Why do publishers think i'll pay full price for a old digital title that never goes on sale?

[Jawmuncher]

I think we've all been there. There's an older title you'd like to play but for some reason, it never goes on sale. Sometimes there's the advantage of physical copies (New or Used) that we can buy for a cheaper price.

But that isn't always the case, especially as more and more games go digital only. Which begs the question, why do some publishers fail at putting titles on sale? Now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying "Every developer must follow this criteria for putting their games on sale". That would be a ridiculous demand for anyone to make. But i'm very curious as to why publishers do this.

Is there data which indicates a consumer is more likely to pay full-price for a old game rather than look for a cheaper alternative? I know personally, i'm more likely to buy a used copy for a 3 year old game for $10 than buy the still Full-Priced MSRP (No matter how convenient digital is). If it's digital only, i'll likely just skip on the title altogether.

Is this oddity perhaps due to the sales department forgetting all the games in their catalog to put on sale? It's far to often when I see a company sale and yet only the titles from the current gen are actually on sale. This pops up especially with the more niche titles that would probably benefit from some word of mouth years down the line. Even companies that handle this aspect better like Capcom are guilty of random titles just never being put on sale. It's such an odd state of affairs you don't really see being an issue in other mediums.

 

[Boiled Goose]

It means that it's selling well enough.

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

If not worth it, don't buy it

 

[_zoipi]

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

Click to shrink...

Huh, this never got me into my mind to think about it... and it seems like logical. Steam has used us a lot to "wait till price drop and sale to buy that game for a tenner" that may actually hurt sales figures, so when a game gets a temp discount it never gets usally lover than 30 or 40%... That's some kinda genious marketing.

 

[Lant_War]

COD Ghosts is $20 at a sale right now. The game that came out with the PS4. It must sell well even today because I can't explain it.

 

[Ryengeku]

It means that it's selling well enough.

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

If not worth it, don't buy it

Click to shrink...

"Good Will or Exposure doesn't keep the lights on", sure, but if the company wants to grow a larger base in general, it's good to have price drops for the people that just can't afford everything at full price.

 

[Ukumio]

I'm still waiting for CoD: Infinite Warfare to drop. I just want to play the campaign but CoD isn't worth full price, especially not for just the campaign.

 

[Boiled Goose]

Huh, this never got me into my mind to think about it... and it seems like logical. Steam has used us a lot to "wait till price drop and sale to buy that game for a tenner" that may actually hurt sales figures, so when a game gets a temp discount it never gets usally lover than 30 or 40%... That's some kinda genious marketing.

Click to shrink...

There's a reason Nintendo doesn't drop prices. They are selling you not just a single game but a whole ecosystem. They don't want discounted games to take eat into their sales of full priced games.

 

[semiconscious]

It means that it's selling well enough.

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

If not worth it, don't buy it

Click to shrink...

i used to assume this. but now i think it's just a matter of some publishers not really paying attention to their older digital inventories beyond a certain point, because i'm finding it pretty impossible to imagine that some of this stuff still sells well at full price :) ...

edit: what you say about nintendo sounds right, for them. but i can't see that strategy working quite as well for other publishers...

 

[Boiled Goose]

"Good Will or Exposure doesn't keep the lights on", sure, but if the company wants to grow a larger base in general, it's good to have price drops for the people that just can't afford everything at full price.

Click to shrink...

Profit is the goal. Making everything affordable for everyone is not everyone's business strategy.

 

[Araujo]

You are asking why publishers sometimes fail at asking for less money.

The answer is that they often see that they don't have to.

 

[Boiled Goose]

i used to assume this. but now i think it's just a matter of some publishers not really paying attention to their older digital inventories beyond a certain point, because i'm finding it pretty impossible to imagine that some of this stuff still sells well at full price :) ...

Click to shrink...

If you buy a discounted game your less likely to buy a newer full priced game. Finite time.

 

[Devilgunman]

It's either the game keeps selling so well that there is no point of putting on sale. Or the game so mediocre that it's a lost cost and there is no demand for it.

One game that I'm waiting to buy but has never been on sale might fit later description. Gundam Extreme VS Force for the Vita. It's been released exclusively on PSN in the west since 2016 and it's been full price ever since. JP physical copy on the other hand can be had for as low as $10 on ebay.

 

[Zeno]

Atelier Estha & Logy Plus as well as Atelier Shallie Plus for me. At this point, I figure I'll probably just have to buy both at full price at some point or hope for a remake like the Arland trilogy.

