$59.99 for WarCraft 3, you're kidding right??? (1 Viewer)

[Brian E]

I read an article recently, wish I could remember where, that said in the coming months we'd be seeing more and more "A List" PC games coming out for $55 - $65. I paid $60 for Neverwinter and it's already worth it. The main campaign is 60 to 100 hours long. That's a buck an hour at the most which is awfully cheap entertainment.

 

[Larry Seno Jr.]

I'll pay $65 for a GREAT game, because I've sure as heck paid $40 for some really bad ones.

Warcraft 3 isn't a great game. Save your $$. The more I play it the more I dislike it. Heroes are FAR too powerful.

 

[Graeme Clark]

They are important, but they are not all powerful.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Perhaps we should stop pirating so many copies of games then. At least, that is what the software companies will always say when we, the consumer, complain about high prices of games.

Bah...thats bull...there are 4.5 MILLION!!! That's at least 270 million is just preorder sales in just the first few days. And you can guarantee it will be sold out for a week or so at all the other stores. Most of the preorders were probably placed before the final price was even decided! Sure sounds like they are going to make their money back and then some. I refuse to spend $60 on a computer game that I'll probably play for a few weeks then it'll collect dust. If Best Buy or someone lists it for 40 then I'll get it, other wise I'll wait till it does drop (which it will do eventually). I can wait.

 

[BrianB]

Bah...thats bull...there are 4.5 MILLION!!! That's at least 270 million is just preorder sales in just the first few days.

Well, to be fair, most of that doesn't go to Blizzard.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The problem is that the price of game development has skyrocketed. Your average game costs around $2 million these days. Warcraft 3 was probably closer to 10-15 million

Of those 4.5 million launch copies, I'm guessing Blizzard is seeing no more than $10 of that 65, probably closer to 6 or 7

 

[Aaron Copeland]

Well, to be fair, most of that doesn't go to Blizzard.

OK, guys...you have other things to consider. One, how many hours of gameplay can a game like WC3 provide? Literally hundreds. Is $60 really that bad for something that provides hundreds of hours of entertainment? Compare it to something like going to a movie where you will spend $7 for something that provides 2 hours of entertainment. Two, Blizzard takes a long time to develop their games (more than most other developers) and their games are always top notch. Development time costs money. Three, how much time and money do you think Blizzard will spend making sure the game runs smoothly after it is released? A lot. Look at Diablo II. They have spent lots of time correcting various balance issues that were not apparent until tens of thousands of people were playing the game online. They have also corrected many other glitches there were not apparent until the game was fully online. They have also spent lots of time fighting cheaters and hackers to protect the majority of their customers that don't do such things...all at no extra cost to the consumer.

These are things to consider.

Aaron

 

[BrianB]

Of those 4.5 million launch copies, I'm guessing Blizzard is seeing no more than $10 of that 65, probably closer to 6 or 7

It's a tricky one to judge.

Blizzard are one of a handful of PC developers that can basically name their own price - id, them, Valve & 3DRealms - so I'd expect them to get more than the regular developer percentage, especially since the RRP is so high compared to a 'regular' PC game. I'd guesstimate that they'll effectively get $12-15 from each copy sold. That they're owned by their publisher makes it more complicated as the cost & distribution of cash in that situation isn't as straightforward as the usual publisher/developer split.

 

[Joe michaels]

I stopped buying at Gamestop/Babbages when their games went above $50

 

[Damian James]

OK, guys...you have other things to consider. One, how many hours of gameplay can a game like WC3 provide? Literally hundreds. Is $60 really that bad for something that provides hundreds of hours of entertainment?

Yes, it is. There is no excuse for that pricing structure when other games come out (Morrowind, Half-Life) that have amazing features, outstanding gameplay, and are incredibly extensible, yet are < 50 bucks.

 

[Aaron Copeland]

Yes, it is. There is no excuse for that pricing structure when other games come out (Morrowind, Half-Life) that have amazing features, outstanding gameplay, and are incredibly extensible, yet are < 50 bucks.

One, see the other things I listed. Two, you can't fairly compare different games until you know how much development time went into each game. As I said before, Blizzard's games are always a step above virtually anyone else in depth and quality.

Anyway, my point still stands. I still think video games that provide hundreds of hours of entertainment are an incredible value at $50 or $60 when compared to other forms of entertainment.

Aaron

 

[Dave E H]

Anyway, my point still stands. I still think video games that provide hundreds of hours of entertainment are an incredible value at $50 or $60 when compared to other forms of entertainment.

