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Why is Overwatch $40 for PC but $60 for PS4 and Xbox One?

The origin edition doesn't make sense for console. How many console gamers are going to redeem a pet in wow or a cosmetic item in diablo?

I'm enjoying the beta but I'm going to wait for a sale.
 
More of a case that Sony/MS take 30% right off the top, whereas the $40 PC version is only available direct from blizzard.
 
I'm buying it since I don't have a choice but the $20 difference for the digital items you get is a hilarious rip off.

That said, what I've seen and enjoyed of the game easily makes it worth $60 to me.
 
It's anti-consumer bs but what can you do?

It's anti consumer that blizzard offers a cheaper version where they can (on pc, on their own storefront where they don't have to pay fees to anyone else) instead of forcing everyone to the higher price point?

Wouldn't it be the other way around?
 
It's anti consumer that blizzard offers a cheaper version where they can (on pc, on their own storefront where they don't have to pay fees to anyone else) instead of forcing everyone to the higher price point?

Wouldn't it be the other way around?

It's not though.
Considering the amount of content in the game, it shouldn't be priced $60 altogether.

The $40 version is a bit overpriced still, but more reasonnable.

The sweet price point for this game should be around $30 to be honest.
 
Well it's a lot better IMO.
Without even dwelling down to the gameplay.

TF2 has mod support, custom servers that can run custom maps, audio, modes, skins, extra features etc. What's more is that it allows for a community to grow where you play with familiar people depending on the time of day and you don't have to rely on devs and their rather incompetent anti cheat solution (like Valve's VAC) to ban cheaters since admins can do that for their servers. Because of this the game will pretty much stay alive for years to come despite being almost a decade old.

It is the quintessential "PC multiplayer experience" that Overwatch lacks and will forever lack because Blizzard doesn't like any of this.
 
The game should be at 40$ on any platform, 60 is already too much for this game, the content is pretty low.
This game has tons of content as-is and is getting free content updates.

Not trying to be an apologist, but you have to evaluate this compared to other multi games.

This game is leaps and bounds over similar multi games.
 
It's not though.
Considering the amount of content in the game, it shouldn't be priced $60 altogether.

Ok and why is that?

This game has free content coming in the form of free heroes, maps and probably modes as well.

And it will be supported for a long time with free updates.

Maybe You'd rather they price it at 40$ and charge 45 for a season pass? Like is common these days? Their free content system should be applauded.
 
The Prime discount was enough for me to purchase this at launch. That, and the fact the only paid DLC is cosmetic.

Though it would be nice if console users didn't have to pay a $20 premium.
 
Ok and why is that?

This game has free content coming in the form of free heroes, maps and probably modes as well.

And it will be supported for a long time with free updates.

Maybe You'd rather they price it at 40$ and charge 45 for a season pass? Like is common these days? Their free content system should be applauded.

Because the game is actually $40?
The $60 version is the $40 game with extras...extras that make little sense for a console player. Few virtual items for games most of which aren't even on consoles.

If the base game was $40 only because Blizzard is cutting the middle man and selling it directly like many people like to believe,
then Origins Edition should be less than $60 on Battle.net by the virtue of not having any middle man...but it's not, it costs the same as Origins edition from Amazon or any other seller...regardless of the platform.
 
Why do people say games are less expensive on PC? For exclusive or indie games, sure, but AAA games are often the same price as on consoles.

Just look at Fallout 4 on Steam, still 80$CAN. Doom? 80$CAN. Mirror Edge Catalyst pre-order? 80$CAN. Battlefront was 80$CAN when it launched. And so on...

I'm going to guess it's pretty the same for US.
 
OP look up what console licensing fees are. Blizzard gets every dollar on Pc and they don't on console. Also, $40 games traditional don't sell well on consoles. Under 60 but above twenty at retail generally gets ignored.
 
I honestly thought this game is free-to-play. It definitely looks like that.

