Support NeoGAF

[Tomi]

Embracer Boss Mulls Increasing the Price of Video Games Beyond $70 - IGN

The controversial boss of Embracer Group has discussed the topic of increasing the price of video games beyond $70 amid rising development costs and an increasingly competitive market.

www.ign.com

"It's something we have been discussing…"​

What is happening?
This sounds like suicide alarm, no no and no!!!

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Fuck Embracer.

 

[ProtoByte]

Before the outrage mob starts:

I'm not saying you can't increase the price," Wingefors told the site. "But the reality is no one has tried it. If you create an enormous role-playing game, for example, with 100 or 150 hours of gameplay, very polished, and a unique experience, would the consumer be willing to pay more? If they would, they would have more products potentially coming to market. But no one tried it.

"It's something we have been discussing, but we are
currently sticking to the practice of the industry. Would it be that one [company] one day that tries to increase pricing? That remains to be seen.

...
I think the industry is facing the same problem as all other industries, with inflation and rising costs of game development," Wingefors added. "And it's been hard to increase pricing [in] premium PC/console. The pricing of those products has been the same for many years, which means that the margin to succeed is less, and on top of that, there is a higher cost of capital. Ultimately when you make big investments or games, you need to play with teams you are very confident in, or with IPs you own or control, and have the full financial income.

On top of that, the consumers have more content than ever to choose from. They love to engage in established IPs they've been playing before, which means it's harder to have them trying out new things or new IPs. It's just something we're all facing. It's a reality which we have been adapting to over the past year, and we will continue to adapt to that reality.

 

[GHound]

Joke's on them. I already refuse to pay $70.

 

[Robb]

It’s hilarious to hear this come from Embracer of all companies. They haven’t been able to produce a game I’d be willing to pay more than $10 for, if that.

 

[realcool]

I have a better idea: decrease the price of games.

 

[Hudo]

What is the value proposition here? Even most of Sony's first-party games aren't worth $70 and some backwater, retard publisher wants to sell their games at more than that? Good fucking luck, I guess.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I'm willing to pay $70 for top tier, huge games. And in other rare cases, smaller titles that happen to be my favorite games/franchises. I am also willing to pay less than that for games I'm not as into, or ones that are older and drop in price with time. I'm also willing to pay more than $70 for special editions with worthwhile add-ons.

 

[ahtlas7]

This company. Run by great business minds. Price increases part of their restructuring now?

 

[demonstr8]

The reason people like him are mulling it because more and more companies are being held hostage by Blackrock to implement ESG/DEI into their games which means the teams must get bigger with more employees who don't actually do anything tangible for the game except make it worse AND increase the budget by another 50 million dollars AND the game sells worse than it would have so it's a double whammy of unsustainable political warfare but the cultural marxists have made people believe they must do it or they're racist as people have lost all sense of what is true or what truly matters. This also drives down the price per share of the company which is what they want as it becomes cheaper for Blackrock to buy them out and further consolidate their position.

 

[Ozriel]

I have a better idea: decrease the price of games.

You’ll probably have to decrease your expectations

It’s hilarious to hear this come from Embracer of all companies. They haven’t been able to produce a game I’d be willing to pay more than $10 for, if that.

They clearly say it’s a hypothetical, if the game in question is a 100+ hour, super polished game.

 

[ZehDon]

Sony pushed for USD$70 and got it, even when it didn't make sense and even when it created really weird practices like their pay-for-patches non-sense. Sony proved you can charge more than USD$60. Won't be long before someone proves USD$70 isn't the ceiling - but it won't be Embracer, it'll be a company with a massive game people actually want.

 

[Ozriel]

The reason people like him are mulling it because more and more companies are being held hostage by Blackrock to implement ESG/DEI into their games which means the teams must get bigger with more employees who don't actually do anything tangible for the game except make it worse AND increase the budget by another 50 million dollars AND the game sells worse than it would have so it's a double whammy of unsustainable political warfare but the cultural marxists have made people believe they must do it or they're racist as people have lost all sense of what is true or what truly matters. This also drives down the price per share of the company which is what they want it cheaper for Blackrock to buy them out and further consolidate their position.

Tinfoil hat Posts like this are even worse that the ‘woke’ stuff you folks complain about. Nobody’s inflating budgets by millions to implement DEI shit.

AAA Games are getting increasingly more expensive to make for very well documented reasons.

 

[nikos]

Laughs in key site.

 

[Duchess]

Patient gamer here. I wait until they go sub £30 before buying, unless it's something I really want, when I'll do £50.

 

[TransTrender]

I'm glad I'm physical and never pay near MSRP for games.

 

[Robb]

They clearly say it’s a hypothetical, if the game in question is a 100+ hour, super polished game.

Yeah, but for them to make something like that is not hypothetical. It’s unthinkable.

 

[MagiusNecros]

I want 10 hour games with shit graphics with great art direction that makes said shit graphics look amazing with side content with good pacing that turns that 10 hour game into a 25 hour game and offers rewards for playing it multiple times on different difficulties to increase longevity.

And one where I am not bored halfway through. Many thanks.

If they push to increase price then gamers should push to wait for deep sales. It is time to apply the 3rd rule of Acquisition.

 

[existensmaximum]

As long as it's released on a physical medium so I can sell it if I don't like it, or when I'm finished - sure. I'm willing to pay a lot for good games.

As a digital download? Never ever for any game in the history of forever

 

[Roufianos]

Have Embracer ever put out a well-received AAA game? They're the last ones who should be considering this.

 

[Ozriel]

Yeah, but for them to make something like that is not hypothetical. It’s unthinkable.

And that’s fine. So you’re not in any danger of paying them more than $70.