I completely agree. Not that I think Bilzzard should really be chargning thism much, but it won't stop me from buying it, as I buy a DVD for $15 that I get 2 hours of enjoyment out of - and I think I'll probably put in 100+ hours on WCIII at least - that's a whole lot more bang for my buck.

 

[Romier S]

I said before, Blizzard's games are always a step above virtually anyone else in depth and quality.

Thats opinion. There are allot of people out there that found Diablo 2 to be a buggy mess. I personally never had an issue with the game but views will always differ. I personally hold Bioware in the same regard you hold Blizzard. In the end the quality of the company making the game shouldn't have any bearing on the price. We are paying for the game, not the company name behind it.

 

[Aaron Copeland]

I completely agree. Not that I think Bilzzard should really be chargning thism much, but it won't stop me from buying it, as I buy a DVD for $15 that I get 2 hours of enjoyment out of - and I think I'll probably put in 100+ hours on WCIII at least - that's a whole lot more bang for my buck.

Exactly. Also, I want to make it known that I'm not saying all video games should cost this much, but I do think there are a some games that can fairly charge this much. I think Blizzard's games happen to be among those that can. Their quality, depth, replay value, and Blizzard's continued support after the game has been launched are all reasons I have no problems paying $60 for a Blizzard game.

Aaron

 

[Aaron Copeland]

I personally hold Bioware in the same regard you hold Blizzard. In the end the quality of the company making the game shouldn't have any bearing on the price. We are paying for the game, not the company name behind it.

I totally disagree. Blizzard's games are very in-depth and are meant to be played online. You simply cannot catch all the bugs and balancing issues until it is in use by the masses in an online environment. Impossible. Again, take Diablo II for example. After the game was released they have continuously monitored the online play and fixed any serious balancing issues that have arisen. They have also fixed any glitches found in the gameplay or with specific items and they have also continuously fixed any problems that have arisen with hackers and cheaters. They didn't have to do any of this and they didn't charge anything for doing so. The tweaks and upgrades they have made to the game since it's launch (even minor things like improving the chat areas) are almost too many to keep track of. So, yes, I do think you pay for the company behind the product. Especially when it comes to online games. Continued support for an online game can be critical and you can count on it from Blizzard.

Let me also add that I won't even be buying WC3. I don't like the genre. Just like I didn't buy SC. So while I think it may be an opinion on how good game is, Blizzard's games have continuously been highly rated and virtually no one denies their quality. So while I don't like the WC games, I won't deny their widely accepted quality.

Aaron

 

[BrianB]

If you are going to charge extra to recoup some of these costs then you better be damn sure your game is worth it.

I reiterate that pre-order number - 4.5 million copies preordered by retailers around the world.

Being ultra conservative & say Blizzard gets $5 per copy 'sold' - that amounts to over $20 million to cover /their/ costs for the game, server upkeep & profit.

I doubt very much that Warcraft 3 has cost $10 million, never mind $20m.

A more cynical man than me would suggest that perhaps an increased wholesale cost for Warcraft 3 would be Blizzard/Vivendi's attempt to get revenue for the set-up of servers etc ahead of World of Warcraft...

 

[Brian E]

There is of course a very simple answer to this. Anyone who doesn't want to pay the $60 doesn't have to. I know I probably won't since the game doesn't interest me that much. No one's forcing any of us to buy this stuff.

 

[Aaron Copeland]

A more cynical man than me would suggest that perhaps an increased wholesale cost for Warcraft 3 would be Blizzard/Vivendi's attempt to get revenue for the set-up of servers etc ahead of World of Warcraft...

So, what would be your point? You have to get cash to develop your new games from somewhere. For most companies this means profits from sales of previous games. I simply don't see the problem with $60 for a game like WC3.

Aaron

 

[BrianB]

I was making it clear that the extra price may not be because of Warcraft 3's development costs as you suggested, that effectively buyers of Warcraft 3 would be subsidising WoW.

Personally, I think it's an outrageous price for a game - same with the Neverwinter Nights' price of $55. It's gouging the fans that "must have it" on launch day, and it sets a market precedent of increasing prices, prices that have been stable for a while.

To me, the fact that Warcraft 3 will give its fans a long amount of playtime is irrelevant - it's how/if these price mark-ups will affect future game prices that matters to me.

 

[Dave F]

I'll just continue to watch EBgames and Gamestop's daily sales. I picked up Neverwinter nights for $39 and $5 1 day shipping that way.

If I could absolutely guarantee that a game would provide as much fun as GTA3, Final Fantasy 10, or Tony Hawk2, I'd have no problem spending $65. But for every GTA3, it seems I buy 10 games that I end up playing for only a few days.

-Dave