 

[Soulflarz]

Don't even wanna say how many times I've been interested in a 5-10 year old game, seen $20, said I'll wait for a sale, then not cared when it was $5 again.

 

[Jawmuncher]

It's either the game keeps selling so well that there is no point of putting on sale. Or the game so mediocre that it's a lost cost and there is no demand for it.

One game that I'm waiting to buy but has never been on sale might fit later description. Gundam Extreme VS Force for the Vita. It's been released exclusively on PSN in the west since 2016 and it's been full price ever since. JP physical copy on the other hand can be had for as low as $10 on ebay.

Click to shrink...

This is more or less the kind of titles i'm getting at. I understand a lot of the points being made here, but it seems so odd to me that titles like this just never go on sale. That game has probably sold next to nothing in the last 3 years and would surely move at least a few more units at 50% off than just waiting for the one lone soul who will buy it this year.

 

[OG_Thrills]

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

Click to shrink...

Emphasis on this.

 

[semiconscious]

If you buy a discounted game your less likely to buy a newer full priced game. Finite time.

Click to shrink...

otoh, non-finite competition: if most everyone else discounts their older catalogues, your older games aren't gonna attract the same amounts of impulse buying that their's will. being able to grab 2-3 other games for the same price as one of yours i would think presents a problem :) ...

 

[Kyuur]

Outside of multiplayer, games don't really depreciate over time. There's no reason to put games on sale if they sell at full price.

 

[Bob Beat]

Trips me out. But Google, Amazon et al think I want to buy old movies for $15. Little shop of horrors is $15.

So it'll probably get worse over time. More digital future means setting a price and never really having to move.

 

[chrominance]

COD Ghosts is $20 at a sale right now. The game that came out with the PS4. It must sell well even today because I can't explain it.

Click to shrink...

Nah, you just missed all the fire sales from a few years back. Before COD's fall from grace in terms of blockbuster-level popularity, it used to be very rare to find them selling for cheap. Ghosts was the first game in the series to really buck that trend; in Canada you used to be able to pick up Xbox One copies for $5 on the regular.

I disliked Ghosts enough that I would never consider paying $20 for it, so I have to assume that's just Activision giving up on the title and letting it pass into the COD back catalog where it gets basically no sales or attention because any additional copies it sells at this point are unlikely to be due to further price cuts. Most of the people who would've considered buying it probably already did in one of the fire sales.

Atelier Estha & Logy Plus as well as Atelier Shallie Plus for me. At this point, I figure I'll probably just have to buy both at full price at some point or hope for a remake like the Arland trilogy.

Click to shrink...

This is, I think, the same phenomenon, but for a completely different reason; enhanced Vita ports at the tail end of the Dusk trilogy were probably never going to be a huge seller, and Koei-Tecmo has often kept Atelier prices high because they probably think price drops won't necessarily bring in a lot of new people at this point. The Arland trilogy DX titles have seen more discounts, and hopefully that continues but I'm not sure if they'll ever hit, say, 50% off.

 

[semiconscious]

This is more or less the kind of titles i'm getting at. I understand a lot of the points being made here, but it seems so odd to me that titles like this just never go on sale. That game has probably sold next to nothing in the last 3 years and would surely move at least a few more units at 50% off than just waiting for the one lone soul who will buy it this year.

Click to shrink...

yeah, this's the kinda thing i'm referring to, as well. this doesn't come off as 'strategic'. it comes off as 'we've basically forgotten that we even have this game out there' :) ...

 

[Minilla]

COD Ghosts is $20 at a sale right now. The game that came out with the PS4. It must sell well even today because I can't explain it.

Click to shrink...

COD rarely goes on deep sales. Ubisoft and EA regularly fire sale their stuff. I bought all Ubis latest stuff for less than 10 (only one at 15)

 

[justiceiro]

They are thinking of the guys who actually bough the games full price and making sure they don't feel dumb for not have waited a little longer to get the game for dirty cheap.

Also, in most things, a cheap price means a low quality product. I don't think the average consumer goes: "but games are different".

Another point: they are not trying to sell the game for you that is waiting, they are trying to sell for the people who just bougth the console. For them, that game is "new".

 

[Themaddestgamer]

I dunno OP. Many times ive been on the fence and a sale will pop up on PSN and its the bait that makes me pull the trigger.

They might not get full price but made a sell when they otherwise would not have

 

[Suburban Thug]

With digital there's less of an incentive to drop the price - they don't have to worry about inventory of shelf space.

