Next Gen Game prices to Increase.

[lestat]

Other game publishers are considering raising the price of games for PS5 and Xbox Series X, says games research firm IDG Consulting.

It follows the news that NBA 2K21 will be priced at $69.99 on the next consoles, $10 more expensive than it is on the current devices.

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Moves like this just make Gamepass look like even better value now. Not sure how consumers are going to react in this shitty economy.

[t0mby]

I'll stick to retail. Prices drop quicker there than on the Sony/MS store. Plus competition with other stores and those day 1 specials. Here's an example. In fact, this isn't even a day 1 special. Buy 6 retail games on console for the price of 5 digital ones. Sell when finished. Digital sucks.

[lestat]

RRP will go up to $140.

So you'll be paying another $20 at retail.

[t0mby]

As long as it's still $20 cheaper than buying digitally. We still haven't reached 1992 Megadrive/SNES cartridge prices yet.

[Twiztid Elf]

Lol. Who'd pay that for the crap the west is pumping out right now?
NBA2k21? $70 for an online casino with a side of basketball.

[lestat]

As long as it's still $20 cheaper than buying digitally. We still haven't reached 1992 Megadrive/SNES cartridge prices yet.

Except you need the brick and mortar stores to survive. More and more we see game stores close up due to the move to digital.

Pretty soon the discounting you see on physical games will disappear because there won't be the competition or market for loss leader sales.

Also megadrive/snes pricing was a regional thing, people in the US weren't paying those prices, we just got bent over due to the very small market and small distributors putting a massive mark up for themselves.

I find it disappointing to see a $70 price point, because really that's just the starting base price, once you add all the DLC/season passes and MTX on top, we're back up to megadrive/snes pricing and much worse imo since it's all very predatory and service dependent.

[Mavy]

Screw that. $120 for digital is insane.

[Deef]

I don't mind the idea of it; I think games (good ones) deliver their money's worth pretty happily.
But at the same time there are so many good titles that are so cheap.

It sounds like a kind of hardcore gamer tax. Those who want the latest and coolest thing will be getting tapped for their money that bit extra, while those who don't mind games released a few years ago will still be finding them dirt cheap.

[t0mby]

As long as it's still $20 cheaper than buying digitally. We still haven't reached 1992 Megadrive/SNES cartridge prices yet.

Except you need the brick and mortar stores to survive. More and more we see game stores close up due to the move to digital.

Pretty soon the discounting you see on physical games will disappear because there won't be the competition or market for loss leader sales.

Also megadrive/snes pricing was a regional thing, people in the US weren't paying those prices, we just got bent over due to the very small market and small distributors putting a massive mark up for themselves.

NZ still see the same price gouging especially when compared to Australia. I see JB Hi-fi Aus had TLOU2 for preorder for $25nzd less than us (after conversion).

Brick & Mortar are all but gone but while we still only really have EB, JB and The Warehouse for over the counter sales there are still the online stores like nzgameshop (very competitive), Mighty Ape etc and physical media still makes up for 50% of sales atm.

As long as MS and Sony are acknowledging how much physical brings in their money by putting a drive in their next consoles, we'll be good for another generation.

[Ambrose Burnside]

There's no way I'll spend $120 or whatever for a roster update on a casino simulator, but I've pre-ordered Cyberpunk and will no doubt buy the expansions. I did for the Mass Effect Trilogy and feel I got my money's worth there.

Digital is for suckers though. It's always the worst option. I always try to buy retail and price match.

[Madmya]

You're just choking sea turtles with your plastic you murderer

[t0mby]

No turtles live in my house so they're safe.

[Froggy]

Maybe it'll teach those kids the true value of a game! They should take a couple of years going through the pain of having to pay $119 for Mortal Kombat 2, that's like 12 - 18months of pocket money/christmas/birthday for one fucking game.

