UK retail game sales "half of what they should be"

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 23 February, 2012

"Consumers don't want to spend money."

UK retail game sales are "half of what they should be", an analyst has claimed.

The UK games retail market is 25 per cent down compared to last year, according to a report by MCV.

2012's major new games are selling between 10,000 to 48,000 copies during their first week on sale, sources told MCV. Last year big games were selling 35,000 to 80,000 copies.

The first UFC game outsold the UK's current number one game, UFC 3, by 3:1 during the same period, MCV reported.

"We are trying to understand it, but everything is selling well below what it should," a publisher said.

"It is an absolute nightmare. I'm not making half the money back I'm spending on marketing."

Why is this happening? Don't blame specialist retailer GAME, which has been unable to stock some recent new releases.

"There are some stock shortages at retail, but I don't think that's what's causing these figures," the UK boss of an unnamed Japanese publisher said.

"The big games of last year are available cheaply. But also consumers don't want to spend money, and we as an industry are not giving them any reason to change their minds. I will be watching Mass Effect 3 and Syndicate very closely."

GAME Group Marketing Director Anna-Marie Mason told Eurogamer this week's Vita launch was vitally important for the UK games industry.

"The traditional packaged goods market, year on year, has been in decline," she said. "Even at our most busy period last year, as an industry, that market shrunk, and it shrunk significantly."

In a separate MCV report, Chart-Track, which releases UK sales data, said boxed retail still accounts for 70 per cent of the UK software market - what amounts to a £1 billion industry.

MD John Pinder said publishers "would have bitten your hands off" ten years ago for the sort of sales figures posted today.

He stressed the importance of the industry managing the transition to digital "very carefully" and called on publishers to "learn from the mistakes of the music industry".

"Hopefully games will learn from that and manage its transition in a way that doesn't destroy its big revenue area - which is boxed retail," he said.

"Right now we have the perfect storm. The appalling state of the economy combined with the end of the console lifecycles."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (154) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • streetmagix #1 3 months ago

    But have there been any massive games dropped in the first 2 months of 2012? We had Dead Space 2 launch last Jan, we've had nothing as big as that so far.

  • Mister-Wario #2 3 months ago

    No, we do want to spend money, we just don't want to spend £43 on a new PS3 game. If you want to sell something you need to be competitive. Why exactly should we buy from you when your prices are so hilariously high all the time?

  • Whizzo #3 3 months ago

    Hmm I wonder why people aren't spending money?

    /has a quick look at Telegraph's Euro Debt Crisis Liveblog in another tab

    Nah I can't think why people aren't buying so many games.
    Edited by Whizzo at 23/02/12 @ 11:05

  • Jacksie66 #4 3 months ago

    I want to spend money, but haven't got it to spend.

  • Baihu1983 #5 3 months ago

    Maybe because the prices are too high?
    Or people are pissed off with the store exclusive crap?
    Held back ''DLC''?
    Bored with yearly updates at full price?

  • levitate #6 3 months ago

    "...consumers don't want to spend money, and we as an industry are not giving them any reason to change their minds."

    Almost right there, sir. We DO want to spend our money but not on crap and on inflated-priced games. Add an incentive, make us trust and believe in you and we'll come. Change the rude, obnoxious, attitudes and we'll come. Make it a treat to purchase anything in the store and we'll come.

    Hell, set up a charity donation fund to save brick n mortar shops and I'll donate! As long as you change your perceptions and alter the attitude.

  • PinktotheLast #7 3 months ago

    There were so many good games released at the end of last year that I asked for loads of them for Christmas and I'm still working my way through those!

    Just started Skyrim for God's sake - it will be October before I finish that the way things are going.

  • crazyfaze #8 3 months ago

    When I'm playing an MMO I tend to buy very little else. When I'm not playing an MMO I'll buy a game every couple weeks. As it is SW:TOR is still top of my games list, so all the others can wait. I'll pick them up when they drop in price and I've got more spare time.

  • sjmlondon #9 3 months ago

    The economy is in a hole, the cost of living sky high and everyone is feeling the pinch or at least being more cautious with any disposable income left over.

    Sorry to disappoint Game, but I don't think the Playstation Vita is going to miraculously revive the industry either.
    Edited by sjmlondon at 23/02/12 @ 12:33

  • menage #10 3 months ago

    If you really think held back DLC has any influence on mainstream shopping you're out of touch. Gamers who talk about that stuff really don't rack up the millions.