I don't deny it is fun and action packed, but in the end it's multiplayer only. In the past few years we had so many people complain that $60 is too much for such games, like Titanfall or Rainbow 6, as much that Respawn had to promise a campaign for TF2.
And now all of a sudden it should be fine to charge that much?

All the best to Blizzard, hope for their sake that they manage to sell a healthy number of copies, but I simply cannot give them that much money for that much (or little) content.

Maybe one day when it's on a huge sale, or when they add more modes and maps.
 
OP look up what console licensing fees are. Blizzard gets every dollar on Pc and they don't on console. Also, $40 games traditional don't sell well on consoles. Under 60 but above twenty at retail generally gets ignored.

Umm Rachet & Clank says hello....
 
Why do people say games are less expensive on PC? For exclusive or indie games, sure, but AAA games are often the same price as on consoles.

Just look at Fallout 4 on Steam, still 80$CAN. Doom? 80$CAN. Mirror Edge Catalyst pre-order? 80$CAN. Battlefront was 80$CAN when it launched. And so on...

I'm going to guess it's pretty the same for US.

Because many publishers choose to charge $60 for PC games same as console even though they don't have to pay licensing fees, because greed. There was a time when AAA publishers on PC charged a bit less than console, but then they realised they can charge full price anyway early/mid last gen.
 
Because the game is actually $40?
The $60 version is the $40 game with extras...extras that make little sense for a console player. Few virtual items for games most of which aren't even on consoles.

If the base game was $40 only because Blizzard is cutting the middle man and selling it directly like many people like to believe,
then Origins Edition should be less than $60 on Battle.net by the virtue of not having any middle man...but it's not, it costs the same as Origins edition from Amazon or any other seller...regardless of the platform.
W-wh-what? That's...that's now how this works.

The game is $60 on console because of the middle-man in Sony/MS. That doesn't preclude selling a $60 version on the PC.
 
The sweet price point for this game should be around $30 to be honest.

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Umm Rachet & Clank says hello....

Its about retail margins, Sony aren't paying Sony royalty fees, so they can afford to offer a below MSRP pricepoint at retail where third parties who do have to pay Sony royalty fees cannot
 
W-wh-what? That's...that's now how this works.

The game is $60 on console because of the middle-man in Sony/MS. That doesn't preclude selling a $60 version on the PC.

Why is it $60 on PC (for the same edition) then?
If it's $60 on consoles due to middle man then surely cutting them out should bring the cost down from $60.
 
Without even dwelling down to the gameplay.

TF2 has mod support, custom servers that can run custom maps, audio, modes, skins, extra features etc. What's more is that it allows for a community to grow where you play with familiar people depending on the time of day and you don't have to rely on devs and their rather incompetent anti cheat solution (like Valve's VAC) to ban cheaters since admins can do that for their servers. Because of this the game will pretty much stay alive for years to come despite being almost a decade old.

It is the quintessential "PC multiplayer experience" that Overwatch lacks and will forever lack because Blizzard doesn't like any of this.

I've been playing shooters on PC since the 90s, I understand the appeal of the features you listed but at the end of the day fun is all that matters and for me Overwatch is the most fun I've had in a very long time, it has been a breath of fresh air in a stale genre. Blizzard have created something accessible with a lot of hidden depth that's a blast to play, and with their resources they can evolve it into something truly special and I have faith they'll support it for years to come just like they have with Diablo III which they transformed from decent to incredible, hell even Diablo II gets the odd update.
 
It's not though.
Considering the amount of content in the game, it shouldn't be priced $60 altogether.

The $40 version is a bit overpriced still, but more reasonnable.

The sweet price point for this game should be around $30 to be honest.

Yeah but Blizzard Tax.

Everyone pays the Blizzard Tax :(
 
Why is it $60 on PC (for the same edition) then?
If it's $60 on consoles due to middle man then surely cutting them out should bring the cost down from $60.
I don't see what's hard to grasp here.

