Depending on who you ask, this generation of gaming has either gotten more expensive than ever before, or is still cheaper than the 16-bit era. Cartridge based games did not have standardized pricing, and titles like Chrono Trigger retailed in the United States for upwards of $89.99. For those who desired nothing more than Chrono Trigger in their Super Nintendo (mostly elementary and high school students), the shock was unbearable.
We seem to look at the past with rose-tinted goggles, it seems. While it is saddening to see the price of games rise with the start of this new era, at least it is standardized. Games in US are $59.99, with some first party titles releasing at a lower price point.
The unfortunate truth, though, is that Japan has yet to catch on to the idea of standardized pricing. Games continue to release at odd price points, and the difference between two new titles can be 1000 yen or more. Companies like Square Enix continue to push the envelope and test the boundaries, trying to make both home console and handheld releases more and more expensive, hoping fans bite. Final Fantasy III DS retailed for 5200 yen (roughly $49USD) before preorder discounts!
Should disc-based games go down in price? Sure, I think everyone would be happy if they went down in price, but the price is comparatively fair. Movies cost about $20, and viewers usually get about 2 hours of enjoyment on average their first time. Games cost around $60, and with a multiplayer component, the games offer almost infinite amounts of enjoyment. Even if the title is a mere 8 hours of play, gamers are still getting a lot for their money.
All three home console manufacturers have also been pushing their newest digital distribution stores heavily. It’s obvious by their existence that each company understands how prohibitive a $60 price tag can be for the average consumer. Not all games are created equal, and not all games should be priced that high.
WiiWare especially, which is set to premiere worldwide by the end of 2008, is offering a wealth of bite-sized games have no business ever releasing as full sized products. They know what they are, and offer small amounts of enjoyment for an equally small fee. Games like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King and the newly announced Gyrostarr offer an interesting take on the digitally distributed game model.
My life as a king offers players the chance to create a town for adventurers, merchants and blacksmiths to gather and work, and then offers additional buildings and expansions at the cost of Wii Points. While it seems the point values on these expansions seem incredibly high, the model is definitely interesting. Allowing players to partake in a world for a lower fee than a regular boxed game is becoming more and more viable in all of the major gaming territories. By splitting up cost between necessary downloads and optional incremental improvements, the player pool is potentially larger, and profit is potentially still there.
The necessity of the internet in everyday life has given smaller companies the chance to not only develop games with lower overhead, but offer those games to players at a lower cost, bringing in potential customers that never would have considered playing games at such a premium in the past.
The ‘Asian MMO’ model has been a popular one for a long time as well. Similar to the model that My Life as a King is using, many popular Korean MMOs are available to download and play for absolutely free. There is no monthly fee, and no disc to buy. The catch is that a stable of items, armor, and/or weapons are available to those willing to pay a nominal fee to buy them. It’s not always fair in games with competitive aspects, but depending on what is purchasable and the genre of the game, having free play at the cost of purchasable items is a great financial model.
While this model has been very popular in the online space in Asia, it has been largely ignored in the US. Publishers still insist on selling massively multiplayer online titles for $50-$60, combined with a monthly fee of upwards of $15. Especially considering the run away success of World of Warcraft, publishers continue to follow suit. Flagship Studios, though, has decided to give the asian model a crack, making Mythos free to play from Day 1.
While Flagship has not revealed what exactly will be for purchase when the game goes live, they have reassured that it will not be the best armor or weapons, and playing without purchasing a single item will remain a completely viable way to enjoy the game. Hopefully Mythos’ success will open the eyes of North American publishers to new pricing schemes.
There is still a place for $60 disc-based games in today’s market, and it will likely be the bread and butter for most enthusiast gamers. That said, new pricing models are not only a great way to attract gamers, but it’s a great way to attract casual gamers that might not consider the average worth the price of admission.
I had noticed the different pricing in Japan before, but had never thought much about it. Do you know any more about it? Are game companies free to set their own prices? The vast array of prices here does make me appreciate U.S. standardization a bit more. But the U.S. also has an ever-increasing trend of releasing elaborate Special or Limited Editions, to try to make a little more.
Limited and Special editions are a mainstay in Japan, but they usually sell in truly limited quantities, and are usually unavailable outside of preorder.
The big difference, though, is that American preorders are usually done by the retailer and not the publisher, and often times are not worth the price tag.
I do like legitimately well put together preorder packages, but they mainly are anything but that.
I can’t help but have a bad taste in my mouth over some of the pricing for PSP games to be honest. 39.99 for Crisis Core to me, for a portable system like that is at least 10 dollars too much.
But with the mention of games in Japan being even more expensive, I suppose I can’t complain too much!