 

[Robb]

And that’s fine. So you’re not in any danger of paying them more than $70.

Oh, believe me, I don’t feel like I’m in danger of paying them a dime given their output.

What they’re saying is subjective though. They can easily put out a game stating that it has “100h+ of content” and is “the most polished game we’ve ever made” etc. etc. then smack +$70 on the box.

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

GTA 6 could get away with it... I can't see many other games getting away with it.

 

[KungFucius]

Before the outrage mob starts:

I like RPGs but when they are that long I tend to lose interest and get angry that they are still dragging on. I would pay more to make the games less bloat-filled. Quality over quantity. If you have a game like he suggests, break it up into DLC.

 

[Aguero9320]

Tinfoil hat Posts like this are even worse that the ‘woke’ stuff you folks complain about. Nobody’s inflating budgets by millions to implement DEI shit.

I assumed that post was an attempt at satire - if it was serious, I look forward to reading their handwritten 40 page manifesto after their death

Won’t affect me if they increase prices, I have my own price in my head and will continue to wait for it to reach that before buying. Can’t think of hardly anything I would pay $70 for,

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Tinfoil hat Posts like this are even worse that the ‘woke’ stuff you folks complain about. Nobody’s inflating budgets by millions to implement DEI shit.

AAA Games are getting increasingly more expensive to make for very well documented reasons.

Diversity / incompetent hires, ethical / DEI departments, among many others, fake consultancy companies expenses, etc.

Yes, budgets are inflated for well-documented reasons like those I mentioned.


To the point: FUCK Embracer.

 

[Filben]

Of course they've been discussing it and I bet they've even discussed 100EUR and more. This is neither news nor surprising.

 

[PixelatedBeast]

Sony pushed for USD$70 and got it, even when it didn't make sense and even when it created really weird practices like their pay-for-patches non-sense. Sony proved you can charge more than USD$60. Won't be long before someone proves USD$70 isn't the ceiling - but it won't be Embracer, it'll be a company with a massive game people actually want.

How are you making this about Sony when this is about Embracer increasing prices? Sony wasnt even the first to start charging 70.00$ for their games, it was EA. Also, what pay for patches are you talking about? Playstations 60fps updates for the PS5 is free. You mean charging 10.00 for remakes that add content if you have the PS4 version?

 

[Damigos]

The fact that a good must be more expensive if its good/polished/long is outrageous.
Songs have the same price everywhere, movies have the same price anywhere.
If something is worth, it will generate profit for its creator, if its not it wont

 

[Euler007]

That's how inflation works. The push to 70$ was at the start of the gen, before the crazy inflation hit.

 

[Laptop1991]

What a surprise, NOT! lol

 

[hemo memo]

Go ahead do it. I buy games at my own price which is discounted.

 

[Yoboman]

Thanks, Jim Ryan

 

[ungalo]

Does that mean europeans will pay more than 80 euros or are we going to be equal for once ?

 

[Krappadizzle]

 

[hemo memo]

The AAA sector of the industry collapsing is not a matter of if anymore but when.

 

[Hudo]

Does that mean europeans will pay more than 80 euros or are we going to be equal for once ?

Sorry, lad. Best I can do is 95€. Get fucked.

 

[Draugoth]

Company has financial issues due to bad products and management

Board: How do we fix this?

CEO: I know, let's increase product prices

 

[wipeout364]

I don’t want it to go up but it’s going to go up soon. With wage increases and costs spiking due to inflation it is a question of when not should.

The problem is that I think people already have so much content to play that there really isn’t much pressure to buy games at release. The heavy discounting that occurs is so common that I suspect raising prices at this moment would have a significant cooling effect on most new game sales.

There are games that could pull it off but not many. COD, GTA, some Sony first party stuff but not many other games. The time to do this is when a new console launch happens and games for it are sparse.

 

[Meicyn]

Toys R Us flyer from 1996. Factor in inflation by doubling the prices you see here.

 

[hemo memo]

Toys R Us flyer from 1996. Factor in inflation by doubling the prices you see here.

Toys R Us went bankrupt though.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Sony pushed for USD$70 and got it, even when it didn't make sense and even when it created really weird practices like their pay-for-patches non-sense. Sony proved you can charge more than USD$60. Won't be long before someone proves USD$70 isn't the ceiling - but it won't be Embracer, it'll be a company with a massive game people actually want.

hmmm... I wonder what that game might be ...

 

[Sonik]

The AAA sector of the industry collapsing is not a matter of if anymore but when.

They became like Hollywood, especially Western ones: Bloated, pretentious, generic, creatively bankrupt and obnoxious. I honestly won't miss them

Meanwhile indie devs are inventing a new genre every few years

 

[Meicyn]

Toys R Us went bankrupt though.

All retailers were charging $69.99 for new SNES games.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Bad idea straight up

 

[Red5]

Has Embracer even released a game worth 60$ let alone 70$ or above?

 

[Krappadizzle]

Toys R Us flyer from 1996. Factor in inflation by doubling the prices you see here.

The price of games then was exactly why the rental market was so prevalent at the time. I know if I was lucky I'd get maybe 2 or 3 games a year at most. But I could rent a game pretty much every week. And that was common amongst everyone I knew.

I'd wager that if game prices rose any more than they have now, it'll be even less purchases from the general public and the prevalent equivalent of rental or piracy as the general solution for the majority of gamers.

 

[mitch1971]

I have a better idea: decrease the price of games.

They already have using subscriptions services which devalue games already. Look how people cry foul when a brand new game isn't hitting gamepass day one. These companies had dug their own graves years ago.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I am pretty sure for example Take 2 can sell GTA6 for 100$ and it will sell tons still. Not sure if that many other games can do that though.