    I'm enjoying Amalur very much, but that's the only thing worth buying this year so far. Awaits ME3 and SSX. Funny thing, it's yet again the EA games that interest me, shenigans or not, they put out decent efforts.

  • Toothball #11 3 months ago

    I like the way that it's now the consumer's fault for publishers not hitting their sales targets. Not making their marketing money back is a laugh too, as most media channels have become so saturated with advertising that people don't even pay attention to it.

  • RevanNL #12 3 months ago

    That's the succes of the online pass, the ultimate way to save the industry: games lose trade-in value, people lose the ability to buy new games more frequently. So everyone should thank EA for this

  • IOnlyUseSkill #13 3 months ago

    I don't think Syndicate is going to sell very well at all to be honest. Which is a shame because I recieved my copy in the post today and am enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Mass Effect 3 and SSX will do good business for EA I think.

  • roz123 #14 3 months ago

    @PinktotheLast So true I have 3 or 4 games from before christmas that have hardly been touched

  • Kyledanutmeg #15 3 months ago

    Maybe it's just an over saturated market and not good enough games being released consistantly throughout the year.

  • PixelPirate #16 3 months ago

    All the big hitters(EA, Activision, Square Enix etc) churn out endless sequels or revisions on existing formulas. Couple that with the fact they are quite expensive to buy and its no wonder people are bored.

    I haven't been less inspired by "their" output in years.

    Capcom seem to be breaking the mold a bit with Asura's Wrath and Dragons Dogma.

    But really, gaming used to be about different experiences. Now it appears to be about experiencing the same thing again and again, only "a bit different".

    Mobile gaming on the other hand, has a huge indie scene with lots of different games available, is cheap to purchase and has little commitment value, so if I don't like it or have less time to play i don't feel like I wasted a ton of cash.

    Or alternative view point,

    The games developers spent a ton of cash bolting on multiplayer modes and making them addictive for years and people are all playing them and not buying their new games instead.



    Whatever the reason, the publishers need to give the games developers some room to innovate or they all loose.

  • bad09 #17 3 months ago

    "half of what they should be"

    Online passes, Online passes with expiry dates, DLC, rip off DLC, Retailer exlcusive DLC, DRM, unacceptable EULAs, endless sequels, hyperbole marketing and empty promises jading gamers, high pricing, punished consumers for not pre-ordering, devalued products if you want to sell it on. etc, etc, etc.


    Now why would spend be down I wonder.. Oh sure things are pretty tough for us at the mo but this has been happening since 2008 so I don't think it's just that and besides the last thing you want to do in these tough times is give people reasons not to spend with you. I just spent on the Scrubs boxset rather than games this weekend a couple of years ago I'd be buying games with that money.

  • afrogeez #18 3 months ago

    £40 is a lot of money these days. There's lots of games id like to buy but only when the price drops to around £20-£25.

  • dingo75 #19 3 months ago

    The industry educated us by halving game prices after 2-3 months. In the last 2 Steam sales prices dropped even faster (Skyrim was already -33% in the X-Mas Sale having being released in November and L.A. Noir dropped 50% after 2 weeks of being relased in the Thanksgiving sale then to -75% in the X-Mas sale).

    You reap what you sow.

    Also as a collector of PC games. Needing connections to servers + DLC are a no-go as I don't have the gurantee I can pop those games into my PC in 10-15 years and still be able to enjoy the full content as the artists / developers intended.
    I won't buy full price for those "rentals".
    A lot of games changed to "fast food" intended to be consumed shortly after release and then being thrown away and I priced them accordingly in my head.
    Edited by dingo75 at 23/02/12 @ 10:52

  • Sharzam #20 3 months ago

    When they say retail do they mean all retail channels ? As i haven't used a bricks and morter shop now for ages and get all my stuff from amazon and the like.

    Also the general trend to digital will no doubt be an impact. Even with Sony/Microsoft insane prices people are buying from them as the £50 games are still being listed and if no one paid that they wouldnt be that high.

    Also as a PC Gamer due to people like Game and their attuitude with pc games i have been forced to turn to Steam. Intreasting it has been my good experience with steam that has encouraged to buy more digital from other channels such as Android Market and PSN Store.

