2024 the year game prices increase $20.

[wbino]

A game like Sins of A Solar Empire 2 are priced at $99. for the deluxe version, meaning that even when games go on sale they are the same price or more than they should have been.
Game companies are making a ton of money then fire their workers as soon as the product is released.

[wbino]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Chika Ogiue:

Games increase by about the equivalent of that amount in my region nearly EVERY year. Have done since the PS2 days. Thankfully, for consoles at least, we still have a physical market and an incentive to reduce pricing. Steam has no incentive -- it's not surprising that I now buy less than 5 games a year on Steam while still buying 30+ on consoles in the same time period.

I have no love for consoles they are holding back PC graphics because everything has to be backwards compatible.
My 4090 needs to be able to play games a PS4 can handle.

[D. Flame]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Chika Ogiue:

Games increase by about the equivalent of that amount in my region nearly EVERY year. Have done since the PS2 days. Thankfully, for consoles at least, we still have a physical market and an incentive to reduce pricing. Steam has no incentive -- it's not surprising that I now buy less than 5 games a year on Steam while still buying 30+ on consoles in the same time period.

I have no love for consoles they are holding back PC graphics because everything has to be backwards compatible.
My 4090 needs to be able to play games a PS4 can handle.

stop living in the past mate. PC gaming is no longer about a few guys in their basements bragging about how pretty the graphics on their PC games look, while never actually playing them. Most people's PCs are using older hardware, and the single most common GPU is use is NOT a 4090. It is the 3060.

[Chika Ogiue]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

I have no love for consoles they are holding back PC graphics because everything has to be backwards compatible.
My 4090 needs to be able to play games a PS4 can handle.

Consoles aren't holding PCs back graphicwise anymore than minimum spec PC requirements are. But if you refuse to adopt systems where competitive pricing is still a thing, you can't really complain that prices are going up. You're part of the problem by adopting a digital only platform that doesn't need to be competitive.

[miakisfan]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

A game like Sins of A Solar Empire 2 are priced at $99. for the deluxe version, meaning that even when games go on sale they are the same price or more than they should have been.
Game companies are making a ton of money then fire their workers as soon as the product is released.

On top of what else has been said I'd add this: You obviously haven't purchased any Nintendo 64 games before, have you?

I remember paying at least 89 dollars plus tax for Killer Instinct Gold. That was the normal price for a Nintendo 64 game, too.

You also aren't forced to purchase deluxe or any other versions of the game. You are the deciding vote when it comes to buying games, not them. You think it costs too much? Don't buy it. You want the game that badly but don't want to pay that price? Wait for it to go to sale.

You can't get any more common sense than that.

As for the complaining ... yeah, I know it seems like for most people that is a second job but you have the right to do it. There are companies I don't support because of their business and behavioral practices.

I stopped purchasing NISA games for the sole reason of them starting to use the term JRPG. I expect that out of the regionally challenged, not the people I purchase the games from. You want my money you treat me like a gamer, not a gamer from X region or Y region.

[Crazy Tiger]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Crazy Tiger:

You overestimate the costs of the first 4, everybody severely does.

Anyway, the OP is based on a false premise, namely a deluxe edition. Base edition of the game is 50 Euro, so normal price. A deluxe version with future content being so pricy is normal as well, premium and collectors editions and such always have been expensive.

$50 used to be the price for a AAA game now it's a normal price for games that should be $35 at best.

What your personal view is on what prices "should" be isn't relevant. The price for the base game is a normal price for such games, so your OP remains based on a wrong premise.

If you want to complain about how things used to be cheaper, better look at things like food and such. Products in such industries have had much, much higher price increases % wise than the gaming industry ever had. I mean, there aren't many industries where the product prices have remained the same for such long periods as in the gaming industry.

[Mad Scientist]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

A game like Sins of A Solar Empire 2 are priced at $99. for the deluxe version, meaning that even when games go on sale they are the same price or more than they should have been.
Game companies are making a ton of money then fire their workers as soon as the product is released.

The base game is realistically all you need, which is $49.99

You forgot to note the Deluxe edition includes not just the OST but the future releases "Paths to Power scenario pack", "Reinforcements ship pack", "Times of war campaign expansion" and "Harbinger expansion" which is a 4th faction you can play as. Completely optional.

You can have patience and wait for the entire pack to go on a large sale in the future, a lot of shoppers love buying when discounted and that can send a message to companies especially if they get more copies sold during a sale, or even more profit from sales than full price during sales as to if the price is justified or should be altered. Over time some Devs may decrease the base price, others if adding more & more to their game may increase the base price (Factorio as example).

[MonkehMaster]

Ursprungligen skrivet av miakisfan:

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

A game like Sins of A Solar Empire 2 are priced at $99. for the deluxe version, meaning that even when games go on sale they are the same price or more than they should have been.
Game companies are making a ton of money then fire their workers as soon as the product is released.

