Publishers you know will slash the price so hold off buying new games

[Paradox House]

I didn't buy this game at launch because this developer puts their name all over sales. I knew this would happen. I am of course talking about:

For me this seems existential to a franchise, developer or even a publisher. Why would most people buy Wolf2 at £40 when they know this will happen? Especially in Q4 when there is a tonne of releases to pass the time.

If I look at Nintendo I know regardless I'll probably (the 'too many games' month was fucking amazing) get the same price in 6 months as I do at launch. So the decision is the same now or in 6 months. I know 'some' like to make this a criticism of Nintendo as if it makes them somehow nefarious but to me its just good business and likely helps their sales as a publisher from a global output POV. Even pubs who do sales do them more smartly, not putting their brand all over the Steam Sale for one, and for two making the biggest sales on previous entries to the new game - Activision are great at this, COD sales on a version 2 years old and its still £20!

Does anyone else feel this way towards some franchises or publishers? Does anyone with a retail background know if this is priced in? i.e. is Bethesda's main business just pushing volume at highly competitive prices VS pushing margin.

PS I am not buying Wolf 2 at this price, see below - and I bet this will be <£20 in the New Year at least:

 

[spam musubi]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

 

[Maxime]

I really want to support Bethesda and games like Wolfenstein, Dishonored or Prey (and I did for Wolf 2) but they are really making it hard for me when I see that : \

 

[Deleted member 1067]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

At this point it's beside the point though because bethesda is never going to make another game like these again after having 3 high profile bombs back to back.

 

[purseowner]

I have bought all Bethesda's published games day one or very near to day one this year.

I want narrative single player first person games and immersive sims to succeed and keep being made, so I put my money where my mouth is.

 

[DecoReturns]

Usually just Altus games. Bought a couple of 3DS games from them for super cheap.

Although the wait was kinda long, but I'm patient.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

Even if they would currently make games I want, I wouldn't buy an EA game now cause i can play it for 4€ 12-15 months later through EA Access.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

Bethesda was gonna be my example =/ their games are like half price in a few months.

 

[Jessie]

Ubisoft.

Mario Rabbids will be in the bargain bin by Easter. And there will definitely be a sequel announced by then.

 

[Paradox House]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

Its the jobs of the staff at publishers to ensure this works. Me as an individual cannot fund a studio so don't expect me to act like I can.

 

[TubaZef]

And this is one of the reasons why microtransactions are getting so popular.

 

[No_Style]

Bethesda and Ubisoft are great examples. 2K Games (not Rockstar titles) drop as well but not as quickly as the first two.

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

Not sure how this is the consumer's fault when it's the publisher who have shown a pattern of not showing patience with their game prices.

 

[Imperfected]

I'm torn on the "you should support Bethesda" position, because part of their entire problem is their moronic refusal to allow reviews has hamstrung sales for games that would have reviewed well, seemingly purely for the sake of sheltering one title that probably would have outpaced preorder requirements in spite of bad reviews (Fallout 4).

 

[Ikaruga]

Well those were black friday offers were they not? I also saw Blizzard slashing Destiny 2 down to 38 Euro for Black Friday.

 

[Deleted member 30077]

Sony.

Just bought UC:TLL for 18€ and saw that was GTS was already 25€. I guess it depends on the succes of the game though because R&C was still 18€ despite releasing much earlier than TLL.

 

[Aniki]

I bought many of Bethesdas games day one. I also rebought them on other systems. I buy games day one, if my desire to play them right then is high, or i have more cash for the month, so I can afford to support a pub that makes games i like. Did that with DOOM for Switch. Though many times I can't buy all the games I want day one, just because I don't have the money.

 

[spam musubi]

Its the jobs of the staff at publishers to ensure this works. Me as an individual cannot fund a studio so don't expect me to act like I can.

Click to shrink...

You're right, they can ensure that this doesn't happen by moving away from expensive-to-make, hard-to-profit-from single player games. That would be them literally doing their job to make investors more money. Just don't be surprised when this happens.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Pretty much everyone but Nintendo do it, so all them I guess?
I usually buy whatever I'm excited for day 1 knowing this though, if I decide to wait, it's because I wasn't that interested in it or something I was more interested in release around the same time.

 

[Wiped]

All games. I've made a pledge with myself not to buy on launch day any more.

So far my savings this year:
Switch for £255 (saved £25)
Mario Kart 8 DX £42 (saved £18)
Zelda BOTW £48 (saved £12)
Gran Turismo Sport £18 (saved £30)
FIFA 18 £36 (saved £10)
Forza 7 £40 (saved £8)

Total savings: £101. Not bad. And in most cases I only waited a few weeks.
The good thing about owning lots of games now is that I don't need to rush out day one for new ones.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

You shouldn't have to support a huge multimillionaire company and buy a game day one if you know you can wait a month and get it for half the price. It's Bethesda's choice to cut off the prices like that. We're talking about big companies, not small indie developers. If the game fail because of that, it's entirely Bethesda's fault.

