So in the latest game sale, as of writing, there was Toukiden Kiwami on the PS4 sale list. That's just one example I'm going with, but not the only one, in fact the publisher generally has the same kinda rule for most of their games. That rule seems to be, don't put your games on sale in any realistic or reasonable manner. The game is $30 for PS+ member, which is moderately over-priced, but $40 without it... because ya'know, those who dare not subscribe are obviously the people to just burn an extra $10 wherever they go. Now on the other hand Gamestop and amazon (at least right now) have it priced $20 and below. We're talking about a monster hunter clone re-release that has been around for over a year, and more than 2 for the base game. Its also a niche developer, and while I suppose there's that one guy out there insisting that means the game gets sold like its some magic thing, the reality is not a whole lot of people have much of a reason to buy this. There is the chance someone comes across its awesome demo on PSN and wants it late down the line, but if they'll likely figure its gotta be cheap by now. $40 isn't cheap or a smart price, and $30 is... okay, but considering alternatives it sure isn't enticing at all. Also remember, this isn't a drop, this is a temporary sale that'll probably be reverted next Tuesday. Gamestop has it around their price at a fixed rate, with it likely going lower before it goes any higher.
Koei Tecmo is horrible about this, as are Activision, and a couple others out there. Some, like Nintendo, even keep such a good hold that even used markets aren't going to help you with their absurd demand to keep prices high. However while they don't bring a lot of justice in on Nintendo prices, they sure help in a lot of other areas. I've seen at least a dozen times now where a game will be even cheaper in stores than you'd find it even on a big steam summer sale. Its not common place, but it happens, and I'm glad we have that kind of a choice. Its even worse on console digital markets, where things are closed, and where the money-clinging price hiked guys thrive best. Then I remember how, for some absurd reason, we even had a debate on the used game and retailer market. Why!?
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| So they could charge $40 for it in peace? |
The only good that came out of that discussion, was that it reminded (or informed) people that used games don't go to the developer. That's obvious for yard sales, but less so at a gamestop where the games are practically beside each other and look just as good but for less. Otherwise though, it was a very stupid discussion. However there were all sorts of lies and misinformation coming up as well, like how the prices will magically go down because "steam did it!" (even though they don't, again there's been cases of cheaper. furthermore it ignores the fact that the only store on consoles are from the hardware makers), and the normal propaganda about how gamestop is the devil because they... profit off of selling us games? (I guess that's a bad thing, just go with it and pretend to be miserable with the last game you bought from them). In the end though the reality is we've got publishers who will do their best to look out for themselves. Not everyone is like that, and some get the idea that if you cater to the consumer they get more money, but sadly a good number would exploit this stuff to profit first. So its nice to have the middle-men who themselves look to profit, and to do so will cut prices back so you buy from them first, and therefore you get a cycle of a more competitive and healthy consumer market. That sounds much better than market ran in full control of the publishers and their consent and wishes, alongside basic digital retailer guidelines. However for a while last gen, we were in a fight with ourselves to say that this healthy market was somehow a hidden evil, and that publishers had finally learned to fight it with the same method they charge us for the horse armor and microtransactions we (didn't) love so much. You were told that you had to pity the developers and publishers for being cursed to live in the real world where material goods aren't entirely in your control. So many people fell for this ignorant narrative, hardly anybody even questioned the method at which it was supposedly regulating itself: $10 online passes. They weren't supporting the art and years of work behind a game production, they were giving up a toll fee that could buy someone a fast-food meal and it was likely it was entirely going to the publisher's banks until they blow it on the next overdone market campaign. Even the publishers gave up and felt this system was stupid, and confessed it wasn't really hurting them.
I know this isn't relevant to today, and I'm glad its that way. Still I see dumb nonsensical sales like this still happening on the closed market from select publishers, and think of how much worse it could be without a competitive market out there. Unfortunately that debate still happened, was as fresh as 3 years ago, and the people who drove and stuck with that narrative still exist and work in the gaming industry. I'm not saying they're awful people or anything, but that this could happen again. If that narrative ever comes up again, look back to this reminder and think of just how dumb it is to sit there and claim we need to do away with used gaming, penalize it, or even physical copies. We wont have some fairy-tale miracle pop up where Koei Tecmo suddenly gives it out for $15 on sales just because they don't fear the used game markets; If anything they'll double down because they can and have all the power to do so. Its clear that Koei Tecmo doesn't have the brains to price their games accordingly, and don't want my money. They already got enough to fund a sequel anyway. So why not support the guys actually being smart? If the used market were such a bad force of evil, you'd think they would actually try to use these temporary sales to undercut it and send business away from gamestop, but instead it reminds me I should go and pick up that cheaper copy at the store before its gone. Hopefully one day the money-grabbers that take advantage of the closed markets sort their mess out, but until then... I'm almost glad they don't so we'll always have that choice in the market.
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| Clearly not some of the sales on PSN |
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