Braid isn't the only one.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169274
Some may be up in arms about Braid's $15 dollar price on Xbox Live Arcade, but that's not the only downloadable game at that price point irking consumers. Capcom's Bionic Commando: Rearmed hits the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this week, and many want to know: Why does it cost $9.99 on the 360 and PS3, but $14.99 on the PC?
According to Capcom business development and strategic planning VP Christian Svensson, it's not because of piracy fears. "It has nothing to do with piracy concerns," Svensson writes in a statement to Shacknews. "It has to do with different business terms/expectations in that sector and more importantly, generally prevailing pricing of PC digital games versus their console counterparts."
Svensson notes that the typical price for downloadable PC games is $19.99, which actually makes Rearmed five bucks "cheaper," in a certain warped sense. "With rare exceptions, titles available on Live Arcade that are also available on PC and Live Arcade are more expensive on PC (or at least were when they launched). Check all of the PopCap, Mumbo Jumbo, Oberon titles for comparison," Svensson writes.
Another noted reason is that distribution costs for PC are slightly higher, on average, than for consoles. "In several cases we have another party (beyond just the distribution portals) taking an extra bite, driving down our share of the revenue," writes Svensson. "For example, affiliate sites of our portal partners take a well earned slice of revenue for every sale, then the portal gets its cut, then we get ours. Three mouths to feed.""
In the end, Svensson says $14.99 "represents an appropriate price" for the PC, and that gamers should expect all of Capcom's downloadable games to cost slightly higher on the platform. So if you want Bionic Commando on your PC, look's like you're just going to have to suck it up and take it.
