Quick Jump Daily Digest
Thank you for your interest in the Quick Jump Daily Digest. Get notified of all new content on QJ in our free Daily Digest. To subscribe, enter your email address below and click the subscribe button.
Fils-Aime: Cheap games threatening game industry |
Listed in: PSP, Wii, PS3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PC Gaming, iPhone, PS Vita Tags: industry news, news, Nintendo
| Article Index |
|---|
| 1. Fils-Aime: Cheap games threatening game industry |
| 2. Page 2 |
| 3. Page 3 |
Gaming can be a rather expensive hobby. Not only do you have to buy a console or handheld platform to play a game on, you also have to buy the actual games themselves.
On average, PS3 and Xbox 360 games can reach around US$ 50 to US$ 60 per game. Wii games are less expensive, but a lot still reach around US$ 40. Portable games are usually priced at around US$ 20 to US$ 40.
That's the state of the industry when it comes to games released for Big Three platforms. There are way cheaper games for these consoles, of course, but they don't compare to the sheer number of cheap games and apps available for smartphones.
At first glance, cheaper games mean consumers get a better deal. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, however, thinks that these inexpensive and "candidly disposable" games present a danger to the gaming industry itself.
| 31.3% of voters think this story ROCKS! |
|
|
Comments
I dunno about you guys, but Reggie's comments just sound a little anti-consumer to me.
Reply
I'll tell you that when it becomes very commonplace, cheap games devalue games in general.
Take piracy where I live. Since Internet speed past 1.5mbps isn't commonplace yet, so many people rely on pirates who sell their games on burned DVDs. As a result, legit outfits selling the real thing for the actual price suffer. And it has become the norm, so even parents have generally accepted games to be only worth about the equivalent of US$1-3, and so refuse to buy the real thing for their kids.
Reply
Okay, so people with smart phones are used to buying games on the cheap... but they also buy a lot of games, so the gross number of sales shoots up too. Cheap games aren't threatening the industry, they're threatening the near-monopoly publishers like Activision have on the industry.
This is exactly the same reason you'll never see BP or Texaco pushing for technological advancements in renewable energy.
Reply
That's a good point, but it comes down to whether you think of games as business or art. Obviously it's both, but it seems that Reggie's complaint is that the business aspect is interfering with the art side: if there ceases to be a market for the more expensive games that require more talent and production values to create, then we'll end up with nothing but the "disposable" games.
Personally, I'm not sure what I think of the whole thing. I don't have any taste for the disposable games (I think they're crap), but obviously there are plenty of people who do like them and they're money makers. I hope there's still a market for the good games in the future, though, 'cuz I'd hate to see gaming completely converted to these crappy games.
Reply
The same concept applies for any industry, really.
Reply
The way I see it is, mobile gaming is starting to put games back in the hands of people who just don't have time to play console games (anymore).
For me, I love games but I just don't have time to play them anymore. I'm finishing up a Wii game right now and I get 1 hour to play in the morning after my gal and I work out. We get up at 4am because has to be to work super early. So I get to play for an hour before I wake my little girl. If not for that I would have zero time. So for the past 5 years I've been subject to mostly portable gaming during lunch, on the toilet, whatever.
My point being, I don't think "being cheap" has anything to do with it. I think we're seeing a major fluctuation in mobile gaming. Especially now that there are some pretty awesome games making it to just about everyone's hands without them doing anything aside from buying a phone that's now capable.
Being able to play your games ON YOUR TIME is the new market change. Many people are starting to notice this which is why you see such major effort being made to "remote play" your games while on the go. But it's in its infancy and it pretty much stinks right now. Hopefully it gets better.
Reply
Then you must enjoy wasting 3 hours each day on this site to spite your enemies in childish fashion?
I think this site needs more real gamers and less whiners going on about their life story that nobody cares about.
Reply
But see, it's not mobile gaming that's bad, it's the way they're priced. When people get used to paying only a pittance for their games (mini or no), it makes it harder for the people who make big games (think SC2, MW2, COD:BO, etc) to sell their wares at much higher prices. It's not as if they charge high prices for absolutely no reason.
I agree prices should be cheaper for everyone, but the way the disposable apps are priced, you pretty much can't get lower than that. And imagine spending $100M on an development for an epic game only to sell it at $1. You'd need to sell 100M copies to break even, and we all know it doesn't happen except for classics over the period of decades.
So once again, it's the pricing that needs to be adjusted. The games themselves are fine (after all, I enjoy quite a few of them myself).
Reply
No one expects MW2 to cost .99 cents.
Reply
Reply
...of course, games like Angry Birds is an exception but it's the minority.
It's risky for the consumer and the game industry when the consumer, who can't help himself buying these cheap games, can't afford or experience any of the big worthy games that are on the real hardcore consoles that are originally and their main focus are games.
