Today at midnight Nintendo I raised the prices for digital versions of my games in the Russian segment ESHOP. Shortly before that about the rise in price of projects for PlayStation 4 reported by Russian retail sellers. How to live and stay a gamer after that?
What's happening?
For starters, an important point. The cost of the Games themselves in retail did not really change, and already a long time ago. For ten years now, if not more, large -budget games have been sold in the West at a more or less single price: $ 60 in the USA, 50-60 euros in the EU, 50 pounds in the UK. And this despite the fact that inflation and other unpleasant things act on Western currencies.
Nevertheless, on some platforms there is a regional policy. For example, Steam realized that the Russian player can not be compared with the American income and willingness to pay for digital entertainment. The Geiba Newll team shot down Russian prices two and a half times compared to Western. Here, however, he played a role not only and not so much the poverty factor of the population, but still a very strong spread of piracy in Russia. But gradually, thanks to regional prices and convenience, Steam as a platform, buyers still switched to licensed content.
And then the ruble fell. All the second half of 2014, the game sector held on and hoped for the best, but in the end prices rose. Now large -budget games in Steam cost about two thousand rubles. This is still twice cheaper than in the same states, but, as they say, the sediment remained. Of course, there are still exceptions. For example, Divinity: Original Sin 2 already at the start cost only 800 rubles, and the same Mortal Kombat 11 Now you can pretend to be 1100. But this is precisely that exceptions.
A striking example of the current price policy Steam
But console sellers showed much less solidarity with the Russian consumer. In PlayStation Store and Xbox Live, the prices of games are usually tied to their dollar equivalents, without constant regional discounts. And at the end of the same 2014, the cost of projects for PS4 and Xbox One also twisted about the current equivalent of sixty US dollars – 3999 rubles, plus PS+ or XBLG payment if you want to play by the network.
Of course, they screamed on the forums, they say, no one will buy games for two thousands for PC, but everyone will go pirate, but the consolers will stupidly leave Russia because of losses … Well, four years have passed, and the games for PS4 are still buying. Yes, and from Steam representatives, something is not heard of panic cries about the fall of income in the Russian region.
But as for the Nintendo games for Switch, the prices in Russian ESHOP were originally inadequate. Certainly, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – A brilliant game, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate It is quite good. But not so much as to cost digital sale more than seventy dollars – by almost a thousand rubles more than in the USA, and this is before raising prices!
Who is to blame and what to do?
In 2014, the games were valued due to a two-time drop in the ruble course, which has not been recovered since then. Now, obviously, the matter is the increase in VAT. In both cases, of course, we take off the hat and the helmet of the air kiss to our government. I will manage without any “if” if ”and populist slogans: let's better figure out how to live a simple gamer.
The most important conclusion in the current situation is that you need to show more intelligibility in what you play. Games finally go into the category of entertainment not for everyone, and if you could make rash purchases earlier, now (at least on consoles) you need to be one hundred percent confident that the game costs your money. Our reviews and video reviews will help you with this – well, in general, keep your ears on the crown.
In Russia, the prices of games for PS4 are not reduced, but in Poland and Hong Kong – very. I wonder how these mechanisms work?
If you play in one or two online project and drain free money only on them-for you, most likely, almost nothing will change. But if you prefer something else … you have to get out.
Platforming as the meaning of life
Players on Xbox One in this sense are easiest. In this store, prices do not change – Microsoft simply slowly translates the entire assortment to the dollar calculation. So subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass and do not forget to follow the sales. So you will receive all exclusives from studios owned by Microsoft, including the latest, and the price for an annual subscription will only be a little higher than one such game purchased in retail. Everything is clear with sales: yes, you will not play the expected non -exclusive game the first. But here everyone will have to choose between savings and the desire to criticize the novelty in the comments with knowledge of the matter.
The sales point applies to PS4 players and players. There is no analogue of the Game Pass on PS4, but there is at least a monthly freebie for subscribers PS+ – there you can also snatch a couple of interesting games for the tape cost of a monthly subscription.
Also on the consoles, the resale of disks is still flourishing – you can save a lot of money with it. Moreover, if you were engaged in the resale of disks before, then you are unlikely to lose more than you lost before, the difference between the people who had gone aside and used disks will most likely remain about the same. However, if you take the game only for yourself, it is better to take the “figure”: at least at the moment we are only talking about the rise in price of physical copies. Prices in PS Store are about the same. So, if you want to save, shoot your inner collector.
MemoDs have already used the crooked translation of the name Days Gone As it should
Players on a PC … if possible, urgently pump your car if your configuration does not allow you to play modern games. Moreover, during this year, while there is a chance to get iron cheaper from abroad. Let me remind you that from January 1, the threshold of duty -free purchase in foreign stores is limited to 500 euros, and in a year this bar will drop to 200. That is, if now you can still buy almost anything on the conditional computeruniverse (except perhaps the top video cards), then in a year this opportunity will no longer be so attractive – the duty is expressed in additional and very tangible 30% of the cost of the goods.
But those who have everything good with computers, in the plus. Game prices will be two to two and a half below the console, even if they grow (and this is quite likely). And sales in Steam, GOG and other stores happen very often.
And separately – about Nintendo
If you, like me, the owner of Nintendo Switch … I have more questions here than answers. For some reason, it is precisely the digital publications that are expensive, the cartridge with the same “Zelda” now costs the same 4,500 as any disk PS4-Exclusive last year. But the digital version of the game, which theoretically should be cheaper-do not immediately spend money on carriers, logistics and distributors-for some reason it is estimated at 5249 rubles. This (in terms) is almost 1300 rubles more than in the USA, and 200 – than in the UK. Maybe in the Nintendo pricing department there is an inverted globe? I really like Switch, this is a gorgeous console for any situation, but I do not buy games for it. Not a single one in a few months – simply because they are either cheaper on any other platform, or it is so expensive exclusives that my conscience will not allow me to acquire them. And this despite the fact that it was Switch that could become my main console. After all, this is the only full -fledged platform that allows you to play everywhere – and most of the time I can spend not at home, but on the road.
Well, what is it called?!
Dear Nintendo … If you suddenly do not know, I inform you that the living wage established by the Government of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2019 is eleven thousand three hundred ten ten rubles. The minimum wage for the same period is thirty rubles below. At the same time, more than 14% of the country's population lives behind the poverty line, and the ruble exchange rate over the past five years has fallen in relation to the dollar exactly twice. Who is your pricing policy at and what growth indicators do you want to achieve, even if I, a fucking Muscovite with a more or less average salary, do not risk buying your games?
In fact, you can swear on the Internet about raising prices for a long time and violently. But this is unlikely to significantly change the situation (except that Nintendo will listen, and that is unlikely). Tighten your belts, get ready to put off on games as you used to put it on a https://sister-site.org/lucky-carnival/ smartphone, and be very, very selective in your purchases.