Overpriced games and DLC packs

Hi everyone i'm very new to the forum but i have been wondering for a few years now about who controls the prices in xbox live?

I have been chatting with one of the support guys in the chat of Microsoft and he recommended that i joined my findings on this forum.

I'm already sorry for my poor english skills but i hope i can be as clear as possible.

This is my second account and because i have lost my first i wanted to buy back most of my DLC packs, until i saw that they hat almost always the same prices as they hat 3 or 4 or even more years ago. Sometimes even game prices do not get changed while in
the local store you can buy the game for 50% of its price on Xbox live or less. Also i have been a pc gamer for years before and some content was even free for the pc and you hat to pay for on xbox live. That issn't all that bad but if they never fall in price
it is really anoying and looks like a joke. Also when you log in your xbox account and see big in your screen Games for gread prices and look at their DLC content and it is not even dropped at all. Sometimes the DLC packs together are 2 times more the price
of the original game. While DLC packs are just 1 to 6 hours max more gameplay. Also map packs are still expensive while the game doesn't have many people on the servers anymore. So why would you spend 10 euro's on a map pack for a game with just under 200
people online?

So to go back to my question who makes up the prices on the xbox live store?

I have made a list of many games i still play and enjoy but where the prices are abit to much compaired to my local stores. I will also put some source links of my local store prices and Steam and ofcourse the xbox live store.

--------------------------To expensive games/DLC packs-------------------------------------

Oblivion Elder Scrolls IV 2006

Xbox live store: 15,00 euro's

DLC's

Shivering Isles: 10,00 euro's

Knights of the Nine 5,00 euro's

The fighters Stronghold 1,80 euro's

Spell tomes 0,95 euro's

The Vile Lair 1,80 euro's

Mehrunes Razor 3,00 euro's

The Thieves Den 1,80 euro's

The Wizard's tower 1,80 euro's

The Orrery 1,80 euro's

Horse amor pack 2,39 euro's

Total: 45,34 euro's

Local store Used: 7,89 euro's

Steam: 24,99 euro's

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Oblivion/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802425307d1#

Local store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=19501

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/900883/?l=dutch

Fallout 3 2008

Xbox live store: 15,00 euro's

DLC's

Broken Steel 4,79 euro's

Operation Anchorage 4,79 euro's

Point Lookout 4,79 euro's

Mothership Zeta 4,79 euro's

The pitt 4,79 euro's

Total: 38,95 euro's

Local Store Used: 14,98 euro's

Steam: 19,99 euro's

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Fallout-3/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802425307d5

Local store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=22802&gmmrid=0_0

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/22370/?l=dutch

Fallout: New Vegas 2011

Xbox live store: 14,99 euro's

DLC's

Gun runner Arsenal 3,79 euro's

Courier's Stash 1,89 euro's

Lonesome road 9,49 euro's

Old world Blues 9,49 euro's

Honest Hearts 9,49 euro's

Dead money 9,49 euro's

Total: 58,63 euro's

Local store used: 14,98 euro's

Steam: 19,99 euro's

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Fallout-New-Vegas/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802425307e0

Local store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=26993&gmmrid=0_0

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/2028016/

Call of duty 4 modern warfare 2007

Xbox live store: 29,99 euro's

DLC's

Pack de cartes Variete 9,49 euro's

Total: 39,48 euro's

Local store used: 9,98 euro's

Steam: 24,99 euro's

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Modern-Warfare/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802415607e6

Local store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=20583

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/7940/?l=dutch

Call of duty modern warfare 3 2012
Xbox live store: 69,99 euro's

DLC's

Collection 1 14,39 euro's

Collection 2 14,39 euro's

Collection 3 14,38 euro's

Collection 4 14,39 euro's

Total: 127,55 euro's

Local store used: 19,98 euro's (only the game the dlc's must be brought trough xbox live)

Steam: 55,96 euro's (Game + DLC packs)

