Video Game Pricing: EA Holds Firm as Others Explore Increases
It is a hot topic in the world of gaming today: are we going to witness yet another giant stride in how much new video games cost. Business pundits have been predicting this for years now, and it appears that some big brands are paying attention. Nintendo, for instance, is making its new "Mario Kart World" a premium product, and Microsoft is not far behind, adjusting prices on its own titles.
But here is where things get interesting – not everybody in the publishing business is buying into this being the way to go. Andrew Wilson, chief of Electronic Arts, recently signaled that the legendary company is not revising its current pricing model. Why the reluctance. It seems like a mixture of the way the marketplace has grown and sheer quantity of games EA releases.
Wilson pointed out how everything has changed. "Ten years ago," he explained, "we focused on the retail sale of beautiful discs in plastic boxes. Now it is part of the business, but much smaller." He went on to clarify that EA's pricing is no longer one-size-fits-all, saying, "Our prices vary depending on the type of release, from F2P to Deluxe editions."
One of the most significant points for EA, Wilson maintains, is that the price of a game should obviously be equal to its quality. Gamers, he believes, should feel as though they are receiving true value for their money. Due to this practice, EA is not looking at any price changes at the moment.
This is a curious stance, especially considering that Microsoft is set to price some of its upcoming blockbusters, like the newest "Call of Duty," at a premium. Why this, Microsoft says, is to "align with market conditions."
So while certain industry operators are reefing down sails to what they see as new price breezes in the market, EA, at least in the short run, is charting its own course regarding game pricing.
