Electronic Arts was willing to slash prices for its titles on the shelves on this side of the Atlantic (and this was analyzed by Jeetil Patel of Deutsche Bank). Unfortunately, gamers in the UK won't be enjoying this same discount. MCV reports that EA is sticking firm with its current prices at the UK counter, despite the ten-dollar cut Stateside. (They even mention that rival publishers will "breathe a sigh of relief," since they all feared a price war if EA were to cut across borders.)

Needless to say, this kind of muddles up Jeetil Patel's previous analysis of the whole price-cut situation. That analysis mentioned that sixty-dollar games might not be sustainable; that the market might move to fiffty dollars per next-gen title at some foreseeable point. Of course, publishers have justified the US$ 60.00 price point as necessary to recoup the costs of going high-def and next-gen.

MCV reports that EA still enjoys a solid prime position in the UK game publishing industry. It does pay to be number one, perhaps, but the payment in this case, along the Prime Meridian and north of the Channel, is still full price.