This would be true if we lived in a world where salary increases matched inflation. I make ~5% more on paper than I made a couple years ago, yet we had terrible inflation in the eurozone, my salary was effectively cut.
There comes a price point where it’ll push more people to wait for discounts, and when that happens it makes it more likely those people will end up waiting even longer as the hype dies down.
There’s stuff like inflation and so on, but it’s also affected people’s buying power which will lead to them starting to cut down luxury goods.
The discount cycle is on purpose. First you bank with the impatient whales who will buy not even the full version at $70 but the deluxe version with useless cosmetics at $100+.
Then after some times has passed, you do a sale at $45 so people who are willing to pay just this price buy it.
Then lower again, and again until all potential customers have bought the game at the maximum they’re willing to.
Already aware of trying to capture price tiers. Pointing out that perception of cost is still generally the same despite inflation and that out the door lower prices that the competion have sometimes led to more financial success than that strategy.
I think they came to the wrong conclusion. Yes those games were cheaper, but really they were just good, and mostly finished at launch. Didn’t feel like we were nickle and dimed for more DLC or season passes or mtxs, we got whole games that were fun.
All the big “AAA blockbuster” games anymore are reskinned, half finished versions of the last version, and the only thing they’ve put a ton of time into is analyzing how to get addicts hooked and spending the maximum amount on micro transactions.
I’m not sure how anybody can look at the way GTA 5 online was monetized to hell and not seriously question how far they’re going to try to go with GTA 6. I’m fully expecting it to leak into GTA 6’s single player with an intense focus on getting more and more out of mtx.
If GTA 5 came out today it wouldn’t be worth $60. The “big open sandbox” experience isn’t as big a pull as it used to be.
I bought 5 because it was “the next GTA” and I remembered having a good time with 4. Today it’s a little harder to remember the last time i even played a GTA game. 5 released a decade ago, 4 is going on 16 years old, fucken San Andreas turns 20 this year.
The next release is just gonna be GTA Online 2, we all know it already.
Cheaper price tag AND doesn’t beg you for more money constantly. Helldivers 2 has premium content but they don’t shove it in your face unless you bring up the specific menu for it.
People pull back discretionary spending during times of economic struggle. If a cheaper games gives me the same or more value, why wouldn’t I go with the one that gives me more money after the purchase? Maybe I’m just OOTL too much, but there don’t really seem to be many “must have” AAA games coming out these days
People pull back discretionary spending during times of economic struggle
I agree, I’ve always been a patient gamer in regards to picking up titles. With rare exceptions (I got Starfield, I don’t have any regrets though the game is not worth $60 in its current state, I just have over 17k hours across 3 Bethesda titles.) but why spend $60 on the game to have it now when I can spend $15 in a few years to have it then?
I got Outer Worlds for free thanks to the Epic Games store. And I’m honestly loving it! Free has never been so nice. I’m happy waiting for games because there are so many older games out there that are still worth playing.
There are a lot of really cool AAA titles set to come out soon. I’m watching Black Myth Wukong. If the reviews are good and the game is polished I’ll pick it up for full price even. I think the big issues with $60+ games is they’ve consistently been horrible quality for the price and the AAA devs abandon their games within the next year without any further support.
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