Hype Demon and learning to log off. It's easier than you think. You aren't losing a part of yourself by not being a day one video game guy any more. I've done it over the last few months and it's fine; the games are still going to be there in another few months or years when I play them, and they're only going to get cheaper, more stable and polished after patches, and maybe even more content rich after updates. The only thing you miss out on by waiting is the zeitgeist, and that's not the end of the world. Being online kind of sucks. I rarely walk away from the computer in a better mood than I was when I sat down.
$70 is too much for PS5 games. Where I live they cost $124.95 AUD, which is closer to $100 US, and I'm just not going to pay that much. This gen I've bought a Series X, and I keep a Game Pass Ultimate subscription going for free through Microsoft Rewards, and that's me sorted. I'll buy a cheap PS5 Slim towards the end of the generation, stock up on all the Playstation exclusives on sale for $20 a pop and have a grand old time catching up. It'll be awesome.
$70 is too much for PS5 games. Where I live they cost $124.95 AUD, which is closer to $100 US, and I'm just not going to pay that much. This gen I've bought a Series X, and I keep a Game Pass Ultimate subscription going for free through Microsoft Rewards, and that's me sorted. I'll buy a cheap PS5 Slim towards the end of the generation, stock up on all the Playstation exclusives on sale for $20 a pop and have a grand old time catching up. It'll be awesome.
Lol then I want an iphone to always stay at 500, tesla to always stay at 30k and my house price to be the same 10 years from now. You know, because of record revenue in every industry…
Like how you have a right to criticize, there are others who have a right to explain the reasons behind why the price increase is justified especially in gaming industry where people are underpaid when compared to rest of the tech industry.
It seems like somebody made a thread and we are discussing the topic. We don't have to agree with everything in the OP to continue the discussion.
To people who defend the $70 price tag I'd like to direct your attention to MLB the Show 21.
No free or paid upgrade path.
Current gen only has one new thing which is an arena builder.
Servers didnt work for 3+ weeks past launch.
Progression was severely bugged in it's big SP mode.
The game pushes you to buy MTX in order to upgrade your offline character.
This price increase is a joke when publishers are still putting out broken and MTX filled games.
Games are more expensive than ever but the market is bigger than ever and after purchase monetization is higher than ever.
Fuck everything about this price increase.
No free or paid upgrade path.
Current gen only has one new thing which is an arena builder.
Servers didnt work for 3+ weeks past launch.
Progression was severely bugged in it's big SP mode.
The game pushes you to buy MTX in order to upgrade your offline character.
This price increase is a joke when publishers are still putting out broken and MTX filled games.
Games are more expensive than ever but the market is bigger than ever and after purchase monetization is higher than ever.
Fuck everything about this price increase.