  • Eraysor #21 3 months ago

    Make the RRP £30 and I think they'd sell loads more. I think they dealt with slowing sales toward the end of the last generation by lowering average game prices from £40 to £30...they should do it again!

  • BASSsic #22 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker "BUT WE SPENT WAY MORE MARKETING MONEY THAN THOSE GUYS! It's not fair!"

    Also the article didn't make it very clear, when we are talking "retail", do we mean physical copies on the highstreet, or everything? How well are they tracking ALL UK sales, online? What about stuff like the Blizzard and Origin store when you buy from them directly? It might'n be very exact. I bought a Russian BF3 key for £23~, rather than in a shop for £50~.

    This always comes off as publishers and the highstreet simply not innovating their business to make money, like any other business needs to, in such a competitive market. A lot of us consumers are savvy and can get the best deals online. It's like hearing the "big 3" or whatever it is, commercial radio-owning, Record Execs moaning about not shifting enough CD singles in the early-mid 2000's - Shut up and learn to digital market!

    Edit - Yes, it looks like everyone got in before me and said what I wanted to say. I agree with all the shit about sequels, day-1 DLC, greedy publishers milking a franchise dry and wondering why they can't get a Call of Duty success story every single time just by forcing it.
    Edited by BASSsic at 23/02/12 @ 10:58

  • -cerberus- #23 3 months ago

    Every game that comes with an online pass, on-disc ULC, launch DLC, etc. is scrapped without mercy from my wishlist. It's as simple as that. And seeing how practically every bloody game uses at least one of the aforementioned extortion methods, I've been saving up money like a madman lately. And I'm sure I'm not the only one...

    Want to increase sales? Drop the fucking extortion tactics and lower the prices a bit.

  • effinjamie #24 3 months ago

    I'm not spending money on new games, as for Xmas I received Assassins Creed, Arkham City, Uncharted3.
    All are still in the cellophane while I journey through Skyrim.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #25 3 months ago

    I honestly think more people are just going digital for there gaming fix, be it XBLA, PSN or App Store, more and more people are realising you can get the same hours of fun for much lower prices and more conveniently.

  • MrChuckles #26 3 months ago

    People want bargains so are waiting for a price drop or picking up second hand. Second hand sales don't appear in the charts and as more and more people get used to doing it, less and less new games will be sold.

    There will come a point where it'll be hard to get 2nd hand sales though, because of the few new copies actually bought :p.

  • Eisenstein #27 3 months ago

    Still too many games from 2011 that I haven't played yet. Nearly no interesting games in 2012 yet. Kingdoms of Amalur and Mass Effect 3 preorder were the only games bought in 2012 yet outside of iPad/Android games for me and aside of Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, Tochlight 2 and maybe Max Payne 3 I don't really see anything I'm excited about either.
    Edited by Eisenstein at 23/02/12 @ 10:59

  • brseg #28 3 months ago

    "We are trying to understand it" :/

    Not that many 'must-have' games.
    Stale sequels, uninspired ideas. Milking a franchise to death.
    I'm patient enough to wait for a price drop or two, certainly sub 25 quid.
    Massive recession etc means that 40 quid games are off the agenda for many, WAKE UP.
    Mobile, indie, web games are at least price competitive, some are quite innovative.
    Games need to have long term value, not a 5 hour linear campaign (its not a movie!).

  • Silvergun-Blue #29 3 months ago

    Living costs are at an all time high and job security is at an all time low, people simply don't have the disposable income they used to.

    doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.

  • Facepalm #30 3 months ago

    "We are trying to understand it, but everything is selling well below what it should," a publisher said.

    Lmfao!!!

    What exactly are you trying to understand? Is this the moment this publisher realised the global and UK recession affected them too. Cue plenty of moronic head scratching and confusion.

    Consumers will always opt for essentials like buying food and paying bills. Disposable income, a category game purchasing falls into, obviously will suffer. It's that simple. Nothing difficult to understand about it. :rolleyes:

    Back to the rocket science publishers.

  • Brodie #31 3 months ago

    Consumers don't want to spend £40 on Friday to find that it's £20 a week later, which is what you've been doing for the past 2 or 3 years.

    You've trained them into waiting, so you've only got yourselves to blame.

  • MaxiSleep #32 3 months ago

    The current generation has lost its wow factor and publishers are doing to many incremental tirles. Without a new generation the decline will accelerate.

