The ESPN "$20 Experiment" is Over

[digitalpress]

This is bad news for those of you who enjoyed the ESPN nicely-priced set of sports titles for 2004.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=5856

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

[Cantaloup]

To summarize the article:

1. the $20 price was successful
2. the price will return to higher levels for titles on future consoles due to development costs and higher price tolerance of early adopters
3. it's unknown what the price of future titles on the current platforms will be

[petewhitley]

I think we're gonna see alot of people going back to Madden, etc. ESPN need to continue this pricing strategy for a few years to really build up a brand loyalty. They had some great sports games this year, in most cases rivaling (Football) or even beating (hockey) EA in terms of quality, but I doubt that (potentially) just one more year of a lower price-point (if we're to assume the next generation of consoles is coming Winter 2005/Spring 2006) is going to win them enough loyalists. I understand they're probably facing increased costs in developing for PS3, Xbox Next, etc. But you can't help but see them losing momentum by raising prices so soon.

[goatdan]

The question is...

What will the price point be for MLB 2K5?

I've been holding off getting some sort of baseball game in hopes that MLB 2K5 would hit the same $19.99 price point. If it doesn't, I don't know what / if I'll be getting a baseball game.

[Ed Oscuro]

MY Question is...

Will it be Sega or sEAg? LOL

[udisi]

According to the article the price will remain at $20 for all Future PS2, Gamecube and Xbox release. The price will not go to $50 until PS3, Xbox2, etc

[slip81]

Yeah if the prices go back up to normal I'll switch back over to EA. I like the Sega Sports line, but if I'm gonna pay a high price the EA titles are usually a little more solid. The big reason I bought NFL 2k5 over Madden was because of it's low price.

[lendelin]

The announcement (not the price increase) happens earlier than I expected. I assumed that for games for the next gen of console systems the price will go up to $50. (a result of the success of the $20 releases plus the 'beginning' of new systems. It is psychologically ideal to get players used to a new higher price)

I doubt Sega will increase the price so drastically for games of this gen of console systems. $30 maybe, but $20 is more likely to get the games out as a good starting point for the next gen consoles.

I think enough ESPN NFLs have been sold so that the increased profit margins of games sold for the percentage of gamers who stick with the franchise as an addition or even alternative to Madden will be higher than the loss of sales at much lower profit margins of gamers who switch solely back to Madden.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hmm...that Sega/EA comment was WAY out of date, heh. I remember reading that "White Knight" article at least a year ago, and it was old even then!

Is it just me, or is GamesIndustry.biz a "lite" news source? They've got good stuff but not a lot of it.

[EnemyZero]

eh it was fun while it lasted..but whats up with these mergers and co-ops and what not? damnit >.<

[calthaer]

Note that "premium pricing" does not necessarily mean $50 a pop. It could very well mean $40 / game. Maybe they will go to 35 or 30, who knows. It just means more than the 20.

[Rogmeister]

It would've been nice if it had lasted long enough to get the next baseball game for $20. Then again, I like the MVP series so much, I doubt I'd wind up getting that one anyway.

[studvicious]

Buckwalter's comments confirm that premium pricing will be used for next-generation console SKUs, presumably on the basis that product development will be more expensive

it makes sense, you gotta cover your costs