Capcom: Piracy Not a Factor in Higher PC Price for Bionic Commando Rearmed, $14.99 Is 'Appropriate'
Though the title will sell for $9.99 when it hits consoles next week, Svensson explained that the $14.99 price for the PC version, also due next week, stems from "different business terms/expectations in that sector." He added that "the typical downloadable price for digital-only games on PC is actually $19.99."
The executive listed higher distribution costs on PC as another factor, concluding that "$14.99 represents an appropriate price for the platform" and that gamers "should probably expect our PC pricing to always be slightly higher than the console equivalent in this [digital distribution] space."
Capcom's upcoming slate of downloadable PC and console games include Certain Affinity's Age of Booty and Proper Games' Flock.
Last week, Svensson made headlines when he claimed that the retail PC version of Capcom's Devil May Cry 4 was not selling well in North America and had been "pirated to hell and back." Arriving five months after the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, DMC4 PC carried a cheaper price than the console versions--a common retail pricing scheme.
Svensson's complete response follows below:
It has nothing to do with Piracy concerns. 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.The typical downloadable price for digital-only games on PC is actually $19.99.
zone.msn.com
realarcade.com
games.yahoo.com
downloads.pogo.comClick on any of the top downloadable games above and check their prices... most are $19.99... and these guys are the leaders in digital only titles (not just digitally distributed hybrid games).
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 where when they launched). Check all of the Pop Cap, Mumbo Jumbo, Oberon titles for comparison.
Another consideration is that our distribution costs as a percentage are, on average, slightly higher on PC than console. In several cases we have another party (beyond just the distribution portals) taking an extra bite, driving down our share of the revenue. 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.
$14.99 represents an appropriate price for the platform and you should probably expect our PC pricing to always be slightly higher than the console equivalent in this space.
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mittense
replyIs there a gamer outrage over this or something? It's five dollars.
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Is that including the $400 console?
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whoops, with bionic commando :) In context to mittenses reply, I presumed you got both console and pc in that case given..
if prices were the same, you wouldn't have to buy console to save those 5$, that's the point I'm trying to make. stop trying to be smart where you cannot, mystery4x0 lol-
I think that just about everyone who has a console of some sort also has a PC, but you can't say that the majority of PC users also have a console.
I haven't had another console since I put my Playstation into the closet to collect dust for all time, there's no point in buying one when my PC is cheaper to upgrade and does everything that a console can and more.
But this isn't a console vs PC war, I just wanted to point out that most people probably wouldn't have that option. =P
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exactly....I know not everyone will have a 360/ps3 and pc combination but there's no point in spending more money for the same game
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hell no I'd suck it up and buy it but I'd still bitch about it
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2girls1cup is what's wrong with the internet...I'm just a guy on a message board
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There is a lot wrong with some guys on some message boards so you might not want that to be your defense :)
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It's especially stupid considering Capcom is usually never ports their games to the PC. There's just the occasional bone tossed our way. Yet these days they've gone nuts porting Lost Planet, DMC, Street Figher IV and Bionic Commando. However god FORBID they touch the pricing.
It's funny - do people blow the fuck up when a game enters a sales price for the 360 but not PS3? OMG BOYCOTT. -
Like with many changes we've seen happening on the PC platform over the past few years - DRM, install limit, download limit - the problem isn't really the single fact in itself, or the absolute price on this specific case, but the precedents it sets for the future and the fear that this may become the norm.
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I believe I'm not, but your mileage may vary.
Regardless, my opinions are here, you can decide whether I'm blowing this out of proportion or not.
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=17623514-
You're wrong; it's not setting a precedent, it's a business maneuver that is taking advantage of the platform expectations.
Most people on Xbox Live and PSN are used to paying 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 real dollars on PSN for the games that they purchase. Setting a game above that price point takes things out of the norm and makes people think twice about purchasing (and these people are fucktards too).
Now, the people who play PC games are a different breed of people. $15 for a PC game seems cheap no matter how you cut it. Typical digitally-distributed games are $20, generally, and a $15 price point makes a full game like Bionic Commando a pretty good fucking deal compared to the other PC digidist games on the market to the people who are ignorant of the $10 price point for the game's console release.-
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It's taking advantage of people, not platform. And is offsetting their imaginary piracy rates based on their shitty dmc4 game that sold peanut-like quantities. It's all based on perception: if console people are used to pay $10 for something, why should PC people suffer 50% hike in price? If game as DoD:S is selling for $9.99 and this shit is $15, what justifies that price? gtfo
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of all the meaningless and cool one word responses and general trolling around, I've yet to hear anything remotely connected to what I said or refuting any of the points laid out in the post. What's up?