  • Facepalm #33 3 months ago

    @Silvergun-Blue

    Exactly.

  • djkiller14 #34 3 months ago

    Homogenisation of games, bloated and horrendously polarised market, bad press, right wing journalists/politicians/nut jobs, fear of spending, better online prices, lack of true innovation, Bobby Kotick, penniless consumers, tightened research budgets, aging hardware, fucking iPhones, super hype for grade
    A sequels just to find they're only slightly improved over previous itterations EVERY BLOODY TIME... yada yada yada.

  • insincere_dave #35 3 months ago

    Wait 3-4 months after a game's release and buy it new for £12-18. Play and complete it before reselling on eBay for approx same price after costs. Repeat same process with GOTY editions to mop up the essential DLC. Only ever buy pre-paid points cards when they are going cheap to buy Arcade games only when they are on sale.

    This allows you to cut your £1000+ per year gaming habit to sub £100 with only a few weeks' delay between being able to play exactly the same games. Why anyone DOESN'T do this is beyond me.
    Edited by insincere_dave at 23/02/12 @ 11:09

  • Facepalm #36 3 months ago

    Sofas, new cars to name but few are also down on sales. These also fall into the disposable income category with games. Those industries aren't trying to understand it. But carry on.

  • Architect_z #37 3 months ago

    Its because game stores wont accept monopoly money. They want real money apparently, and I don't have any of that. :(

  • Ironic_War_Criminal #38 3 months ago

    @Facepalm

    Nah. May as well blame the industry for not pandering harder instead of the global economy. It's the nerd way.

  • Colin8703 #39 3 months ago

    Why pay full price for a game when it's massively cheaper within a matter of weeks?

    Thanks to retail conditioning, I no longer buy on release day.

  • The-Jack-Burton #40 3 months ago

    Publishers would rather spend their time thinking about all the different ways they can rip us off, rather than addressing one fundamental issue - games are too fucking expensive.

  • RGeefe #41 3 months ago

    no money + £40 a game = frowny face :-(

  • dsmx #42 3 months ago

    I'm not buying anything on launch now it just isn't worth it, I'll use SR3 as an example as that's the best example.

    I waited and on christmas day I think it was on the PC you could pick it up and the DLC season pass and the pre-order content for £15 from the THQ store. Right now all you have to do is be patient and you will be rewarded.

    Unless you can get yourself a really good deal before launch just wait a month or 2 and someone will discount the game you want.

  • Agent_Orange #43 3 months ago

    Here's a hint, the prices are too expensive. Especially for console games. Also download games are too expensive - take off a tenner because you arent providing any physical objects.
    Edited by Agent_Orange at 23/02/12 @ 11:19

  • Luckyjim #44 3 months ago

    Another factor might be games like Skyrim, BF3, MF3, which can last you for months. I'm still happily trudging through Skyrim after 130 hrs.

  • vyseofhr #45 3 months ago

    Stop releasing half-baked games at £45 quid then?

    Wait a month and you get a patch and half the price.

    Wait SIX months and you get completely patched editions with all paid-for DLC for half the price.

    Reverse THOSE trends and you might see slightly less wary consumers.

  • RGeefe #46 3 months ago

    as for Vita saving the industry - har har har. I tried one the other day and while it's a great piece of kit, I just paid for my car insurance, MOT and Christmas was barely two months ago. you can't just expect people to plonk out £270 for another device to carry around.

    admirable idea, Sony but you've picked completely the wrong time of year for it. why not release at the start of summer and say - "hey, get this for when you go on holiday!"

    actually, that idea is INSANELY good, why DIDN'T they use that?

  • Facepalm #47 3 months ago

    @Ironic_War_Criminal

    heh. I honestly think late 2011 was an awesome time for game quality. So many great titles.

    This story has really f**king annoyed me. We have food banks sprouting up everywhere, for families who can't even afford f**king food, unemployment is skyhigh and this publisher has the f**king audacity to say "we are trying to understand it"

    With all this going on around them, it makes me think that this publisher must sit in their cave just looking at a screen showing their real-time sales figures. That's it, no other outside contact. Briefly changing screens to see which sequels made the most money last year so they can release it's sequel this or next year. The utter stupidity and ignorance of the comment "we are are trying to understand it"

    Fuck me!
    Edited by Facepalm at 23/02/12 @ 11:25

  • bobfish09 #48 3 months ago

    I can answer this.

