More Video Game Makers Fear The Free Market And Don't Know How To Compete

Here we go again. Remember a few months ago when Nintendo's President Reggie Fils-Aime was bitching about the fact that people were buying video games on mobile phones for a buck or two, rather than spending many, many multiples that for his games? Apparently, he's got friends. Epic Games president Mike Capps is playing the role of Nintendo parrot by saying the same thing:

"If there's anything that's killing us [in the traditional games business] it's dollar apps," he continued. "How do you sell someone a $60 game that's really worth it? They're used to 99 cents. As I said, it's an uncertain time in the industry."

To be fair, he admits that it's also "an exciting time for whoever picks the right path." But if he's worrying about selling $60 games, perhaps he's made it clear that he's not picking the right path. After all, time and time again we've seen that video game makers have found it to be significantly more profitable to drastically lower the prices of their games and rake in significantly higher sales.

And, of course, the same time he's complaining about pricing, we're seeing the third Humble Indie Bundle selling quite well yet again (just like the first two) using a pay what you want model, that is quite flexible, DRM free and also has a charitable component. If you want to look at who's on the right path, perhaps you should be looking at those "cheap" game makers who are so profitable and the success of things like the Humble Indie Bundles. Perhaps the problem isn't convincing anyone to buy a $60 game, but convincing yourself that $60 isn't the right price.

Then again, this is Epic Games we're talking about -- which, you may recall, was the same company who's VP scoffed at some indie gamers for talking about the importance of really connecting with their fans. So, basically, this is a company that doesn't want to connect and wants to charge super high prices. Good luck...

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Source: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110420/18014913980/more-video-game-makers-fear-free-market-dont-know-how-to-compete.shtml

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