GotchayeX said: The implication here is that $5 per copy is 'worthwhile' in the US, so they don't jack up prices. This, however, is nonsense. Why wouldn't they also jack up US prices if it means more profit?

Because they sell 15-20 times as many copies in the US, meaning they need less profit per unit to make the venture worthwhile.  Of course they could make more profit by rasing the the price in the US, but they aren't actively trying to gouge anyone and anyone who even implies it is asinine.  So to avoid gouging they release games at the most reasonable cost they can to make an apropriate profit in a given region.  In Australia due to laws, population, and relative remoteness the price per unit needs to be higher to make it worth the venture.  As has been said, the Australian market is so small and relatively unimportant that if they didn't charge more to make the required profit they'd just not release in the country at all.

KruzeS said: This isn't about other games' prices people. Yes, I know games are bound to come late and be more expensive in Europe. There's localization, there are legal issues, taxes, warranties. It's also a smaller game market, though there's certainly room for growth - like it or not, the EU is the largest economy in the world, and has more consumers than Japan and North America combined. I also expect games to be a bit more expensive here than in the rest of Europe, and to reach full availability later. Isolated, we're a small market, there's local representatives, there are some further legalities. Most big retailers do sell them at european prices, but we don't get anything like Amazon discounts. News flash: this thread is not about any of this. All this makes games in Europe some 30% more expensive than in the US, and maybe another 5% around here. Guess what? Most of it is inclusion of say an average 20% VAT for the Eurozone. So that's pretty fair. It doesn't even make imports really that much worthwhile, except for the release dates. But the game we are talking about, is budget priced in the US and full price here. That makes it a 130% price difference. Were I come from, the game sells for more than some brand new Nintendo games, and for more than when it was originally released on the Gamecube - the MSRP is actually 160% more here. This almost makes it worthy to mod the console for this game alone. And if a Freeloader ever comes out, it will most definitely be worth it. So, if you don't think that's a ripoff, well...

This was a good post with reason. Something i have been telling for ages. But also the retailers want more profit and then there's the local importers. Interesting subject is that why it's always Nintendo, doesn't anyone want to see that also the other platforms games prices get inflated between regions? But about RE4 Wii edition, the gamestores i have visited, sells it for 45 Euros, while you can find it in the supermarket for 50. Anyone can use their own brains to think where that difference comes from.

Would you mind explaining this:
"Of course they could make more profit by rasing the the price in the US, but they aren't actively trying to gouge anyone and anyone who even implies it is asinine."
How do you know that they can make more profit, why wouldn't they be trying to maximize profit, and why is anyone who thinks that they're trying to maximize profit asinine?

Edit: It's not like they're even the providers of a necessary good - their stockholders have absolutely no incentive to do anything other than make money.

OriGin said: Ummm... are people stupid? *sigh* I'm stick of people complaining about the price of things in Australia when compared to the United States. What were you just born yesterday? It's been like this since forever... my first memory was seeing the price of some Michael Jordan's that my Dad brought me back from American when I was rather young and they were 1/4 the price they are here. GET OVER IT... there is a reason and no one stated it so far... It's called population size and ultimately HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BUY THE GAME. If the proposed market is smaller the price has to go up because profit margins have to be the same for companies... you could KEEP complaining, but I'm sure you would complain more if companies thought 'screw Australia all together, there is no point because it only makes up .5% of our profit for the entire year, in the end the effort isn't worth it, lets just not release games at all' Some Australian are such tight wads and think that all things are equal because of the Internet age...   In summary you sell a million copies of a game at $5 profit that is $5,000,000. In Australia you can sell maybe ten thousand copies of the same game at $5 profit that is $50,000. HARDLY worth it, thus, the price is jacked. /endrant

that's not the problem

the problem is the markup is actually HIGHER for a cheaper game than the full price games. And the price is more than double. I expected $60 for this game and to find that it was $80 is a complete rip off. It's obvious they're marking this game up a whole lot more than they need to.

 

I respect that yes, but I don't think think it's commercial rip off like is being touted.

I haven't played the game before so i'm happy with only having to pay the $75 I paid for it at Toys R Us.

Of course I'd like it cheaper but I just don't think it's fair of Australians to demand exactness with the USA when we have less than 10% the people.

It costs more to make less per unit too I would imagine.

IE Produce 10 million = $1 each
Produce 10 thousand = $20 each

That's a drastic 'generalization' but that comes into it also.

OriGin said: Ummm... are people stupid? *sigh* I'm stick of people complaining about the price of things in Australia when compared to the United States. What were you just born yesterday? It's been like this since forever... my first memory was seeing the price of some Michael Jordan's that my Dad brought me back from American when I was rather young and they were 1/4 the price they are here. GET OVER IT... there is a reason and no one stated it so far... It's called population size and ultimately HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BUY THE GAME. If the proposed market is smaller the price has to go up because profit margins have to be the same for companies... you could KEEP complaining, but I'm sure you would complain more if companies thought 'screw Australia all together, there is no point because it only makes up .5% of our profit for the entire year, in the end the effort isn't worth it, lets just not release games at all' Some Australian are such tight wads and think that all things are equal because of the Internet age...   In summary you sell a million copies of a game at $5 profit that is $5,000,000. In Australia you can sell maybe ten thousand copies of the same game at $5 profit that is $50,000. HARDLY worth it, thus, the price is jacked. /endrant

Well in AUS the PS3 sells for exactly $1,000. Which is $840 USD, PS3 is selling better here in Australia in ratio to America, so STFU with that 'Aussies are cheap bullshit'.

Yep I think the PS3 is too expensive, but it's too expensive everywhere.

I don't think Aussie are cheap but complaining about the prices being so jacked here is just a fact of life, it's time to accept it because it's not going to change. Wait until internet usage costs change here and you have pay per use... that's majorly going to suck but what can we do about it? nothing.

The problem with Australia is that gaming stores always jack up the price, even when the game is launched EB has it at 10$ more expensive then a place like JB hi-fi, i also remembering EB having oblivion for 120$ on XBOX 360 when that game was launched, the only upside is that prices tend to drop reasonably quickly.

OriGin said: Yep I think the PS3 is too expensive, but it's too expensive everywhere. I don't think Aussie are cheap but complaining about the prices being so jacked here is just a fact of life, it's time to accept it because it's not going to change. Wait until internet usage costs change here and you have pay per use... that's majorly going to suck but what can we do about it? nothing.

That's all easy to say when you're not paying those prices, I have no real problem in dishing out the dough for games over here, the topic was originally about how RE4 is so expensive here, which it is, whatever way you look at it.

Also remember that the price in the US dollars doesnt include Taxes, where as our RRP is what you pay at the register, unlike the US. You'll also find that if you had shopped around, JB Hifi has had the game around the AUS$67 mark. As for you Kwaad, the Wii version runs in anamorphic 16:9 in 480p, a big improvement from the GC version.