 

[mindsale]

Ubisoft prices drop like rocks.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Bethesda, Ubisoft, Telltale.

 

[Deleted member 6436]

Echoing Ubisoft. Used to buy Assassins Creed every black Friday when it was $30 or so, but it'll probably be even cheaper by the time I actually have a break to play it.

 

[Dinobot]

Bethesda for sure. Their games drop price quick or go on sale much sooner than other AAA pubs games.

EA drops prices of bombs quickly like Titanfall 2 and Mass Effect just last year.

Ubisoft games drop prices by a third or more within 2-3 months (except on PC).

 

[CanUKlehead]

Yeah, I'll keep letting the day one purchasers, special edition addicts, the whales, and season pass lovers supplement my gaming.

Sincerely, thanks, guys. I have no idea why game prices at the base level aren't nearing US$80 like they should, but I'll enjoy them for 1/3 of that price a few months down the road for as long as publishers keep doing it.

I got other priorities.

 

[edgefusion]

Games are so ridiculously overpriced these days I barely buy anything at launch anymore. A few months in and they start to drop down to more reasonable prices. I just pricked up Assassin's Creed: Origins for £35, a couple of weeks ago it was £45 in store and £55 on PSN.

 

[tiebreaker]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

This. Pubs slashing price won't make the game less good. Just buy game whenever you want play if you feel cheated.

 

[ianpm31]

Games are so ridiculously overpriced these days I barely buy anything at launch anymore. A few months in and they start to drop down to more reasonable prices. I just pricked up Assassin's Creed: Origins for £35, a couple of weeks ago it was £45 in store and £55 on PSN.

Click to shrink...

They are not. Should be more expensive

 

[Coxy]

They are not. Should be more expensive

Click to shrink...

Why exactly?

 

[eKongDiddy]

Pretty much anything besides Nintendo games.

 

[Valkyr1983]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

I'm a consumer, it pays to be smart. Not my responsibility to pay 60 bucks because that's what they need to recoup cost

I'm still supporting devs and the games I like while also thinking of my bottom line

Unless your saying people are obligated to buy day 1 full price to "vote with our wallet"

 

[Epcott]

I try not to, unless I'm pressed for cash, and even then I try to buy at launch price to support a dev/pub.

I personally waited for Wolf II to release on Switch, but with that price, I may just cave and get the graphically superior version for PS4.

 

[RPGamer]

And this is one of the reasons why microtransactions are getting so popular.

Click to shrink...

I think the main reason is still greed. Most ips that have now microtransactions, lootboxes etc. didn't bomb or sell bad. Fifa and co sell like brezels in germany and are yearly updates. EA planned to sell 12 Mio of BF2 but still had to include lootboxes. They would do it anyway.

@topic: if you like an ip and want it to survive or even prosper don't be a cheapo (if you can afford it). That said, sales are sales, you better buy a game cheap instead of not buying it.

Nintendo: I bought Mario Odyssey and Zelda BotW for under 50 euros @ launch (not my choice, preordered it and that was the price at launch). There are also discounts on almost every Nintendo Switchgame this week. Nintendogames tend to be stable in pricing, but that doesn't mean there are no offers and not everyone is buying them for 60 bucks.

 

[baconcow]

They are not. Should be more expensive

Click to shrink...

Not if they expect everyone to buy as much as many full-priced games as they are currently buying. Assuming a constant source of funds, people will buy less full-priced games or seek out cheaper games. This is already happening in Canada. Our dollar tanked, again, and our games went from $60 -> $65 -> $70 -> $80. Some of our Atlas-taxed games are going for $85. Result? I rarely buy AAA games new, without a discount. The Canadian deals thread, over the years, have clearly shown the effect of ever increasing game prices. It has pushed me somewhat away from AAA gaming and towards indie, handheld, and mobile gaming. I tend to buy my AAA PS4 and Xbox One games when at a discount (even if not a huge discount) as I know several of them are going to my backlog (I am sure some here know what some backlogs can become).

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Sony

 

[spam musubi]

I'm a consumer, it pays to be smart. Not my responsibility to pay 60 bucks because that's what they need to recoup cost

I'm still supporting devs and the games I like while also thinking of my bottom line

Unless your saying people are obligated to buy day 1 full price to "vote with our wallet"

Click to shrink...

What I'm saying is this is a fair behavior for a consumer, but this behavior also signals to the publishers that the game they made wasn't worth the price they asked for it to the consumer. And if the money they end up making isn't satisfactory, then they will make less of that type of game. It's less "vote with your wallet" and more "this is what consumers legitimately feel like and publishers want more profitable games so they just won't invest in games that dont make money". If the market tends in a way such that sales of single player games are very front loader and they die off fast, then a publisher who wants more long term revenue will obviously just not make those types of games.

