Digital downloads MORE expensive than retail...

How is that possible? Surley they save on packaging and the shops don't need to take a cut etc. So why is BF3 more expensive on origin when on amazon it's cheaper?

My guess is these stores buy the games in bulk, then afterwards they price it competitively to get rid of their copies before other retailers. Also, digital copies may be preferred by some people (me!) due to convenience.

BF3 digital download from amazon was $40 if you preordered :P

Simple, retail stores threaten publishers that if they let digital distribution undercut the retail sales then the retail avenues won't stock the game. Publishers wanting their cut from both markets jacks the price of the DD service up so the retail stores are happy. Isn't capitalism great?

This question has been asked before. The answer is they do it because they can. Say you can sell your game for $50 at retail or $50 at digital. With retail you get $40 and the retailer takes $10. With Digital, you take all $50. Wouldn't you sell it full price? At release the prices are close to the same. It's what people expect to pay, so they get away with digital being full price. After release retailers do set lower prices, but only because they are forced to. They have new titles coming in all the time and limited shelf space. Even Amazon has limits with their warehouse space. They are forced to lower prices to sell more copies to make space for new titles. If digital storefronts had limited space, I'm sure they would be doing the same. They can keep it at full price for much longer and lower the pirce over time much slower with just a few sales here and there.

1. Places like Amazon can undercut others because they sell so many different things the sales of one item can offset the loss of selling another item at a price below the recommended price.

2. Its mostly because they know you will pay.

Simple, retail stores threaten publishers that if they let digital distribution undercut the retail sales then the retail avenues won't stock the game. Publishers wanting their cut from both markets jacks the price of the DD service up so the retail stores are happy. Isn't capitalism great?

Whiteblade999

[QUOTE="Whiteblade999"]

Simple, retail stores threaten publishers that if they let digital distribution undercut the retail sales then the retail avenues won't stock the game. Publishers wanting their cut from both markets jacks the price of the DD service up so the retail stores are happy. Isn't capitalism great?

Bruin1986

Different games may have different prices in different locations and in different formats. There's the concept of "shopping around" and in this case as BF3 is cheaper on Amazon, you may want to just get it there.

Edit: Most of the time I find digital downloads to be LESS expensive, what you found is one of those cases where it wasn't.

Edit 2: Amazon has the PC version for the same price as it is everywhere else, UNLESS you click the PC Download button - which will provide a digital copy for $50.99. This is cheaper, but TC, you should realize through Origin - for more money - you'd also get a "PC Download" version - so this case is "1 digital download is MORE expensive than 1 other digital download"

Got a link that explains the cost of digital vs retail? Not consumer side, i'm wondering about distributor side.

[QUOTE="Whiteblade999"]

Simple, retail stores threaten publishers that if they let digital distribution undercut the retail sales then the retail avenues won't stock the game. Publishers wanting their cut from both markets jacks the price of the DD service up so the retail stores are happy. Isn't capitalism great?

Bruin1986

Capitalism is a form of government? Interesting. Anyways, other justifications for digital downloads being more expensive would be bandwidth costs. Essentially by buying a DD Product, you're buying a service (being able to transfer the game from their servers to your computer). KHAndAnime

Sadly, here in the US, it sort of has become a form of government (or at least the prevailing force that churns the wheels). It's also become a sort of religion here, too. Ain't life grand?

Man, I really need to move...

I read an article about the subject. Basically, the retail-sellers tell the publishers that if they want the retail-sellers to sell the product, they got to make sure that the digital version isn't as cheap, as that would cause the retail-seller to lose sales.

And it's not in the hands of for example Steam.

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"] Capitalism is a form of government? Interesting. Anyways, other justifications for digital downloads being more expensive would be bandwidth costs. Essentially by buying a DD Product, you're buying a service (being able to transfer the game from their servers to your computer). -wildflower-

Sadly, here in the US, it sort of has become a form of government (or at least the prevailing force that churns the wheels). It's also become a sort of religion here, too. Ain't life grand?

Man, I really need to move...

Yes, because the US is the only country that likes money

I also love how you're saying all that on a game website, something you don't need to do at all

So in reality it's ok that you spend money and time with games but anyone else? Well they're bad people you need to move away from

Seriously......

[QUOTE="-wildflower-"]

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"] Capitalism is a form of government? Interesting. Anyways, other justifications for digital downloads being more expensive would be bandwidth costs. Essentially by buying a DD Product, you're buying a service (being able to transfer the game from their servers to your computer). Jaysonguy

Sadly, here in the US, it sort of has become a form of government (or at least the prevailing force that churns the wheels). It's also become a sort of religion here, too. Ain't life grand?

Man, I really need to move...

Yes, because the US is the only country that likes money

I also love how you're saying all that on a game website, something you don't need to do at all

So in reality it's ok that you spend money and time with games but anyone else? Well they're bad people you need to move away from

Seriously......

Just adding to a conversation that was already started. Sorry, if I offended your sense of nationalism. And where did I say anyone was bad? I implied Capitalism has corrupted our political system but other than that???

Got a link that explains the cost of digital vs retail? Not consumer side, i'm wondering about distributor side.

doanm

None of them really reveal their numbers that the public (us consumers) could see. I have searched around in the past for more information and found a few blogs with people that claim they have connections to distributors, but there's no way to know for sure.

It's just like how you can't get any real data on digital distribution numbers. The companies in charge don't want anyone to know how much money they are making. I'm guessing they make quite a bit. It's in their best interest to keep competition low, so they have more control of the market. NPD Group is starting to get a little bit of info, but only very broad such as X game sold 70% retail, 30% digital. No real facts given.

I live in southern Europe. BF3 (and most premium PC games, really) costs 35 euros at retail stores here. While at Steam, it costs 50! It seems to me like retail stores have similar pricing to US prices, converting the value of the game in dollars to euros, while Steam just changes the currency without converting the price.

Besides Best Buy, who really stocks PC games any more? None of the Gamestops around me carry them at all.

Besides Best Buy, who really stocks PC games any more? None of the Gamestops around me carry them at all.

Johnny_Rock

One, out of the seven Gamestops, around my house has a small rack, hidden in some far off corner of the store that has a handful of PC games most of which are made by Blizzard. I almost feel like I should be wearing a trench coat and wheezing whenever I browse there which, admittedly, is only about once a year. I can't stand Gamestop.

Heck, even the Best Buys around here have a fairly small stock of PC games. It's a bummer but at least there are alternatives online so I don't let it bother me too much.

Sadly, here in the US, it sort of has become a form of government (or at least the prevailing force that churns the wheels). It's also become a sort of religion here, too. Ain't life grand?

Man, I really need to move...

-wildflower-

There is usually a "US is the devil" topic every 6 or so hours. You should fit in well there.

In Australia the prices on steam are often half of what they are for retail. Its absurd. biggest_loser

Remind me to never move to Australia. Everything there for video games/computers is way too damn expensive.

The Soviet Union gave us Tetris

Publishers are getting greedier and greedier,. it's not even just people like Activision anymore, smaller developers studios are attempting to charge "premium prices" well above £29.99. They can piss off.

Dat necro

Really? You necro a thread that's been dead for nearly two years, and for that comment?

In Soviet Russia thread necros you