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Should Valyria Chronicles been priced at $30?
- Thread starter Beer Monkey
- Start date
Threi said:Actually I like this idea. I nominate you to be in charge of game pricing, and games you like can be priced for $100, while games I like are priced $20.
win-win
a 60 dollar price tag puts valkyrie profiles in direct competition with similarly priced titles, regardless of the quality, are more then likely better produced. sony had the right idea last generation by pricing everything but their most marketable titles at 20% less then the standard msrp, giving the titles room the room they needed to breathe. this same problem exists in the smaller titles available on the psn/xbla and wiiware servies. while games like castle crashers and braid can get away with their 15 dollars price tags, lower budgeted titles like geometry wars 2 and everyday shooter couldn't and would suffer lower sales, whether they're more fun or not. this isn't necessarily about the opinion of those who played and loved the title but bringing into question the price elasticity of almost all next gen titles.
and no where did i state my opinion on the quality of the title but i guess everyone here takes everything so personally, especially the fans that this particular game attracts, so why even bother discussing this.
VC is a pretty hardcore game, if someone doesn't know how to set up their console to go online, they probably are not the target market for the game. In fact most people who don't have their console online are not the type to buy a lot of games, yet alone games they never heard offbeermonkey@tehbias said:
Beer Monkey
Member
Eh, never mind. Thread failed. My bad. Dumb post on my behalf. Most of the replies are attacking or defending the quality of the game, which was never the point.
they might be a little irked by the fact that you have twice said the wrong name for the game, despite it being in the thread title.teepo said:
Like I said though if AAA blockbuster titles should be full priced, let them be full priced. I tend to dislike those games so its no skin off my back.
Beer Monkey
Member
teepo said:
You said you were ripped off. Isn't getting good quality for your price what you base being "ripped off" on?
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
GitarooMan said:
The bonus income generated at 300k versus 100k far exceeds the lost income selling at $30 rather than $60, so hand-waving "it was never going to sell millions" doesn't answer the question.
Would it have sold more than double what it did at half the price it was sold at?
Doubtful. How many more people would have bought it if it were cheaper?
I don't think many. The price was probably not keeping people from the game.
I'd think that it had an audience of people who'd buy it at any reasonable price, while most people wouldn't buy it regardless how low the price was.
I don't think many. The price was probably not keeping people from the game.
I'd think that it had an audience of people who'd buy it at any reasonable price, while most people wouldn't buy it regardless how low the price was.
Guled said:
What? You got a link saying VC cost 10 million?
All I know is, I bought it at $30 while drooling over it at $60. However, I wasn't going to pay $60. Whether it would have sold better at $30 from the start (I would have bought at launch) or not, I have no clue nor do I care.
The super niche games, like this, that I like always come out at the priced premium and I always wait them out for the good deals. <shrugs>
Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
teepo said:
:lol Dude...
teepo said:
:lol I love you, man.
MikeE21286
Member
anyone who wants some idea on this should listen to the new ListenUp podcast.....they talk about pricing games at about the 1:20 mark....
No. It's a method of price discrimination. It's imperfect but it probably helps them overall.Quixzlizx said:
Sure, there are some people who'll wait three months to save $30, and would buy it at $60 if they knew it would never drop, but there's enough people who'd skip buying it if it were only ever at $60 that it's still worthwhile to have the price drop.
Quixzlizx said:
I guess. They're more than welcome to go for it. I would do one of several things.
1) Move on. I wouldn't play it at all and move on to another game.
2) Buy it used for cheap on ebay or something.
3) Spend the $60 on another hobby. $60 is 3-4 blu rays on Amazon or plenty of anime on Right Stuf.
Some games I'll pay up the dough, some I want even if I want to play them. For example, VC is one I'll no doubt get plenty of enjoyment from. However, it'll be one and done. I highly doubt I'll play it again. Most games I pick up have tons of replay value in many ways. RPGs rarely do.
I'm just speaking for me. Like I said, I have no clue if it would have sold more at $30. Many other factors played into VC's performance. Time of release, lack of marketing and it's genre much more so than it's pricing. I actually think it would have helped to launch at $49.99 with better conditions than $29.99 right out of the gate.
gregor7777
Banned
It's a game I waited on until it hit $30. I wasn't going to buy a game that I was unsure about at $60. There's no reason for me to do so, if I have other games I haven't played yet. Might as well wait, I'll get to it eventually if I put it on my list.
Now, that being said, it turned out to be one of those games that would have been worth my $60. But that's the best part about waiting on some games. That's what you're hoping will happen.
Now, that being said, it turned out to be one of those games that would have been worth my $60. But that's the best part about waiting on some games. That's what you're hoping will happen.
beermonkey@tehbias said:
I think if the game had a title that was easier to pronounce and read, it'd have sold better.
Gamestop: "Welcome to Gamestop, what game would you like to buy?"
Person A: "I'd like to buy Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3"
Gamestop: "Alright, so you want Valkyrie Profile for the PSP?"
Person A: "No, Valkyria Chronicles. And it's for the PS3"
Gamestop: "Ok, I'll look for Velkirie Chronicles on the systems, nope, no such title"
Person A: "You've spelt it wrongly, it's spelt with a 'a', not an 'e'"
Gamestop: "I'll try again. Valkirie Chronicles, nope no such title"
Person A: "You know what? I'll get Sonic Unleashed for the PS3 instead"
Gamestop: "Oh, Sonic Unleashed. Here you go sir that's $60 have a nice day"
vanguardian1
poor, homeless and tasteless
Guled said:
Or they live among the parts of the population that can't get broadband.
Edit: I would've bought it at $60 if I had a PS3. Oh well.