    Polarization.

    The big games are selling more and everything else is selling less.

    The amount of revenue coming in industry wide is going up, but the revenue from traditional games (console, PC, etc), is stagnant, so as the big games sell more, the other titles, the smaller titles, are therefore selling less. Otherwise revenue from traditional games would be going up too.

    Where the additional revenue is coming from is mobile and online gaming, which are both still in strong growth periods.

    We've got, this generation, two serious competitors to traditional games in mobile and online gaming, no one may claim Angry Birds is a competitor for UFC, but at the end of the day more choice for the consumer is just that, competition and at the moment people are voting with their wallet. More and more want the big name titles like Call of Duty and more and more want to game on mobiles and online games, which means everything else suffers.

    So to those complaining about poor sales, try and diversify, explore new markets, make up the difference by moving into the growth areas of the industry, which at the moment is mobile and online gaming.

  • GiarcYekrub #49 3 months ago

    Has there been a major release? The only one I've seen is Resi: Revelations but I ain't got a 3DS yet

  • slippysloppy #50 3 months ago

    A few years ago the average game could be purchase for £29.99, sometimes lower if you shopped around. Now we're looking at £39.99 as a best price, this makes a massive difference to people's wallets and how often they buy games.

    This has to be the first time that games have become more expensive towards the end of a generation.

  • Facepalm #51 3 months ago

    "Consumers don't want to spend money."

    They haven't got it.

  • furrykitty #52 3 months ago

    Still playing Dark Souls ... for the second time.

  • trixio #53 3 months ago

    I can rent most 6-12 hours games on saturday morning and bring them back on monday evening for 3 euros. I can buy new games on line for 35-40 euros, play them on day 1, sell them withing a week to a retail store and even make a few euros (i sold uncharted 3 at 45 after 3 days actually)

    your business model is simply wrong. your prices are simply wrong. games are mostly too short for the single player stuff. I won't pay for any on line passes and wtf is wrong with the psn store? fifa 12 is sold at 59 euros, it is now 39 euros in every store and 30 on line.

    wake up idiots, wake up sony.

  • DerpSalad #54 3 months ago

    Why spend £40 on one poxy game? During two or three steam sales over the course of the year, I can buy enough quality games to last me a year for that much. It's a joke charging £40 a game on release.

  • Seoh #55 3 months ago

    MAybe there is just more crap out this year than last. KoA: reckoning has done well but i've not heard about any other games doing that well.

  • Inmediasress #56 3 months ago

    Since tehre is really no reason to buy a game on release day and its the greedy publishers/devs fault.
    There is really nothing else to understand about it.
    They found out they can make easy money out of dayone DLC and extortion passes but they forgot that when they blurt out DLC every month for a game people will just wait for the complete edition down the line and get it even cheaper.
    The whole make a qucik few millions masterplan starts to slowly backfire on them and if they don't change they can experience a new gaming crash as well.

  • johnson81 #57 3 months ago

    I don't think the Vita will have much of an impact until a price drop. It's a shame cos it's a great bit of kit. People aren't stupid, I bought the Vita at this price point as I thought that having the Vita now was worth the extra money instead of waiting and getting a slight price cut. In 3-6 months, if the Vita still isn't selling, Sony will be forced to reduce the price and this is what I think most consumers are waiting for.

  • jonbwfc #58 3 months ago

    Is it just me, or does it all sound like 'the industry' has a massive sense of entitlement to our money?

  • CaptainKid #59 3 months ago

    I still have Batman, Deus Ex and Skyrim to play..
    And with Guild Wars 2 coming up and GTA 5 (hopefully) 2012 is already full :)

  • penhalion #60 3 months ago

    It's bloody easy to see why if you ask me. Games are being released half finished yet getting rave reviews. DLC is being used to milk people of money for game features that should already be in the games.

    We've all just become wise tho these tricks and no longer bother to pander to them. I know I ditched Mass effect 3 because of the DLC nonsense and I would have to be persuaded to ever touch another bethesda offering after becoming a non-paid tester for skyrim.

    It's funny how these companies blame everything but, the root cause i.e. their money grabbing policies. As a gamer I don't feel that I get any kind of quality products anymore. Instead I get yearly re-hashes and DLC rip offs with reviewers seemingly living out of the pockets of these companies and glossing over glaring issues to please them.