PC: no middle-man
Sell base $40 version, sell a $60 version for anyone who wants skins and shit for other Blizzard titles similar to the collector's editions in other games.

Console: middle-man
Sell a $60 version to recoup losses.

The alternative here is Blizzard selling the $40 version with no extras to console users for $60. But that would have produced an outcry from users for having to pay the extra $20 but not getting what the PC fellows got.
 
The Prime discount was enough for me to purchase this at launch. That, and the fact the only paid DLC is cosmetic.

Though it would be nice if console users didn't have to pay a $20 premium.

The Amazon Prime price is what ultimately let me justify buying the game at launch. I'd rather have bought it digitally, but it kind of sucks knowing there's a $40 version out there on another platform.

Because the game is actually $40?
The $60 version is the $40 game with extras...extras that make little sense for a console player. Few virtual items for games most of which aren't even on consoles.

And this. Most of the extras included in the console release are bizarre. They make sense for the PC $60 version I guess (still doesn't seem like much for an extra $20), just not the console version.
 
And this. Most of the extras included in the console release are bizarre. They make sense for the PC $60 version I guess (still doesn't seem like much for an extra $20), just not the console version.
In the future, I'm sure Blizzard will take note of people's lack of utility for the extra items and be more than happy to sell us a $60 version of a game with no extras at all.
 
Without even dwelling down to the gameplay.

TF2 has mod support, custom servers that can run custom maps, audio, modes, skins, extra features etc. What's more is that it allows for a community to grow where you play with familiar people depending on the time of day and you don't have to rely on devs and their rather incompetent anti cheat solution (like Valve's VAC) to ban cheaters since admins can do that for their servers. Because of this the game will pretty much stay alive for years to come despite being almost a decade old.

It is the quintessential "PC multiplayer experience" that Overwatch lacks and will forever lack because Blizzard doesn't like any of this.

I don't know if it will forever lack all of that, but if they add mod support and private games it will be more akin to the SC2 and Dota 2 model where it's all closely moderated and built in as part of the game itself.
 
was gonna buy at launch as I loved the beta but the more I think about it being MP only I think the price will drop quite quickly
 
Overwatch on PC is using their own platform services(Battle.net), so there is no additional fee for platform holders.

But for consoles, Blizzard have to pay additional fee for platform holders, so That's why Console version is expensive than Battle.net version.
 
The game should be at 40$ on any platform, 60 is already too much for this game, the content is pretty low.

It's not though.
Considering the amount of content in the game, it shouldn't be priced $60 altogether.

The $40 version is a bit overpriced still, but more reasonnable.

The sweet price point for this game should be around $30 to be honest.

This is funny, for a game many people will put thousands of hours into, where future maps and characters will be free.
 
Why do people say games are less expensive on PC? For exclusive or indie games, sure, but AAA games are often the same price as on consoles.

Just look at Fallout 4 on Steam, still 80$CAN. Doom? 80$CAN. Mirror Edge Catalyst pre-order? 80$CAN. Battlefront was 80$CAN when it launched. And so on...

I'm going to guess it's pretty the same for US.
Maybe if you're not looking anywhere but Steam, sure. You can go to any other site and usually find a 20 percent off or more coupon very easily.
 
Why do people say games are less expensive on PC? For exclusive or indie games, sure, but AAA games are often the same price as on consoles.

Just look at Fallout 4 on Steam, still 80$CAN. Doom? 80$CAN. Mirror Edge Catalyst pre-order? 80$CAN. Battlefront was 80$CAN when it launched. And so on...

I'm going to guess it's pretty the same for US.

Because if you buy your PC games directly on Steam/Origin/UPlay then you are doing it wrong.

I haven't paid more than 35€ for any PC game I bought in the last years.

I buy deluxe Editions + season pass for the same or less Price than you get the Standard Version on Steam.

Not Shopping around on PC means you don't care about your Money. Which is fine,if you don't care, but I personally do.
 