I think right now it's in a sweet spot, most games are $69 or cheaper new and then cut much earlier now than before as the amount of games out the cycle to stay relevant is smaller so they need to move as many units as they can in a much smaller space. Each time a new console comes out though this all changes and the price gouging is always in effect of new games, like these gen was $109 at EB etc (not that anyone would pay that) but then they can "discount" it to say $89 and still be making a premium. Where this one differs, especially on the MS side is the whole one platform so all new games will work on old and new, unless they sell series x copies, I'm not sure how they can gouge without ruining the existing base's purchasing power.

Physical still rules too, once you get 4 years or so into a console gen, the bargains you can go and find just hunting around are huge. Lots of games you'd never think if playing for $10 bucks new or so. I think best I have done this gen is The Evil Within 1 and 2 brand new for $25 bucks all up I think. For whatever reason I really enjoyed those games.

[Replica]

Maybe it'll teach those kids the true value of a game! They should take a couple of years going through the pain of having to pay $119 for Mortal Kombat 2, that's like 12 - 18months of pocket money/christmas/birthday for one fucking game..

I remember the pain all too well. Holy hell did I play the shit out of anything I paid for with pocket money as a kid. Games were a lot less disposable and I used to agonise over the purchasing the decision. I remember importing SF2 on the SNES from Japan and it costing me $200 + shipping. Worst part was I didnt realise I needed the converter and spent all my money to get the game. Was a good month before I could afford the converter and had the box staring at me the whole time!

[klee123]

Wow.............we're reliving back to the old MD/SNES day of game prices.

Only this time we're getting DLC/MTX on top of it.

[t0mby]

And we're earning our own money instead of expecting a game for Xmas or Birthday.

[klee123]

Yeah, when you factor in inflation. an MD/SNES game back then would be over $200 today.

[Froggy]

Prices were still high even through Dreamcast and PS2, I think the PS3 era and onwards is when consumers started to get a better deal, with the end of region locking and being able to import a game for literally half the price on the shelf it left the retailers no choice. I can't remember the last time I bought a game online for price as someone will have it on sale day 1 for a fair price.

Wonder what the inflation adjusted price of say Batman Returns on MegaCD would be? $240? I remember staring at the games at Kmart with all of them behind the counter trying to calculate how in the world I could possibly ever get that much money. Yeah, remembering the agonising decision that by the time I did have enough money there were now 2 or 3 more games that I liked the look of so if I screw up this choice it's gonna be a long dry spell of disappointment.

[lestat]

Cory Balrog leading the charge for $70 games.

[Candy Arse]

I'm fine with prices going up if I'm buying a game I will get value from, be it through hundreds and hundreds of hours like a Total War game, or just a great experience.

There's also the bit where they'll be half-price within 6 weeks anyway.

[Froggy]

Yeah I reckon it's at a sweet spot right now. $69 seems like the price point for a new release and if you MUST have it but then if you just wait 6 weeks it'll be cheaper as the cycle to sell seems so small now before the next big thing. On top of that I feel like I'm ripping off devs with Game pass. I'm more than happy to pay a bit more for games that are right in my wheelhouse or hard to find ones like Yakuza's were.

[lestat]

$69 is not the real RRP though. This is the price retailers sell it for with next to no profit. You have this price war between jb/target/bigw/amazon now which is good for consumers, it sets this expectation now because it's been going on for so long.

If you want to buy the games digitally on release day you're paying $99-$109. This is why digital sales are bigger overseas, they don't get the heavy retail day one discounting that we seem to get here. Amazon charges $60US, which is what you'll pay on the digital store.

[Froggy]

I'm happy to pay more it just means I would be a bit more picky. At the moment I can generally get any title I want at the price I want from somewhere. We had the Australia tax for years so getting a bit of respite for a period has been nice.

[klee123]

All this means is that I'll simply wait for a discount.

Pretty much almost every publisher other than Nintendo does it.

[t0mby]

And Rockstar and Activision's big IPs.