With Expedition 33 and the Oblivion Remaster being high-budget projects priced at $50, quite a bit less than major releases like Mario Kart and Assassin’s Creed: Shadow, could this change the conversation around the notion that games really need to be priced at $70 to make a profit? It feels like pricing games at $50 might encourage more impulse buys, especially when compared to those hefty $70-$80 tags. What do you all think?
5 Answers
I think it’s a bit more complicated. These two games are not directly comparable. The Oblivion Remaster was cheaper to produce since it’s not a full remake, and Expedition 33 comes from a smaller studio. If they both hit massive sales, like over 15 million, maybe we can say there’s a market for these lower-priced games, but it’s not a direct comparison.
Honestly, the argument for pricing is really just a cover for corporate greed. Companies are raking in profits already, yet they still push for higher prices. I’m going to just wait for sales; it seems smarter to do that with how often games drop in price.
Totally agree! Companies are always trying to maximize profits instead of focusing on what consumers really want. It’s frustrating to see people defend these price hikes.
With the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if companies start pushing for $90 games instead. It seems like they always want more profits regardless of their financial success—you can’t have enough green, I guess!
For real! They act like they’re struggling when they’re really just looking to fatten those wallets even more.
I think the main issue remains that AAA game development has huge costs. Just look at how salaries have risen over the years. As development becomes more complex, so does the pricing structure, which means the $70 price point might not be going away anytime soon, regardless of games like Oblivion.
Good perspective! As much as we want cheaper games, those production costs are rising. It’d be great if the industry could figure out a way to balance it better.
This whole pricing debate seems to ignore that while some games are profitable, not every studio operates the same way. Development costs differ based on location and studio size. Remember, large AAA studios often have hefty expenses to maintain.
Exactly! It’s a hard truth that the indie scene can be more sustainable at lower prices, but big titles need that $70 price tag sometimes just to break even.
That’s a good point! Oblivion’s definitely more of a remaster than anything groundbreaking, so comparing it to completely new AAA games might be misleading.