On top of what else has been said I'd add this: You obviously haven't purchased any Nintendo 64 games before, have you?

I remember paying at least 89 dollars plus tax for Killer Instinct Gold. That was the normal price for a Nintendo 64 game, too.

You also aren't forced to purchase deluxe or any other versions of the game. You are the deciding vote when it comes to buying games, not them. You think it costs too much? Don't buy it. You want the game that badly but don't want to pay that price? Wait for it to go to sale.

You can't get any more common sense than that.

As for the complaining ... yeah, I know it seems like for most people that is a second job but you have the right to do it. There are companies I don't support because of their business and behavioral practices.

I stopped purchasing NISA games for the sole reason of them starting to use the term JRPG. I expect that out of the regionally challenged, not the people I purchase the games from. You want my money you treat me like a gamer, not a gamer from X region or Y region.

games back then weren't sold digitally, they were on physical media which cost money to produce, electronics chips and more, more workers to pay in production facilities, etc.. etc.. and that isn't including stores/etc.. prices they tacked on to make money from said product.

excluding CD's for production costs, when talking chips/etc.. for cartridge based games.

not fully the case now a days, when it comes to games being digital.

[BJWyler]

Ursprungligen skrivet av D. Flame:

Ursprungligen skrivet av AmsterdamHeavy:

Game prices have been stagnant for a very long time, for a number of reasons that actually have benefited the consumer.

..and even if prices do increase, which most arent, games are still cheaper when adjusted for inflation than they have ever been.

Games for the 4 bit (8) Atari 2600 were the equivalent of $130-$160 today.

I paid the list price for Styder on the Genesis of $70 in 1992. The equivalent price for that today would be ~$155

You dont know how good youve had it.

Except apologists always fail to considering things like DLC and micro transactions in the price of games, let alone the massive increase in popularity.

DLC and stuff makes the games more expensive. The massive increase in popularity and the lower costs of digital distribution means games don't need to cost as much pure unit to make more profits. The cost increases are pure greed, nothing more.

DLC has been around for over 20 years. Complainers also conveniently forget the fact that games out of the gate have more in their base than games did 30 years ago, not only in terms of content, but in technology as well, not the least of which is graphics. The cost of making games has substantially increased over time, but their price tag has certainly not done the same.

The truth of the matter is, while gaming is, and always has been an expensive hobby, gamers are getting a hellalot more bang for their buck nowadays than we have ever had before.

[Caduryn]

Ursprungligen skrivet av wbino:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Crazy Tiger:

You overestimate the costs of the first 4, everybody severely does.

Anyway, the OP is based on a false premise, namely a deluxe edition. Base edition of the game is 50 Euro, so normal price. A deluxe version with future content being so pricy is normal as well, premium and collectors editions and such always have been expensive.

$50 used to be the price for a AAA game now it's a normal price for games that should be $35 at best.

$50 used to be the Price of AAA Games 20 YEARS ago...

And most Deluxe Versions are a long time at $99, so no idea what you are talking about, nothing has changed in Game Prices in 2024.

[Nx Machina]

Ursprungligen skrivet av D. Flame:

Except apologists always fail to considering things like DLC and micro transactions in the price of games, let alone the massive increase in popularity.

DLC and stuff makes the games more expensive. The massive increase in popularity and the lower costs of digital distribution means games don't need to cost as much pure unit to make more profits. The cost increases are pure greed, nothing more.

In the 70's in UK the average weekly wage for a working man was £75 per week after tax.

Is everything therefore more expensive today when the average weekly wage for a working man in the UK is £350 per week after tax. The answer is no.

In the 70's you had £300 every 4 weeks and bought 1 game for £30 leaving you £270.

Now you have £1400 every 4 weeks and a game costs £60 leaving you with £1340.

The linked article shows prices in USD. $39 is approx £30.

https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/cost-of-gaming-since-1970s


And finally purchasing is voluntary not mandatory for dlc and microtransactions as it is for which game version you add to your cart and click confirm.

[Amaterasu]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Nx Machina:

Ursprungligen skrivet av D. Flame:

Except apologists always fail to considering things like DLC and micro transactions in the price of games, let alone the massive increase in popularity.

DLC and stuff makes the games more expensive. The massive increase in popularity and the lower costs of digital distribution means games don't need to cost as much pure unit to make more profits. The cost increases are pure greed, nothing more.

In the 70's in UK the average weekly wage for a working man was £75 per week after tax. Games were £30 per title.

Is everything therefore more expensive today when the average weekly wage for a working man in the UK is £350 per week after tax. The answer is no.

In the 70's you had £300 every 4 weeks and bought 1 game for £30 leaving you £270.

Now you have £1400 every 4 weeks and a game costs £60 leaving you with £1340.

