An increase in price

How come digital games cost a lot more now for new games. In my market(Norwegian) Resident evil 2 coming in January costs 499 approx 60usd I think. Just cause 4 costs 599 and is 72usd approx. Just Cause price has been a full price game for me as long as
I can remember but now a lot of newer games have varying prices on launch, is it the publisher that decides that? RDR2 for me is 699 approx 85 usd and it's been a while since I bought a game for full price.

It makes more sense for me now to buy games physical again since I can save more than 10 usd. I've become accustomed to downloading most(90%) of my games. It's become a hazzle to change discs but I guess that's a first world problem.

Is it the publisher or microsoft that are in charge of pricing?

:)

 

price increases

I was checking out the video store and clicked on a film that was 9.99 euro including vat , when I click buy it says 11.52 euro. why is that?? is it not possible to rent films???

 

sky go

Yeah but it's skys first price increase since 2010. I feel sorry for virginmedia customers ,not only do they get 3 price increases every April on tv broadband and phone line rental they also get a price increase in september for call charges.

 

Hello ChristianHalvorsen,

I have wondered this myself over the past few years. From my experience, it is a combination of both the publisher and Microsoft. I believe that both the publishers and Microsoft do not rely on currency conversions. It may just be based on the appearance
of this price. A price for $59.99 looks better on the Microsoft Store than $61.52.

 

I get that that number doesn't look nice. But on my store(norwegian) new games ranges from these numbers 499-599-639-669-679-699. So it doesn't look nice on my end. The physical stores in my country still has the same 549 pre order price for all games and
for some reason the digital prices have gone up, some more than others. Why does a game cost 639 and 669?

the numbers are in NOK Norwegian kroner.

 

some games are undergoing price changes in different countries

 

The prices are largely made by the publishers and not Microsoft. So they typically leave digital prices at MSRP as long as possible. Prices can be higher in other countries due to currency exchange as well as anything like taxes the publishers have to
handle. Retailers only have to make up their costs so they have room to drop prices on physical discs before digital games can.

 

Hi,

Firstly, generally speaking, publishers sell their digital versions for higher prices on the Xbox Live Store. This is so that Microsoft and the game publishers don't tread on the toes of retail stores. After all, Microsoft relies on these stores to help
sell it's consoles.

Secondly, you're not taking tax (or VAT) into consideration. In the U.S, the price displayed on the store page on the Xbox Marketplace, isn't the final price. A $60 game isn't a $60 game at checkout. The tax is added later, plus it varies, from state to
state. A currency conversion won't help with this omission.

VAT in Norway is 25% is it not? I'm from the United Kingdom, so you're paying 5% more VAT on your game purchases than I am as here it's 20%. I'm pretty sure, like mine, your Xbox Store shows prices including VAT.

 

I'm with you on this one. I've always wondered why a digital version, one they don't have to ship or package or pay retail fees, would cost more than the physical version that has all that overhead. I understand they need to profit and I don't mind them
doing so as long as they continue to churn out quality games. But for many studios these days, the quality is going down. Not only to purchase the game, but then within the game itself with micro transactions and a slew of dlc (My kids have spent more on the
"free-to-play" game, Fortnite, than I have all year playing buy-to-play games.)

Luckily, with the emergence of services like Game Pass, it gives us another option for accessing the games we want to play. More options is always a good thing. So whether it's physical, digital, or subscription, all we can do is pick the option that we
like best. For me, if I don't like their monetization strategy, I pass on the game entirely, regardless of how good the game may be.

 

Buying a game digitally is a lot more convenient than going out of your way to buy the game from a retailer which is one of the reasons explaining an increase in price. Also, some games e.g. call of duty games that have become backwards compatible generally
see an increase in price because the publisher is able to make more money out of the game. Price conversions are not always taken into account

 

€69.99 here for digital. Some discs are €74.99

 

I guess I'm gonna save approx 15-20usd buying games on disc from now on. Your loss xbox

 

Hey Christian,

I understand your sentiment but the simple answer is convenience. Digital games require no physical copy. So, the first convenience is you don't need to get up to change discs. The second convenience is the comfort of buying from your home. You don't need
to get dressed, travel to the store, waste gas, etc.

Because of such convenience, the prices may remain higher for longer than usual. However, Xbox has very generous sales throughout the year. Especially during holidays like Christmas. There are so many games over the year that I have been able to purchase
the ultimate editions for 50% off. There are positives to digital games. I'm sure eventually everything will be digital. It is just more convenient.

Best,

Nozzle