  • Afiddes #61 3 months ago

    I'm not going to lie, I feel partially responsible for the decline :( a few years ago i would purchase 4-5 games a month, then I moved out and well to be honest i'm lucky to get one a month now. Love film is providing me with all the games i would have played and trade. At the moment my last 3 games have been super mario land 3d, mario kart 7, resident evil revelations and i have kid icarus on pre-order. There have been no home console games that have interested me since Skyrim and lets be honest, i will prob be playing that long into the year, though i do hope i can find the money for mass effecr (or love film send it to me release day like they did with batman arkham city, uncharted 3, rage and legend of zelda skyward sword) :)

  • darkmorgado #62 3 months ago

    "We are trying to understand it, but everything is selling well below what it should"

    Is the answer

    a) Boring, uninspired games and a glut of generic FPS?
    b) Splitting all the content into day one DLC
    c) Stupid retail-specific versions meaning you're a second-rate customer unless you but from a specific place,

    or

    d) All of the above?

  • Machetazo #63 3 months ago

    I noticed this article, in which Gamasutra recently published charts and a write-up comparing US/UK retail year-on-year, but especially see the "Retail Sales for Month of January" graph half-way down for an illustration. I was shocked when I saw that.

    As for a comment around this article, price what's being offered appropriate to its value. Ask what happens with the informed consumer when they pick up a box (or goes to buy/download his content, ofc):
    How many questions have been put in front of people, before they can buy the game?

    Publishers introduced most of these qualms that interrupt purchases. Maybe not always fatally for the purchase, but it would not surprise me to find that. I would not go back to a situation where I bought based on the box/info (because I'm sure I'd just be left ignorant, not blissful), but publishers are putting themselves between players and games too often, instead of facilitating one to "embrace" the other.

    Why for instance, would a publisher insist on industry standard DRM, in addition to its own account system before one can play? I remember a time I barely knew the publisher of a game. It didn't matter. Even though I didn't voice it I appreciated the task they did, but visually again, they didn't matter that much. It's funny on a sidenote, how with greater connectivity, when vocal players suggested that they'd welcome more communication with, from and to, developers, it was publishers that largely answered the call, acting as middlemen. Of course, the developers should be unimpeded from their business, so there's community managers, etc.

    So much of this retail business I think is being caused by a decades-old ground-in distribution system, too, whose publishers that use it would prefer to hold (inevitable) progress back, impede users, than really look in to making the adaptive steps to fit in to today's marketplace. They're supposed to provide content, but appear until recently to be under the illusion that there aren't alternatives. Until the internet came knocking.

    Users shouldn't be asked to fall back, to feel obliged to hold up the old ways. I just think there's a greater value in an adaptive environment that supports today, rather than fights against it (retail saw this, otherwise they wouldn't have pushed online as heavily as some did).

    That game may not be worth £39.99+, but unhelpful for anybody overly inflexible pricing structure causes it to be priced that way, so there's two choices pay that (what they think it's worth - woe betide you if you're a niche game, because they predominately come in at that price and without the word-of-mouth/marketing often flounder in the charts), well, that or carry on looking - and that latter option is not so galling, on this evidence.
    Edited by Machetazo at 23/02/12 @ 11:48

  • Bidermaier #64 3 months ago

    Obviously those analyst does not have to decide either buying a vita or a new cambelt so their second hand car last for a bit longer before it dies

  • Seafort #65 3 months ago

    @Architect_z Ask the banks they have monopoly money :D

  • eviroboy #66 3 months ago

    People have grown wiser perhaps? Why buy a game on release when a week later it'll be almost half price? Common sense.

  • AceGrace #67 3 months ago

    I don't see how the games industry is a special case. How can it continue to grow year on year?

    It can't.

    Peaks and troughs.

  • Makepool #68 3 months ago

    I will be watching Mass Effect 3 and Syndicate very closely
    Mass Effect 3 I will be buying. Syndicate, I will not. When I first heard about the Syndicate remake I was so excited, I thought a tactical shooter would be so good these days with rag doll physics and destructible buildings. Instead we get treated to futuristic FPS 2,312,301.

    Perhaps that's one of the reasons sales are falling? Maybe people want VARIETY, just a thought...

  • varsas #69 3 months ago

    I'm not sure how they can fail to understand; the economy isn't great so people are spending less and are less likely to buy at full price on release; the clear strategy is to stop emphasising sales at release and look longer term with a lower RRP.