The linked article shows prices in USD. $39 is approx £30.

https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/cost-of-gaming-since-1970s


And finally purchasing is voluntary not mandatory for dlc and microtransactions as it is for which game version you add to your cart and click confirm.

I love how this argument doesn't factor in the increased cost of living and food since then. An increase that has not only outstripped gaming, but also outpaced wages. At 1400 British Pounds, you would be able to pay for rent where I live. And if you're lucky, power and water. After that? You have zero dollars and zero cents.You'd think that I live in somewhere like New York City or Los Angeles. Nope, I live in what can be generously called a suburb... in the south.

Over half the jobs in the state fall under the $50,000 yearly poverty line. And you'd probably think, "Oh, they're burger flippers." Let's see, shall we.

Biological Technicians: $49,730 a year.
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers: $49,700 a year.
Dental Laboratory Technicians: $47,490
Psychiatric Technicians: $45,220
Firefighters: $44,180
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians: $40,390
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: $39,690
Emergency Medical Technicians: $39,160
Childcare Workers get paid less than Janitors at $27,940 as compared to a Janitor's $31,310.

None of them are fast food burger flippers

[Crazy Tiger]

Why would people need to factor in DLC and such? They're not required to purchase, plus expansions and the like existed back in the day as well. Heck, I think that people genuinely have forgotten the gazillion different Street Fighter 2 versions which were essentially different "game+DLC" versions. Then there was The Sims, which set the standard for the DLC schemes people complain about so much nowadays.

All of that happened back in the day. You know, those days that people with a severe case of gogglitus nostalgius remember selectively.

[D. Flame]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Crazy Tiger:

Why would people need to factor in DLC and such? They're not required to purchase, plus expansions and the like existed back in the day as well. Heck, I think that people genuinely have forgotten the gazillion different Street Fighter 2 versions which were essentially different "game+DLC" versions. Then there was The Sims, which set the standard for the DLC schemes people complain about so much nowadays.

All of that happened back in the day. You know, those days that people with a severe case of gogglitus nostalgius remember selectively.

Because they are additional revenue streams for these companies, obviously. Like there is a reason why a completely free game can often be more profitable than one that costs $70.

[crunchyfrog]

There's nothing new here.

Anyone who has gamed for decades knows of several periods in time where there were attempted or actual price hikes for games - one classic exmaple being for certain SNES games.

Then again when CD based games came out.

It's nothing new, and there's only one answer - vote with your wallet and be a shrewd consumer.

Let me give you what I've always done.

I've been around since the dawn of gaming and gotten bitten immediately. As such, all we had to go on when buying a game back then was box art, maybe a review in a questionable magazine or if you were lucky a friend might already have it to try out.

Under this situation, the chances of being ripped off were high. So it made you more aware and shrewd.

So I rarely bought games anywhere near release because I could wait it out and see whether ripoffs occurred. And this simple trait has stuck ever since because it's mostly infallible.

So today the price hike doesn't affect me one bit.

Because for physical games, I simply wait until real opinions come out. Then I give the game my own pricing according to what I value it and simply wait until it reaches that threshold.

For digital games, I cut off a hefty amount of the price because there's always the risk of it going away.

So this is what you should consider - if price matters to you, WAIT.

[Chompman]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Amaterasu:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Nx Machina:

In the 70's in UK the average weekly wage for a working man was £75 per week after tax. Games were £30 per title.

Is everything therefore more expensive today when the average weekly wage for a working man in the UK is £350 per week after tax. The answer is no.

In the 70's you had £300 every 4 weeks and bought 1 game for £30 leaving you £270.

Now you have £1400 every 4 weeks and a game costs £60 leaving you with £1340.

The linked article shows prices in USD. $39 is approx £30.

https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/cost-of-gaming-since-1970s


And finally purchasing is voluntary not mandatory for dlc and microtransactions as it is for which game version you add to your cart and click confirm.

I love how this argument doesn't factor in the increased cost of living and food since then. An increase that has not only outstripped gaming, but also outpaced wages. At 1400 British Pounds, you would be able to pay for rent where I live. And if you're lucky, power and water. After that? You have zero dollars and zero cents.You'd think that I live in somewhere like New York City or Los Angeles. Nope, I live in what can be generously called a suburb... in the south.

Over half the jobs in the state fall under the $50,000 yearly poverty line. And you'd probably think, "Oh, they're burger flippers." Let's see, shall we.

Biological Technicians: $49,730 a year.
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers: $49,700 a year.
Dental Laboratory Technicians: $47,490
Psychiatric Technicians: $45,220
Firefighters: $44,180
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians: $40,390
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: $39,690
Emergency Medical Technicians: $39,160
Childcare Workers get paid less than Janitors at $27,940 as compared to a Janitor's $31,310.

None of them are fast food burger flippers

Where are you looking that $50,000 is the poverty line?

It can vary based on where you live of course but the national average is closer to $15,000.