I think we all consider the price of PlayStation 5 games to be a little on the high side. But Sony seem to have different thoughts. That’s because the company has today defended their RRP strategy, citing the cost to entertainment ratio as being generous. But even though games are getting longer, a heftier outlay isn’t always a justified decision. Especially when there are other costs to contend with, and the fact it doesn’t take long for them to drop second hand.
Jim Ryan – boss of Sony – is the one to make the comments. And he seems to be comparing gaming to other costly (pre pandemic) pastimes, like cinema visits and theme park visits, which last just a fraction of the time – stating the following when asked if £70 is a fair price for Demon’s Souls:
“Yes, yes, I do.
“If you measure the hours of entertainment provided by a video game such as Demon’s Souls compared to any other form of entertainment, I think that’s a very straightforward comparison to draw.”
Now, I don’y buy many games on Day One. Partly because they can often fall short of the promises we’ve been given, but also because it feels quite good to pick up the same game for twenty pounds less just a month or so later. However, now and then a game comes out that is very hard to resist by anyone. And at times like these, gamers are literally just a click away from committing to purchasing it on launch day – yet, this is when the price comes into play and things can go wrong.
Suddenly, they’re distracted by the price. And all the hard work that has been done by the marketing team is undone. Sure, some will still commit. But many will choose to wait – more so this generation when you barely get change from £70. And that’s the problem Sony seem to be missing. Yes, many games are very enjoyable – giving us hours of entertainment in return. Nobody is disputing that. But the cost, even though it is worth it if you weigh everything up on an hour by hour basis, is just too much to justify repeatedly. That means gamers may buy a few games – safe buys – on Day One but not as many as they used to.
And only Sony can work out if they’re still quids in with that mindset.
Meanwhile, in other related news, Ryan was adamant that they never considered charging anymore for games, stating:
“I can say that that report that we were considering higher prices for first party games is categorically false.”
But I’m not sure I’m convinced, though…
Source: Telegraph