  • Facepalm #70 3 months ago

    @dark

    "c) Stupid retail-specific versions meaning you're a second-rate customer unless you but from a specific place"

    I tried to pre-order a retail-specific ME3 from Game, but no stock. Ended up just rotating in circles in the shop. Other confused customers orbiting.

  • Facepalm #71 3 months ago

    @AceGrace

    I was initially confused to see the retail game industry untouched by sales drought. Finally some figures to show it is actually happening.

  • propalex #72 3 months ago

    I'd say spend less on marketing campaigns and hype, and invest more on production values.

    Half the games I wanted to buy are half of what they seemed in the first place.
    Edited by propalex at 23/02/12 @ 12:11

  • Machetazo #73 3 months ago

    In a separate MCV report, Chart-Track, which releases UK sales data, said boxed retail still accounts for 70 per cent of the UK software market - what amounts to a £1 billion industry.
    How much is the remaining 30% of the UK software market spending in comparison, though.

  • TheEarlOfZinger #74 3 months ago

    Internet > highstreet

    Not to mention some psn games are better value at ten quid or less than full retail releases for 40.

  • Facepalm #75 3 months ago

    @propalex

    I can tell you now that when sales are down the opposite is the general rule of thumb.
    Edited by Facepalm at 23/02/12 @ 12:00

  • Jonny5Alive7 #76 3 months ago

    I'm still playing Skyrim thats why I haven't bought anything. Mass Effect 3 will sell loads and completely dispel this story.

  • lucky_jim #77 3 months ago

    This government has everyone on their knees, bar the super-rich who created this mess in the first place. What did they think would happen? It's not just games, the whole economy is being sacrificed on the alter of neoliberal austerity and the people who still have money to spend (our money, but still) are the sort of people who tend to spend it on cocaine, prostitutes and speedboats rather than games.

  • Bigmac1910 #78 3 months ago

    @bad09

    I agree 100%, all of that is really turning me off game purchases in general, hate to buy a partial game just because I didn't preorder at a specific retail store etc. Unfortunately online stores start to do the same as well.

  • Alex_976 #79 3 months ago

    Firstly people moaning about the price are wrong. Games have never been cheaper. I remember regularly spending £60 on mega drive/snes games. In them days you couldn't wait 2 weeks for the game to be half price either, and believe me £60 in them days was a lot of money!
    So stop moaning about the price.

    It boils down to there being too many games to play. I look at my shelf and I've got close to 20 unplayed/unopened games. I've never heard talk of backlogs like we do nowadays.

    I'd prefer less games of a higher quality. Do we really need a sequel every year? Do the devs really nearly to rush it out half finished? There's so much crap released nowadays. Clone after clone. Reading the Sega article makes you realise how good it was to be a gamer back in the 90s with so many fresh and exciting ips.

  • gribb #80 3 months ago

    It's February, games retailers please STFU.

  • Craven #81 3 months ago

    @Alex_976 Completely agree. Way too many games are released and on top of that people having less money to spend on things like games means quickly reduced game prices.

    I remember spending £50 on Resident Evil 2 and that was fourteen years ago!

  • Machetazo #82 3 months ago

    @Alex_976
    Firstly people moaning about the price are wrong. Games have never been cheaper....
    So stop moaning about the price.
    There's many times greater number of potential customers to sell to, and far greater visibility for any title than games once enjoyed.

    Games have been repositioning what they offer, too to a greater or lesser degree. They've forced themselves (and demand/wider availability has partially forced them) in to a situation wherein they simply have to be competitive.
    Edited by Machetazo at 23/02/12 @ 12:10

  • FatalHybrid #83 3 months ago

    Blaming the gamers when for the most part 60-70% would buy new games if we could find them. Go into GAME 2-3 weeks after a launch and try to buy a new copy of said game, it's nearly impossible and when you do find it try and buy it without being attacked to buy the used version for £3 less. This is caused by the game stores as they are no longer buying in as many copies.. They focus on the used market which isn't counted here. They say don't blame GAME but it is GAME/Gamestation/HMV's fault..