I mean, the premise of this thread as nothing to do with the quality of a game. People are effectively saying "no matter how good the game is, I will wait if it's from this publisher". This is not a behavior that signals to publishers positively when they make a good game. It's a behavior that tells them no matter how good the game is, people will wait for a price drop if they can. Which obviously makes them ask "how do we make money if people wait for a game to drop to less than half price?" and the obvious answer is long term monetization.

 

[KHlover]

Most games not by Nintendo, From or Blizzard. Ninty and Blizzard rarely drop, with From I just don't want to wait.

 

[BakedTanooki]

Never cared about dropped prices, shortly after release. If i want a game badly, I will buy it as soon as possible. Already had a lot of fun with the game, so why should I care if it's cheaper after a (short) while?

So yeah, that "I will wait because price will drop quickly" mentality is not for me.

 

[Tribal_Cult]

Basically everyone except Nintendo

 

[famousmortimer]

EA cutting the price on Need for Speed a week after launch pisses me off more than loot boxes.

 

[Deleted member 7450]

Maybe they should rethink single player games and make plans towards long term profit instead of short sighted launch week gains.

The consumer shouldn't be bound to "this model only works if we get maximum amount of profit as quickly as possible".

 

[HstrangeDreaMs]

May be more pre-order or day-1 rewards that separates from the base game (selling those extra add-ons separately) which gets price slashed might be a good idea to justify and encourage people to buy on day 1 without regrets.

 

[ps3ud0]

Bang on OP, I didn't buy Wolf 2 when Sainsbury's had their double up as I knew I'd get it for less than half price days later. I just know that's how Bethesda does things when they release games at the busiest time of the year and have to drop price due to underperforming.

Launch them earlier in the year and I'd be less likely to anticipate a large price drop in the very near future.

As an aside it always makes me laugh when people complain that game development costs will make game prices increase, because ultimately the market decides the right price and RRP means very little beyond launch day/week.

ps3ud0 8)

 

[John Konstantin]

I think publishers have only themselves to blame on this issue. They have been devaluing their own games getting on a price race to the bottom blinded by the quick and easy money. To analyze this we have to take into account uncompleted/buggy released games that are fixed afterwards (or not, see Nier on PC) and pay to bypass/speed up microtransactions or loot boxes designed so people pays for not playing your content. So basically they have decreased the value of their content by releasing unpolished games and they tell you their content is basically worthless to play when they offer you to pay for the privilege or not playing it.

Some of us think games are art, it would be nice if publishers started to think on their IP's as works of art instead of worthless shit you get randomly on some loot box. Nintendo is arguably the best protecting and taking care of their IP's, it's not a coincidence that, for the most part, they have kept themselves out of those practices. Blaming customers for not placing value in games that are not valued by their own creators is disingenous at best.

 

[DanceToTheRadio]

I really want to get Doom and Skyrim on Switch, but I'm not spending full price on ports of old games, and I know Bethesda games usually don't stay full priced for long. On one hand I feel that makes me cheap or greedy because I know they're great games and a lot of effort was put into porting them, but on the other hand why should I spend full price on games that are less than half the price on other consoles (with more features)? I know they have to recoup costs and turn a profit, but I feel like they're losing out on many potential sales.

Maybe it's to sucker in as many people that are willing to dish out the money at that price, then slash the price when sales slow down. I'm fine paying full price for new games if I know I'll get my money's worth even if they go on sale relatively soon after, but I refuse to do the same for ports.

 

[Raiden]

Seems like a good way to ensure the games you like fail and don't get a sequel.

Or a good way to signal to the publisher that they should maybe put service elements into a sequel.

Click to shrink...

I get what you mean, but one mans 60 dollar is not the same as anothers. I cant blame a person for not spending two or even three time the amount on something that you know will significantly drop in price a couple of weeks later.

 

[Sulik2]

No one should buy any game at launch at this point for a full $60. All publishers except Nintendo cut prices insanely fast now. Wait a month and save $20 bucks. Except for a few games the last couple of years I have not bought anything full price at launch. It's much better for the pocket book.

 

[DisturbedSwan]

I always buy Day 1 to support story driven single player games, although I do get them much cheaper than RRP on PC.

 

[Nintendo]

Ubisoft and Bethesda but I always buy their games day 1 to support them since they're two of the few 3rd party pubs making AAA singleplayer games.

 

[Deleted member 437]

If I look at Nintendo I know regardless I'll probably (the 'too many games' month was fucking amazing) get the same price in 6 months as I do at launch. So the decision is the same now or in 6 months. I know 'some' like to make this a criticism of Nintendo as if it makes them somehow nefarious but to me its just good business and likely helps their sales as a publisher from a global output POV. Even pubs who do sales do them more smartly, not putting their brand all over the Steam Sale for one, and for two making the biggest sales on previous entries to the new game - Activision are great at this, COD sales on a version 2 years old and its still £20!

Click to shrink...

Opposite effect on me op.

Im not buying arms or splatoon for $60.

Im sure there is a large section of the market that wouldn't have gotten wolf 2 for 60 2 years later.