The average price of a boxed video game falls by almost a quarter after just 30 days on sale.
New retail research – which includes pricing data from over 50 retailers – shows that games prices dropped 23.5 per cent after 30 days, 30.8 per cent after 60 days, and 39 per cent after 90 days on sale. This data looks at the 25 best-selling Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games released in the past six months.
This means that after three months on sale, the average boxed game loses almost half its original price.
However, there were some products that bucked the trend. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and FIFA 12 were the only games that had an average price higher than £30 after two months on sale. The former rose in price by eight per cent after one month, from £34.98 to £37.99.
The game that held its value the most was Skylanders, which saw its average day one £46.89 price fall to just £45.99, £45.95 and £39.96 after one, two and three months respectively.
“Whilst it is not entirely surprising, the general trend appears to be the more hyped the game and the better its reviews, the longer its price has remained near its release cost,” Christoph Hitchen, Idealo marketing manager, told MCV.
“Games which didn’t receive many positive reviews were discounted heavily and more quickly. Need for Speed: The Run, for instance, was available for 38 per cent less only 30 days after coming out.”
MCV will publish the full list of the top 25 games and their post-release prices in a forthcoming issue.
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2 comments
I think the way forward for companies to survive the decreasing prices is through subsidisation. I am more than happy to see advertising where necessary in games. Like Coke boards in GTA V or Dunlop tires on signs in Gran turismo. What about advertising in the manuals?
Jonathan Chamberlain STUDENT
0 0Feb 2nd 2012 at 11:16AM
This is exactly why retailers are in trouble. They are pricing themselves out of profit.
Game A with RRP of £50 (standard X360/PS3) goes on sale day one at £40, within 90 days goes down by 40% to £24. That's 48% of the RRP.
Release day sales are common in a lot of media retailers but are usually followed by the product increasing in price within a week or so. Retailers know you are more likely to buy something when it comes out.
Phil Evans ELITE GAMER
0 0Feb 2nd 2012 at 11:56AM