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Modern-Warfare-3/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802415608cb#

Local Store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=25536

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/115300
Mass Effect 2 2010

Xbox live store: ? (can't find the price)

DLC's

Genesis 3,79 euro's

Arrival 6,69 euro's

Apperance pack 1 1,89 euro's

Apperance pack 2 1,89 euro's

Liar of the shadow broker 9,49 euro's

fire power pack 1,89 euro's

aegis pack 1,89 euro's

Overlord 6,69 euro's

equalizer pack 1,89 euro's

Kasumi - stolen memory 6,69 euro's

Total: 44,69 euro's

Local store used 14,98 euro's (only the game)

Steam: 19,99 euro's

Xbox source:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/nl-NL/Product/Mass-Effect-2/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454108ce?DownloadType=GameAddon#LiveZone

Local store source:
http://www.gamemania.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=88&gmgame=23382

Steam source:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/901242/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This are just a few of the game DLC packs or game prices that are way to high. Some games are two years old and still sell for the release date prices. Most DLC packs are 3 years old and still together they all costs atleast 30 euro's while the game itself
is just in the stores for 15 euro's. Even most games you can't even buy for new anymore in the stores and still Xbox live sells them like there barely new.

I hope this list gives the impression that i am saying and claiming. I hope something will be done for this and if you want more examples just ask. Xbox live store is full with this.

Thanks already for the reply and effort in makeing this problem go away.

:)

 

DLC Maps

I think it would be a good idea to not have DLC maps at all. Maps packs are some of the worst and overpriced DLC available.

 

So i bought the full skin pack..

$50.00 is just insane and insulting. The people that purchase these overpriced DLC packs is exactly why developers keep doing it.

 

The trick is to wait for a sale.

 

Well if you look closly to some games. The DLC packs are 2 more expensive than it from Steam. Also most prices of those packets never changed one bit. Even in a sale if you look to the DLC packs they never really changed any price at all. That is exactly
what i am saying in this. Call of duty 4 Modern Warfare a game from 2007 would you pay 30 euro's for it? And 10 euro's for a map pack with only 400 people or less on the servers? The game is already 7 years old.

 

I guess that is, because they care more about big deals with companies than they care about the consumers. They have contracts that they will sell it for a certain amount of money I think. Otherwise one can not explain why they don't drop the prices.

 

Well i also think that but i guess there is way more behind it tho. I bet that contracts expire and why would Steam have way better deals almost always atleast 50% the price that Microsoft offers them and still have there contratcs right? I guess it is both
the lack of custumor care that Microsoft has on this part while they wanted to say on E3 that you can only buy games with this Xbox live store and the lack of looking at the other companies like Steam or maybe even Sony. If when i make a second list i will
also add the prices of Sony in them. I think Microsoft just doesn't use it's people to investigate what games are already way to expensive and what not. That service just costs alot of man power so money.

Also i think that this makes it less attractive to be a Xbox player. If you look to PC gamers you can mod even your own games that is totally not possible on the Xbox and some map packs are also free and on xbox 10 euro's or less or even more. And you also
now have the problem that DLC and some game prices never fall to the point they are excually worth.

I hope that Microsoft will really try to change this because it is really bad for their image in my opinion. I brought a Xbox because i wanted good deals and no worry's about the platform. If you would look at this maybe a pc is in the long run even cheaper
than the Xbox itself with its deals. Steam also does sometimes price sales of new games for way less than local stores can compete with. I hope Microsoft will take steps into that way because wouldnt you be cheaper with a Xbox and Xbox live compaired to the
PC?

 

Well, one of your issues I can see is that you are comparing the prices to those of "used" games. You need to compare the prices to "new" games, since that is what a digital game would be.

I think the only way digital prices go down, is if used games go "bye bye". Basically, if it mimics the PC market. Microsoft (and Sony) did try this strategy, and well.... we all know how that turned out.