 

[Professor Beef]

This is more or less the kind of titles i'm getting at. I understand a lot of the points being made here, but it seems so odd to me that titles like this just never go on sale. That game has probably sold next to nothing in the last 3 years and would surely move at least a few more units at 50% off than just waiting for the one lone soul who will buy it this year.

Click to shrink...

Conversely, people who really want to play it would've purchased it after 3 or so years, and if nobody has bought it or shown demand during that time then there's no sense to reduce the price for no reason.

 

[Lindsay]

This is, I think, the same phenomenon, but for a completely different reason; enhanced Vita ports at the tail end of the Dusk trilogy were probably never going to be a huge seller, and Koei-Tecmo has often kept Atelier prices high because they probably think price drops won't necessarily bring in a lot of new people at this point. The Arland trilogy DX titles have seen more discounts, and hopefully that continues but I'm not sure if they'll ever hit, say, 50% off.

Click to shrink...

Its Koei-Tecmo. They won't. So glad physical continues to exist now an hopefully in the future! Got Blue Reflection physical for $20. Which is well below what psprices says its gone for on PSN. If physical gets wiped out, we're boned. Cause console stores dun got competition unlike on PC.

 

[peter42O]

Because other gamers actually buy those games at full retail prices.

 

[Deleted member 18161]

It means that it's selling well enough.

Also strategically it's bad to train your consumers to wait for price drops.

If not worth it, don't buy it

Click to shrink...

Nintendo in a nutshell.

I don't mind paying for games that don't price drop. If it's that big of an issue then just sell it for 95% of the price you paid for it when you're done with it.

 

[Yunyo]

I know this might sound dumb, but I think publishers genuinely forget that they've put certain titles or DLC up for sale to discount in the first place.

I think with Steam as a platform it's a lot easier to handle this sort of thing, as you have direct control, as opposed to digital on console where you have to go through more nonsense.

 

[Drifters_]

$60 dollars today is not worth my $60 dollars tomorrow.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I know this might sound dumb, but I think publishers genuinely forget that they've put certain titles or DLC up for sale to discount in the first place.

I think with Steam as a platform it's a lot easier to handle this sort of thing, as you have direct control, as opposed to digital on console where you have to go through more nonsense.

Click to shrink...

I completely agree. I think there's been cases where something goes on sale for Steam but not for another platform. On Eshop, PSN, and XBL you have that middle-man who has to more or less approve your sale during a certain time.

 

[Boiled Goose]

otoh, non-finite competition: if most everyone else discounts their older catalogues, your older games aren't gonna attract the same amounts of impulse buying that their's will. being able to grab 2-3 other games for the same price as one of yours i would think presents a problem :) ...

Click to shrink...

Why do you want your consumers to impulse buy your discounted games? Decreases brand value. Again more things matter than just sales numbers

 

[UsoEwin]

Not particularly on topic but I see people still throwing the "Nintendo doesn't put games on sale" thing around. Nintendo games go on sale pretty regularly on the eshop now.

 

[semiconscious]

Why do you want your consumers to impulse buy your discounted games? Decreases brand value. Again more things matter than just sales numbers

Click to shrink...

fine . you run your company your way, i'll run mine my way, & we'll see who's made more money in 5 years :) ...

 

[Stiler]

Umm, where are people getting that games don't need to be put on sale cause they sell well enough? There are PLENTY of games that go on sale. Sales are a VERY important aspect of making money on games, just like any other good out there. I mean there's a reason that sales exists in the first place for any good or product. Over time the "new" product becomes the "old" product, the sales dry up, the price is lowered to get overall more people to buy it to make up the difference.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Why do you want your consumers to impulse buy your discounted games? Decreases brand value. Again more things matter than just sales numbers

Click to shrink...

On the opposite end Capcom has made this a pillar of their business and have numerous times stated that the backlog sales thanks to reduced sale prices have pushed their profits to newer heights.
There's definitely a middle road to putting older stuff on sale vs "Can't put this game no one has bought in 3 years on sale because it decreases brand value"

 

[Boiled Goose]

fine . you run your company your way, i'll run mine my way, & we'll see who's made more money in 5 years :) ...

Click to shrink...

Have you seen Nintendo's software profits?

 

[Deleted member 679]

I have to imagine those older games that never get any discount at all are games the publisher doesn't really expect to sell any copies at any price. Because even an insignificant 10% sale helps to make it stand out during a sale, as a lot of people will sort their wishlist by discount.

A game that never goes on sale might as well not even be wishlisted, people will just stop thinking about it.

