I agree.

I have "dipped" into the distribution market here in Australia. Apart from the OFLC costs ($600) - its not too bad, as long as you have a marketing budget (not really needed with RE4), and retailers will take your product (definitely not needed with RE4).

The manucturing cost (i.e. what Nintendo gets) will be about $10/unit (maybe less). Includes shipping and packaging.

Capcom I don't think distribute directly here, so maybe Ubisoft, Atari or some other company do it for them. Capcom will sell units for about $30AU, distributor will add on another $10 (or so) - and sell units to retailers for around $40AU (educated guess). This may or may not include GST. If not, retailers have to wear the extra $4 (GST on cost of the unit for the retailer).

Retailers then try to implement a 100% markup - their profit, and they take the risk for the title not selling as well. This also gives them space to drop the price to a more budget price in the future.

(they of course have to 10% of the retail price at sale to the government - nice thing, is that as the price drops, the GST the retailer pays does as well).

Lets just hope retailers ordered a large quantity, few people buy at that price - and the price drops quickly.

Europe is getting screwed....    AGAIN!!! AARGH!!!...

its like 45 Euro's here in EU... Which is like 60$.

And 30$ is worth like 20 Euro's!  Stupid Capcom! I was gonne buy this game at 30$... But now: I have to reconsider!

i think it's safe to say that it's the retailers ripping you guys off, not the publisher. Capcom already announced their "discounted" price, they won't jack up the price to full retail. Can retailers be held responsible for these kind of things?

Here in germany I buyed it for 40 Euro. It's even more as in the USA, even if I consider, that games always cost here the same price as in the USA in $ it's increased. But it's a great game, I'm not disappointed.

1 of the reasons why I buy import games. I'm not willing to pay 60 Euro = about 80USD for a WII game! Mario Galaxy I would but the collection would be very slim when I needed to cough up that kind of money. With JP import I never pay more then 42 Euro for a game which is about 55USD. Donkey Kong Jet Race costed me about 48 Dollars which is less then 40 Euro, more like 36. Paper Mario cost me only about 30 Euro. Here you have to pay twice as much for that game.

For example Mercury Meltdown Revolution for the WII. This game will cost in the US only "20USD", in Europe, here in The Netherlands, where the game has already been released you have to pay a louzy 45-50Euro for it which is about 60-65USD according to today's currency!!! You've got 3 Mercury games for that!

nope, it's against the law to increase the price of an item above the Recommended Retail Price. The RRP here is $80. Whoever handles the distribution of the game to Australia is ripping us off as they're the ones that set the price.

Of course, I'm sure the retailer is getting a rather large cut of it. 

Yeah, right. Did you miss the part where I said the game's MSRP was the same price as Strikers, a new game? But I guess new games are tax exempt, that makes sense! Things are bound to be more expensive here, sure. There's VAT, then there's mandated warranties, etc. But that doesn't excuse publishing a "budget" game at full prices.

Actually, were I come from RE4 being sold at an MSRP of €60, where Strikers is at €50, but we're screwed over twice, by Nintendo Europe and the local importer (who for instance couldn't get us Strikers for the whole first month after it launched). It's also not the retailers fault, as they usually sell below MSRP, big retailers usually even below european MSRP.

But I ain't paying anything even remotely close to €60 for a game that retails at $30 in the States, taxes or no taxes - that's "only" 160% extra, my friend.

Most of its audience already own it for GC or PS2 and many are aprehensive of the Wiimote controls and not aware of the ability to use the GC controller or PS2 control style with the traditional controller. So I think its a combination of factors working against it. It was smart to sell at lower price though. I am angry though that Europe and the "Other" regions are getting shafted on price though.

Right. I'm enjoying the game, and doing pretty well on my own... I just can't do anything online. But since I bought it mostly because of online, so I had a game I could pick up anytime and have some fun playing for like 15min, I'm a little disappointed.