Many gamers believe that the current price point of $60 for high profile games is overpriced, and it seems that at least one gaming CEO shares this belief.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York, THQ CEO Brian Farrell said that “In the past, we’ve seen that we bring the game out at $59.99 and it does reasonably well — around one million, or one million-and-a-half units. When we lower the price to a mass market price the thing really jumps… So what we’re doing this time is we’re coming out initially with a smaller game at a lower price point — the $29 to $39 range.”
And for consumers who want a larger experience, THQ will offer different game modes, tracks and vehicle for (paid) download. “It’s what we call a hybrid — it’s a bit of the micro transaction and DLC model.” Farrell explained, “I’m a big believer in monetizing under the curve, so we capture that $29 to $39 user no matter what, and a person that wants to spend $100 on the product can do so as well.”
“I think that’s the future of gaming — whether it’s this model or a take on the free-to-play model,” he concluded. “It’s where our industry is going and this is a very, very interesting experiment with one of our key brands.”
What do you think? I like paying 1 price and getting everything in the game.. this way it looks as if they are giving you 25% of a game and saying “you can pay $100 more and get the full one.” Let us know!
William
hmmm, if a normal game is £40, and they offer this i wouldn’t take it. But, if they offered a version where i would have all the DLC ever released for that game for *free* for £50, and it was a game i would be to know to have a lot of DLC that i would probably buy it! I guess I am a bit of a sucker for limited and collectors editions of games!
Apocacrux
It seems that the DLC will be more like what would supposedly come on the disc in the retail version, though I see your point. It seems that Rockstar tried to provide as much free DLC as they could, but ultimately there is a limit. Hopefully THQ will also include free DLC for those who buy the “Full Version” of the game.
William
am I now literally the only person commenting?… seems a bit lonely now! 🙁