To the guy that said it's free market: yea, it sure is, that's why capcom games don't sell. And that's why they'll once again blame their shit sales on pirates if this pos won't sell like they'd like it to. Same ol'.. -
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Using your logic Microsoft and Sony are taking advantage of people by charging $60 for games while they are $50 on PC.
It's called a free market. -
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Yeah except Bionic Commando, in the average informed PC-gamer's eye, will be seen as a XBLA game and not a full-breed "PC-Game." PC-gamers expect a lot more value out of their purchases and usually buy into the latest multiplayer craze. In this situation it makes sense to charge more for the PC-version business-wise. Rationalize it all you want with "Microsoft Point" standards, but the only reason they're charging more for the PC-version is because they fear they won't break enough profit in the current market to venture the move. It's capitalism pure and simple. Charge more and people think they're getting more.
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Which is what I said. It's a business maneuver. The fact that it's being released on the PC has some side-effects (like an increased price point), but it's not a huge price shift and, really, I've played games on the PC that I've paid $20 for that have far less to offer than what I believe Bionic Commando: Rearmed does.
Stop being bitchy gamers for once; at least you're seeing a PC release.-
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I doubt it. Capcom isn't really a company known to be the "voice of the people." Capcom especially isn't a company I'd consider a major force in PC game development.
Every company will do things differently. Just because Capcom is charging $5 for one game release doesn't mean that every other company in existence is going to say OH LOOK WHAT THEY DID LET'S DO THAT.-
It's funny because the whole "OH LOOK WHAT THEY DID LET'S DO THAT" is what brought gaming where it is today. Sure, everyone probably won't copy them, but that doesn't mean I have to support their decision by buying their game. I don't agree with increasing the price with the reasoning that "the typical downloadable price for digital-only games on PC is actually $19.99" makes it a good deal. Portal was 20 bucks on release and using Capcom's pricing strategy I bet Valve could easily have went 35. If Capcom said something to the tune of: it's just to cover stuff like advertising, port-coding, and bandwidth costs, then I would've been complacent. But instead it's "different business terms/expectations." Hrm, I wonder to what that could be referring. It strongly reinforces the precedent and it's these smalls scenarios that we as supportive PC-gamers should call out.
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"at least you're seeing a PC release"? Like, we should be Capcom's bitches and be glad we get increased price for no reason to play some retro shit while we can get TF2 for 5$ more or DoD:S for 5$ less or even CS:S for $5 less? wow
If you'd bend over for some more when they pull similar stunt next time, feel free to do that.-
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In general those are indeed trends to watch out for.
In specific, this is complaining about Bionic Commando Rearmed selling for $5 less than Bookworm Adventures.
(And I like Bookworm Adventures, but come on.)
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Yes the game is still cheap even though it's $5 more on the PC BUT I'm sure the reason people are getting frustrated is the fact that there is no new content for that extra $5. On top of that the who people constantly saying it's only "$5 more etc. etc." have no justification for it other then saying $5 is cheap/nothing. So next time when there's another downloadable content and it's released for $20 will you go "it's only $10"?
Now if Capcom had to recoup the cost of the port to PC with that $5 then fine not a big deal but according to the news article they are only pricing it that way because they are claiming that "the typical downloadable price for digital-only games on PC is actually $19.99." -
I think that they should have announced this price point at an earlier date. As it stands, after having anticipated this game for the last six months and obviously expected the 10$ price point, it does feel a bit like a slap in the face.
Perhaps I wouldn't have felt that way if I had as much money as I had when I still had a job, but I'm a student now, and money is always tight. I'm still very happy with the fact that Capcom is releasing their games on the PC now a days, but at the same time I'll certainly demand more from the game if they are going to charge extra for it.
Either way, it's a certain purchase as I really like what I've seen from it so far. Devil May Cry 4 didn't have me interested, as that type of gameplay has never appealed to me, but bring on Bionic Commando, Street Fighter 4 and all that other console goodness! -
Hehe, slowly increase prices, no one notices, and before you know it, we're out of cash because we unkowingly, but willingly, bought 150 dollar games! (that's including all the DLC that was planned to be released before the game came out)
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