Let's not forget the crappy shovelware released at full price when their development time and money doesn't justify it's launch price tag and aside from that some are unfortunately and practically unplayable, on consoles like the Wii, are a huge danger to the industry...that's the biggest sin and should be considered illegal IMHO. xD
Reply
So...?
I don't own a smartphone but I can't stand buying angry birds for PSP for 10€(I know about the ESRB ratings and blah blah blah...) when at the app store costs 0,99€.
So the problem is that we (as money...er.. costumers) should think that games that cost 50-60€ are very logically priced instead of complaining!
P.S. Magicka has sold 150.000 copies in approximately 2 weeks, and costs 10€. So the total profit is 1.500.000€!!!( I don't think that the production, distribution and the other things cost more than 100.000-300.000€) Just to make sure that they don't have some kind of financial crisis!!!
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Cheap games = Win!
I ain't paying full retail price for crap games.
Cheap, low price games are always better than higher ones.
Reply
Sure, if you want iphone quality instead of PSP/DS quality. Forever.
Reply
Now if you don't mind just stfu for your own sake!
Reply
does anyone remember when gaming almost died because a bunch of companies were punping out useless cheap shovelware? I personally fear it will happen again, thank you (mostly) Apple and Nintendo, for catering to casual, cheap, throw away games.
Reply
Why so hateful? If you're a cheap-ass gamer, then good for you. No need to get all angry, especially when Techni made a very legitimate point.
Reply
Have fun playing shitty games at full retail price.
Reply
I challenge you to name 10 $2 games that are meant to be played for full gaming sessions (at least an hour or two).
Reply
And I personally think high prices damage the industry more. If people don't like high prices, what do you think they do to get around it? At least with low prices games are sold instead of pirated...
Some of these people in big companies need a massive reality check.
Reply
Whatever Reggie. I'll be the first to admit that I started looking into piracy because $60+ for a game that could just as easily be sold for half the price just isn't attractive at all from a consumer standpoint. While I understand companies have to make a profit, the margin of profit that companies set for their games right now is just greedy. If used games didn't exist, I would not be buying any of these over-priced games. If you don't like it, suck it up and lower the price closer to the competition. Gaming should not be restricted to "a hobby of the rich".
Reply
If anybody came to you and complained that they got some cheap game on their phone and Mass Effect 2 should be that cheap as well... you'd laugh in their face.
Now, games could probably sell for less than $60, yes, but logically, a game like Angry birds may give you a few hours of fresh gameplay... For $2... Then you go any play a game like Oblivion which has given me and thousands of other players hundreds if not thousands of hours of consistently fresh gameplay... and they should be the same price?
Just more analyst BS. Granted when a game is only 4 hours long with repetitive gameplay like The Force Unleashed II... with no online... then yeah, $60 is crap and the developer/publisher should go bankrupt for even thinking about selling shovel ware like that at full price.
Reply
Used games market is so much better, they got from old to new games with low prices.
Ignorats think that only mobile games cost $2, pathetic fools. Like you, anon123321 and Techni.
It's no suprise people are ignorant they're never aware of anything.
Reply
I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say to me. Should I be insulted?
I'm "Ignorat" because you think that I think that only mobile games are $2?
Never said that but ok. If you think that you can find Mass Effect or Oblivion for $2 than be my guest. GameStop doesn't sell PS3 games that low, new or used. It would have to be a budget title that no one ever bought to begin with and even then the lowest would probably be $5... Not tat first though. It would take years to get that low.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Games that are cheap to make yet sell at full price are ruining the industry.
Of course, that is only from a consumer standpoint, not the corporate greed standpoint Reggie is referring to.
Reply
But then, it's generally up to you to find out if a game is good or not. It's like trying to watch a movie - you really can't find out until you watch it yourself.
Or spoil by reading reviews.
Reply
america is all about competion
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reggie Fils-Aime always cracks me up.
What a bizarre and candidly intriguing character.
Reply
People who would be interested in 3rd birthday would not prefer 60 one dollar games for the same price.
Although one dollar games might overlap the audience for that gimmicky underpowered tripe that nintendo puts out, thats probably what Mr. Reggie is complaining about.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Pacman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL2p2ANFlQ4
E.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DTjLG3usQo
Reply
Back in the 80s, companies complained that because of piracy they couldn't reduce the asking price of their games. The premise being that if people didn't pirate, games would be cheaper.
Now they're moaning about how games are cheap, despite not being pirated. Markets change! You can't have your cake and eat it too!
In regards to piracy and cheap games, the fact is that most heavy pirates also buy a considerable number of games commercially as well, which keeps the market afloat despite piracy. In fact if everyone heavily pirated a lot of games and still bought a considerable number commercially, the market can still function. It's been like this since the dawn of the Spectrum and C64 8-bit era.
Reply
That's why great selling games get price drops really quickly. They aim for their ROI, then scale down once it's almost or already met.
Imagine if you had spent a couple of million on development, production, and marketing, then sell at dirt-cheap prices? Sadly, games have an expiry date from a marketing standpoint.
Reply