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The Problem With XBLA Pricing

Posted by Bob Mackey

When the amazing Bionic Commando: Rearmed launched last summer at the cost of 800 Microsoft Points (10 dollars), fans of the old-school franchise were relieved--and some were even worried that Capcom wasn't charging enough. But just a week before this, the 1200-Point price tag attached to the equally-amazing Braid caused a bit of alarm--though most agreed that an extra five bucks was more than worth it for such a unique and unforgettable experience.

These days, the 800 Point-and-under pricing structure of XBLA games is seemingly becoming a thing of the past; this week's releases of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and Flock are available for 20 and 15 dollars, respectively. For the gamer on a budget--or me, anyway--the 10-dollar price point is the sweet spot for XBLA game prices. And as new XBLA releases find themselves slipping further and further from this comfortable territory, I'm finding myself less and less interested in what's available in the marketplace.

Before I'm ripped to shreds, I'd like to state that I do want to see the makers of these XBLA games adequately compensated for their work--it's just that the perceived value of a new game (downloadable or not) is far less than publishers think it is. Even at the happy price point of $10, frugal gamers can get much more than a single XBLA game; in fact, if you're a regular follower of Steam's fantastic sales, you could have bought both Bioshock and Tomb Raider Anniversary for this tiny sum.

Of course, these games can be had for so cheap because their publishers have already sold as many copies as they could at retail prices, but that doesn't mean that this competition doesn't exist. The Xbox Live Marketplace has been slashing prices on some of their more-popular games--the first episode of Penny-Arcade Adventures has had its originally-outrageous price chopped in half this week--but we're creeping closer and closer to having 15 dollars as the norm.

What do you 61FPS readers think about the situation? Has the rising cost of XBLA games made you just as miserly as me?

Related Links:

Whatcha Playing: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Again)
Board Games Should Be Downloadable
Yahtzee Says, Support Your Local Independent Developer (He's Right).


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Comments

Roto13 said:

PSN games tend to be similarly priced. It doesn't bother me too much, but there are definitely games I would buy if they were just five dollars cheaper than they are. Like Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

WiiWare games don't usually go over $10, but their production values are lower. I paid $15 for World of Goo and it was totally worth it. I also paid $12 for Sin and Punishment, and I kind of regret it. I would buy Tetris Party and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King if they were $10 each, but not for what they're priced now.

April 9, 2009 3:58 PM

LBD "Nytetrayn" said:

I'm less likely to drop the cash on those more expensive titles, but at the same time, I'm not going to be <em>too</em> alarmed unless downloadable game prices begin to be comparable to retail.  In which case, just give me a hard copy, please.

April 9, 2009 11:20 PM

That Fuzzy Bastard said:

What really kills me is the lack of discounts over time.  The occasional sale is nice and all, but look, a game usually starts at retail at $60.  After a month, it goes down to $50.  Six months later, it'll be at $40.  And by the next year, it'll generally settle to $30.  But XBLA titles just hold their price, with sales as the exception.  So in the long run, devs *lose* sales, since they don't have any way to make use of timed price drops the way retail games do (by all accounts, due to MS policy).

April 11, 2009 10:33 AM

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About Bob Mackey

For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.


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