$59.99. Who determines a video game's standard price?

[VideoGameAccountant]

DonFerrari said:

VideoGameAccountant said:

That's a problem with budgets more than anything. These companies can make games cheaper. They can focus less on graphics which would likely save on time and money, but they refuse. The major publishers want this because it keeps competition out (since smaller firms can't make games as big and with the pretty graphics). As myself and others said, they can increase the price if they want. 

Also, the whole story of "games are too expensive" is a farce. Go look at their financials. They are raking in money. The whole "we need microtransactions because games are expensive" is putting lipstick on a pig. 

Could be a problem on budget, except there is a market that likes the graphic investment you seem to abhoor.

 

Except its a small segment of the market. Always has been. You can look back at the history of games and see that's the case. The most successful game of this decade, Minecraft, looks like an N64 game. The reason for the big budgets is to wall off against competition. My point is that increasing the price really isn't the solution. It's scaling back games so that you can turn a decent profit from selling the game. A great example, funny enough, is comparing these smaller Japanese studios to the studios EA absorbed. You have Dead Space 3 which sold a couple million not making it's money back due to a bloated budget and marketing. Conversely, you look at Platinum and they can still stay in business despite selling less. They don't have these outrageous budgets and marketing. Maybe not a perfect example sure, but my point is that you can resolve the issue of profitability in games without raising the price or charging customers out the ass for extra junk. Just change the budget and marketing. However, big publishers don't want to do that so that's how we are in this hellscape.