First of all and most importantly, it would have to have sold ~2.5 times as much at that price point for this move to make financial sense. Considering the type of game, the release date and its whole style I am quite convinced that it wouldn't have. Secondly, they would have lost the opportunity to do a meaningful second print run at a lower price which they recently did. Finally, it would have devalued the brand in NA which is never a good thing if they decide to follow up on it.
In any case, I wonder why so many people worry that much about this particular games' western sales (except for it being the game of the generation of course). I still say it sold well enough for a new IP SRPG, and it easily made back the localisation costs. In fact, I don't even worry much about it's total worldwide sales, since there is no way the game was as expensive to make as some people in this thread claim.
In any case, I wonder why so many people worry that much about this particular games' western sales (except for it being the game of the generation of course). I still say it sold well enough for a new IP SRPG, and it easily made back the localisation costs. In fact, I don't even worry much about it's total worldwide sales, since there is no way the game was as expensive to make as some people in this thread claim.
In an ideal world, the game would have sold at 60$ to those willing to spend 60$ and those who did not like that price would have waited, for overall the same amount of copies but with bigger initial revenue.
OP does have a point though when you consider how retail works. Retail perpetuates the front-loaded sales pattern. If the game doesn't sell great right at launch, good look getting it restocked at any price.
Marketing could be a problem too. If you have to keep a game in the minds of your audience for 6~9 months so that they're still interested when the price finally drops, that's certainly more expensive than just the typical buildup and big bang for launch.
OP does have a point though when you consider how retail works. Retail perpetuates the front-loaded sales pattern. If the game doesn't sell great right at launch, good look getting it restocked at any price.
Marketing could be a problem too. If you have to keep a game in the minds of your audience for 6~9 months so that they're still interested when the price finally drops, that's certainly more expensive than just the typical buildup and big bang for launch.
RpgN
Junior Member
It's funny you bring that up, I almost never buy games at full price and on day one, except for FFs. But when I played the demo, I saw the potential. I didn't buy it day 1 but day 0 with a pre-order. Oh and it was so worth it!
To the OP, it wouldn't have mattered at all. This game being aimed at a nich market and a userbase who would buy the game regardless. It might have pleased a few who want that, but I think it would have brought less profit in the end. The game receiving a special offer in one store after six months, is a great opportunity for the ones who were unsure.
To the OP, it wouldn't have mattered at all. This game being aimed at a nich market and a userbase who would buy the game regardless. It might have pleased a few who want that, but I think it would have brought less profit in the end. The game receiving a special offer in one store after six months, is a great opportunity for the ones who were unsure.
Last time we talked about the sales of this genre it went something like this.
FFT (mainly because of FF7 hype)>>>>>More popular Fire Emblem games>FFT remakes and Advance Series>Less Popular FE games>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Everything else.
SRPG is the very definition of a niche genre.
FFT (mainly because of FF7 hype)>>>>>More popular Fire Emblem games>FFT remakes and Advance Series>Less Popular FE games>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Everything else.
SRPG is the very definition of a niche genre.
Conflict NZ
Member
Keikoku said:
Thats because Lost Odyssey debuted in the top 10 in the February 2008 NPDs after a week of sales, 7th IIRC with ~200,000 units. Valkyria Chronicles sold 30,000 after a month.
Conflict NZ said:
To be fair to SRPGs for a moment none of them have ever been advertised on the level of Lost Odyssey or FF7 or anything like that. Hell the only television commercial I can ever remember for an SRPG in America was FFTA, and that commercial is historically bad. So bad that it is good, but still very very bad.
SecretBonusPoint
Banned
Rather than a cheaper price, it should have been released sometime like now, completely in between the giant push. For instance Valkyria came out sandwiched by:
Call of Duty,
Guitar Hero,
Fallout 3,
Resistance 2
and Gears of War 2.
I mean, really Sega? :lol
Theyre probably going to make the same mistake with Bayonetta, because apparently it is very hard to understand that releasing a new IP into the sea of surefire christmas sequel sales is the best way to bomba your game. And thats why, outside of Capcom, publishers have been completely clueless and on the road to irrelevance this gen more than most.
Call of Duty,
Guitar Hero,
Fallout 3,
Resistance 2
and Gears of War 2.
I mean, really Sega? :lol
Theyre probably going to make the same mistake with Bayonetta, because apparently it is very hard to understand that releasing a new IP into the sea of surefire christmas sequel sales is the best way to bomba your game. And thats why, outside of Capcom, publishers have been completely clueless and on the road to irrelevance this gen more than most.
Facism said:A lot of us in the official thread wish they would port it, too. The game is brilliant, desrves a bigger audience and more sales. We want a sequel
Also, the game was worth full price for me, personally. A great Sega game is something special.
Not to say anything about the quality of the game but that would just be throwing money down the toilet. If anything the PS3 has a larger SRPG market, actually having another quality member of the genre availible for it.
flabberghastly
Member
No. But SEGA probably should've put it on 360 also. I say this as someone who bought it day 1 for PS3, but who wishes the game would've found a wider audience. My hope now is that it will at least influence the creation of future SRPGs. For example, I'd love to see a Fabula Nova Crystallis game that manages to combine FFT and VC elements with some innovations of its own.
Personally I don't think anything would give Valkyria Chronicles better sales beyond completely overhauling the art and replacing everything with UE3 and Gears of War character models, and then releasing it simultaneously on 360/PS3. We SRPG fans just gotta realize that our market is small and so the best places for sales are either on cheap systems with massive userbases (which is basically the opposite of the PS3) or multiplatform. I don't think you can expect a SRPG to sell even 6 digits of copies in a month unless it's got Final Fantasy in the title.