Because if you buy your PC games directly on Steam/Origin/UPlay then you are doing it wrong.

I haven't paid more than 35€ for any PC game I bought in the last years.

I buy deluxe Editions + season pass for the same or less Price than you get the Standard Version on Steam.

Not Shopping around on PC means you don't care about your Money. Which is fine,if you don't care, but I personally do.

Yes sir, I never pay full price for PC games. Buying directly from Steam is rarely the correct choice unless the item is on sale. IsThereAnyDeal (all official resellers) + CDKeys (unofficial but legit) are my go to sites when I'm buying games and I never pay anywhere close to retail.

I grabbed Overwatch Origins for £31 opposed to £45 from Blizzard directly, saving £14 (and often more) on every game really starts to add up over the course of a year. And unless I'm mistaken Overwatch was even cheaper before beta, but then it became apparent it was awesome so the price got jacked up.
 
I don't see what's hard to grasp here.

PC: no middle-man
Sell base $40 version, sell a $60 version for anyone who wants skins and shit for other Blizzard titles similar to the collector's editions in other games.

Console: middle-man
Sell a $60 version to recoup losses.

The alternative here is Blizzard selling the $40 version with no extras to console users for $60. But that would have produced an outcry from users for having to pay the extra $20 but not getting what the PC fellows got.
First..there is no restriction on that prevents them to put out a $40 version that costs...$40. Secondly if you are saying that they are only selling the more expensive version on consoles to recoup losses due to middle man then why is the PC Origins edition $60? Those extra skins and shit really work $20 extra if there is no middle man involved?
 
First..there is no restriction on that prevents them to put out a $40 version that costs...$40. Secondly if you are saying that they are only selling the more expensive version on consoles to recoup losses due to middle man then why is the PC Origins edition $60? Those extra skins and shit really work $20 extra if there is no middle man involved?

Nirolak made a topic breaking this all down, but I can't find it, but I did find this post:
Due to how licensing fees and retailer margins work, retail is a sliding scale going from around 60% at $60 to 15% at $20 (note how retail games almost never go below this price as often the publisher would lose money). This is also why almost no one embraces the $40 retail game idea, since the margins work out poorly.

Digital is a static 70%. You would actually make slightly less at $50 digitally than you would at $60 physically (assuming you had no returns or price protection, which throws a big wrench in things), but you make as much selling a $5 title on Steam/PSN/XBL as you do a $20 title at retail. Similarly this causes a scenario where giving someone a game for free on PS+/GWG and then selling them on a $10 DLC is much more profitable than selling them a $20 game at retail.

This is why the answer to the retail question changes a lot, because it varies based on average selling price, how the publisher structured their contracts with retail stores, and managed how much inventory they sent. Generally speaking they would love you to buy digital though.

tl;dr, the $40 retail model doesn't really work for third parties paying licence fees. It works out fine for MS / Sony / Nintendo published titles, because they don't have to pay anyone any licence fees.
 
The game really doesn't have enough content to support the asking price. The amount of game modes are too few and far between, but damn if I didn't have fun in both of the betas I played.

It's a well made game.
 
The game really doesn't have enough content to support the asking price. The amount of game modes are too few and far between, but damn if I didn't have fun in both of the betas I played.

It's a well made game.

This is what's making me balk a little at the price. I wasn't able to play the beta as I was overseas but the general consensus seems to be that it was good.

For 40 dollars, I guess it's not bad. I can't imagine being a console player and paying that extra 20 though for useless digital goodies.
 
This is what's making me balk a little at the price. I wasn't able to play the beta as I was overseas but the general consensus seems to be that it was good.

For 40 dollars, I guess it's not bad. I can't imagine being a console player and paying that extra 20 though for useless digital goodies.
The problem too, is that Blizzard games rarely if ever go on sale either. It's like Nintendo, they retain their value forever.

Kind of a bummer since I really don't want to drop 60 on this but I know it's going to stay that price for probably a year at least.
 
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