 

Well the problem is that i hat to compair it with used games is because there are no new games avalible anymore. Atleast not where i could find them tho. That is why i also compaired it with Steam and that is a new digital copy. It is still 50% cheaper than
Microsoft his version. So still what is your point?

 

Games on GOD are prices by publisher or the developers. I do not know about the dlc.

 

Well i understand that the prices are done by some developers but the DLC packs all that why is it so different from Steam or local stores? Doesn't Microsoft check these prices or make sure they keep being updated to the best deals?

Doesn't Microsoft always says it has the best deals with this platform that must be the best in the world? Why doesn't it make those words true? Prices of games over 7 years old are still way more than you could buy them in the local store even for a second
used that is always half price. Even if it was full price it would be atleast 50% difference. Also the Steam prices are so big gap betweem them it is really absurpt.

So like i ask again. Who makes the prices and maintains them within the Xbox live store? I would like to have a answer from one of the Microsoft own employee's that works with that part of the Xbox community. Because it is really strange that this is happening
you are defently being ripped off if you buy anything at these prices at all.

So could someone from the Xbox live employe people respond to this? I would like to know why this is happening and why Microsoft doesn't use it's own possition to make those deals better and really worth it's right price

 

No one from MS checks these forums. You could try to Tweet them.... maybe they'll answer/respond?

You also have to take into consideration that unlike PC gamers, console gamers buy the vast majority of their games at retail stores. MS does NOT want to undercut those sales by putting digital releases at much cheaper prices. That is just a bad business
decision. As Dark already pointed out, the prices are maintained by the Publishers of said video game. I would have to assume DLC is as well.

 

I can understand that. But i also think it is bad that Microsoft doesn't use it's influence to make DLC packs and games cheaper. There Xbox store is availible and i bet it is getting used also. We already pay for the Gold membership and for the games. It
is weird that Microsoft doesn't want to maintain it's own store as good as possible.

Why bother haveing a Xbox store anyway if you do not update it all the time right?

Also Microsoft states always that it wants to give the costumers the content first and best. Well why do it only half if you can also make old content availible for the right price? If you want to compete with the stores and Steam than you should atleast
but some effort into maintaining your own store up to date. That is what i believe tho.

I bet that Publishers also have the most influence on this store but i think that most do not look at there own digital sales. Microsoft could use it's influence because it is one of the bigguest game platforms to push developers to make old contant cheaper
like Steam does.

When Steam first came into the market it gave games almost away for free to compete with the local stores and in the long run it paided off. Microsoft does have a good store but doesn't do anything with it and if they maybe did you could really make a profit.
Because i bet Microsoft also gets some masure of that price aswell. And it would also look good as a service of Microsoft that claims that they do but this is bad service if you ask me tho.

Sadly i do not have a twitter account so yea i have no idea how to reach them.

How do you propuse to reach?

 

The physical game market has pretty much diminished could that be why games are cheaper on steam? They could have some sort of arrangement with Publishers that forces them to lower the prices of games and content. I have noticed you need to have the steam
software application on your pc otherwise the game you buy no longer functions Just going on observations, I don't use steam or game on PC. Could be publishers and developers have more control, freedom and less restrictions in a pc digital environment?

 

Well the thing is more that i understand some reasons behind this. But i am only thinking why do people do this. It is really a strange thing to me. I remember when most DLC packs for pc where free no wan asked any money for them because that was normal.
A map pack was free just because it was a kind of service for your own buyers. Now we ask money for them all the time.

most game developers even held back stuff of the game just to make a DCL pack from it a few months after the release. It is like you buy just half of your game and the other half is again money. So yea i am just wondering who controls them? Who updates them
those DLC prices and game prices?

And what is Microsoft his point of view on handleing this stuff? I am really curious because if you look at the store itself it is really a big mess. Almost nothing is up to date and much is over priced and way out of context. So that is my question.

Who controls this and what is the vision behind it? What does Microsoft wants to do with this Xbox store?