Good game articles don't come along always. Recently, I read one and would like to thank Emily Rogers for her effort in writing such insightful commentary on the rise of game development costs on each console cycle, and consequently, the fall of gaming production. My gaming habit starts from the good old red/white console - NES Family Computer. Skip owning all other consoles in between this and PlayStation1 doesn't block my passion for gaming, I would spend school holidays at my friend's place to hook on to Super Nintendo console. I've spent so much time in either single player or co-op campaigns, online multiplayer mode never come across my gaming region. Not until Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
AAA games pumped out to market from time to time, producers will pour millions of marketing budget to capture buyer's attention while game devs are eyeing closely on scoring above 8.0/10.0 on major publications' reviews. Any negative influences will greatly reduce buying interest and impact sales, companies would never recoup the loss of the ever-increasing game development cost.
On the other hand, users are expecting games to offer more yet in affordable price range. A $60 selling price in the States would be converted to AUD$89 (compared to $99 in 2000) even though Australian dollars exchange rate is higher than US dollars. Have a read on the slides here on the cost breakdown of the game - Gears of War.
Based on my understanding, there're a few business models that the companies are adopting now.
- Freemium (with micro transactions) based
- DRM based
- Subscription based
- Season Pass DLC based
It's undeniable that every method will have its own PROs and CONs. In my opinion, instead of spending dollars in ridiculous marketing campaigns, why not publicize it on social networks and spend some budget on supporting the game by fixing bugs and releasing additional content. Or perhaps hold competitions to give out free games, I believe word of mouth is more persuasive than hanging huge banners on buildings.
References:
Season Pass is killing us all
Reddit: Dear game developers, please stop telling us $60 isn't a lot of money for a video game
Reddit: What is the biggest video game let down for you?
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