 

[Mekanos]

I thought it was a joke that FFX/X2 was being sold for $50 on Switch, meanwhile for Golden Week sales, it was $15 on PS3 and Vita ($25 usually, same with PS4). All the other FF games are the same price across console but I don't know why they're upcharging for this one.

 

[Draconian]

I thought it was a joke that FFX/X2 was being sold for $50 on Switch, meanwhile for Golden Week sales, it was $15 on PS3 and Vita ($25 usually, same with PS4). All the other FF games are the same price across console but I don't know why they're upcharging for this one.

Click to shrink...

Because it's new to the platform.

 

[Paz]

Older games still sell some copies, and the people who go looking for older games through online stores probably want that game specifically and aren't just looking for a deal. Plus it means when you do go on sale you can have higher % off numbers, which people find more appealing.

It's not great but it kind of makes sense.

 

[Mekanos]

Because it's new to the platform.

Click to shrink...

It's still pretty asinine that the game is double the price it is on the PS4. Not that it matters since it'll sell well anyway... (I got the Vita version on sale)

 

[2shd]

On the opposite end Capcom has made this a pillar of their business and have numerous times stated that the backlog sales thanks to reduced sale prices have pushed their profits to newer heights.
There's definitely a middle road to putting older stuff on sale vs "Can't put this game no one has bought in 3 years on sale because it decreases brand value"

Click to shrink...

You'd think they would put Ultra SF2 on sale. But I guess enough people are still paying $40 for it to make it not worthwhile?

 

[Hawk269]

No one feels your pain more than Switch owners OP. As a Switch owner myself, I come to call most Switch games with the pricing as the "Switch Tax". Granted, new games being $59.99 I have no issues with...but for example, Skryim on Switch, which you can get the Xbox One or PS4 version on regular price of $39.99 or less and when on Sale as low as $19.99. The Switch version is currently at $59.99 on the U.S. Eshop and I heard, never seen, that it has been on sale for $39.99 over 5 months ago. Even at retail the Switch version is always $59.99 and when it goes on sale it is usually $39.99 or $49.99.

 

[Deleted member 43]

This is more or less the kind of titles i'm getting at. I understand a lot of the points being made here, but it seems so odd to me that titles like this just never go on sale. That game has probably sold next to nothing in the last 3 years and would surely move at least a few more units at 50% off than just waiting for the one lone soul who will buy it this year.

Click to shrink...

That one is actually easy to explain. It's in the Gundam franchise owner's interest to keep related assets at a premium price to help maintain the value of the brand. That value is worth more than the small increase in revenue an individual sale will bring in.

 

[aerozombie]

Varies, in some cases it is just plain still selling at that price, or maybe they no longer pay attention to that asset.

Though if there was a reason, it is because Nintendo inflates the value of their titles by rarely having meaningful sales (compared to their competitors, stop trying to compare Nintendo to Nintendo) nor by discounting them over time. It brings the thought: If Nintendo can do at full price, we can do at a portion! Breath of the Wild is STILL $60, yet Sony has already discounted their major exclusives like Spider-Man and God of War to $30.

The weird outlier was Overwatch, that one stayed at full price WAY longer than most Blizzard games, though it could be that it was put on the Call of Duty pricing plan.

 

[Deleted member 43]

Varies, in some cases it is just plain still selling at that price, or maybe they no longer pay attention to that asset.

Though if there was a reason, it is because Nintendo inflates the value of their titles by rarely having meaningful sales (compared to their competitors, stop trying to compare Nintendo to Nintendo) nor by discounting them over time. It brings the thought: If Nintendo can do at full price, we can do at a portion! Breath of the Wild is STILL $60, yet Sony has already discounted their major exclusives like Spider-Man and God of War to $30.

The weird outlier was Overwatch, that one stayed at full price WAY longer than most Blizzard games, though it could be that it was put on the Call of Duty pricing plan.

Click to shrink...

That's not "inflating" their value, that's "maintaining" their value.

 

[Schlorgan]

TimeShift for 360 is BC on Xbox One and I'm kind of interested in trying it, but it's $30 for some reason.

 

[aerozombie]

That's not "inflating" their value, that's "maintaining" their value.

Click to shrink...

Eh, for me maintaining value involves adding things through updates and DLC and decreasing can involve elements like the industry moving past the asset (new games being released) with this more along the lines of forcing the price at a certain amount. The value of the title has decreased, but the price has stayed the same. Admittedly this isn't going by fair market value and is closer to 2nd if not 3rd tier valuation, but I find it more accurate.