I think that's a self-fulfilling prophecy (Destiny)

by RC , UK, Monday, July 14, 2014, 16:31 (3795 days ago) @ Kermit
edited by RC, Monday, July 14, 2014, 16:37

The $59 price point is sacrosanct in the industry and, even more importantly, within the psychological comfort zone for many gamers.

I certainly don't believe the US market is special in this regard - not the same territory where people are saying they can't find places to pre-order the Ghost Edition mere days after it was announced.

As I mentioned in another thread, in the UK many new games are already breaking the previous norm of £40. Call of Duty began selling at £45 a few years ago and people still lapped it up. 8th gen games are frequently selling at £50.

This game is a new IP that NEEDS to sell to everyone who might have an interest,

Sell with a higher margin and you don't need to sell to as many people to make the same profit. This is economics 101, isn't it?

The ideal price isn't what it's actually worth, but the one that maximises the overall profit.

etc. etc.

Also, from a strictly practical point of view, I don't think we should underestimate what a difference $30 makes to kids depending on allowances, college students depending on trade-in values, and the scores of people who have the budget to buy only one or two new games per year.

If they're that price sensitive, they shouldn't be buying new games on release day in the first place. Get pre-owned games, rent, borrow or share. Have some bloody patience. About half my library was picked up way after release for steep discounts. I played a bunch more games in my youth by trading with my friends at school. Still have those discs, ya know.