  • nolim #84 3 months ago

    From a personal perspective the answer is simple, just as PinktotheLast says after the massive spend that was the end of last year i still have games that i haven't even started yet, Skyrim has been taking up huge amounts of my gaming time so that made getting through the backlog even harder. Also there have yet to be any titles out this year that are compelling enough to make me want to add them to my list of bought but still yet to play games, after all if i wait they'll go down in price.
    Finally as FluffyTucker has already said there have been some real gems (Killing Floor for instance) on Steam for under a fiver.
    You'd think the games industry would have learnt a lesson after all the great games that simply got stifled in the crush (Rage deserved better) but i wouldn't be suprised to see the same old nonsence at the end of this year.

  • bad09 #85 3 months ago

    @Alex_976

    How on earth can customer be wrong on price? People couldn't give a rats arse about the price 20 years ago. Right now many are telling the industry it's too much today that's not them being "wrong" it's the price is too much for the consumer!

    Will those people still be wrong when no one is paying the asking price?
    Edited by bad09 at 23/02/12 @ 12:19

  • darkmorgado #86 3 months ago

    @bad09

    They'll be wrong when developers go bankrupt because their revenue doesn't cover their development costs.

  • butler` #87 3 months ago

    combined with the end of the console lifecycles
    LOL

    since when has that been an excuse

    try - like at the 'end' of every other console lifecycle - lowering the RRP of games to sub £40 you fucking morons.

  • speedyscotty #88 3 months ago

    For me its nothing to do with the qames and more a reflection of the economic realities facing each household. I love video games, been playing them for over twenty years now but I can either spend £40 on a game or put diesel in my car for work... People are earning less, have reduced hours, are worried about redundancy or have already lost their job.

    Doesn't matter how good the games are if the general population doesn't have spare income then its a luxury and that's how it is for me and I suspect for allot of others too. In the last year the only boxed new games I've played have been gifts from friends and family.

    Had some spare points from xmas and used them to get an indie game from XBLA on my 360 last night called 'little racers street' kept me and my mate occupied on live for a couple of hours, it plays and looks great and only cost 80 points. I'm guessing that until peoples earnings and cost of living stabilises that's pretty much the level of spending allot of people are going to do and the gaming industry - retailers and developers will need to adjust to this to survive.

  • kinky_mong #89 3 months ago

    Speaking as someone with huge amounts of disposable income as the recession has barely affected me, the reason I'm barely buying games on release is because if I wait a few weeks they're usually half the original price.

    I learnt long ago that paying £40 for a game that ends up disappointing is a fool's errand.

  • bad09 #90 3 months ago

    @darkmorgado

    Yeah but if your development costs mean selling a product at a price unacceptable to the consumer your dead anyway.

  • TURBOKILLFACE53 #91 3 months ago

    I personally use love film as i can get unlimited streaming of movies and tv with programs such as frisky dingo, sealab 2021, harvey birdman, venture bros etc and 2 games at a time which i can keep at no extra cost for as long as i want for £11 a month. the only games i spend money on now are the ones with true multilayer lasterbility which are few and far between and are often worse than there predecessors.

  • Machetazo #92 3 months ago

    @penhalion I am slightly concerned that Mass Effect 3 may come to be cited as a prime example of all these antics. I'm likely waiting on reviews for that one, and Syndicate's too under-cooked for my taste.

  • Sasuke_on_drugs #93 3 months ago

    Gotta Say much as it pains me EA are the only people i have given money to this year. Amalur was a nice surprise and ME3 looks so good it hurts (waiting on a review but seriously the demo was enough to see that its going to be at least as good as the first one). Other than that the only game ive seen that looks even remotely tempting has been the gravity rush demo and im not going to buy a vita for just one game. Thats without mentioning the fact that i still haven't gotten round to arkham city or Uncharted.

  • hedges1001 #94 3 months ago

    @streetmagix ff 13-2 came out bro

  • Machetazo #95 3 months ago

    @darkmorgado No. A customer's responsibility in this case is to pay for games at an agreed/advertised price. In so doing, they're supporting the industry.

    They are not responsible for keeping developers in business, it is not the responsibility to do so. Any that want to provide feedback, or play unfinished games beforehand, that's also an extra.
    Flip that pyramid back the other way!

  • SheffAl #96 3 months ago

    So endeth the myth that the games industry is recession proof..

  • oceanmotion #97 3 months ago

    Spot on bad09.

    While money is tighter it has been for a long time. It's the games, pre order tactics, DLC, same old stuff that are keeping my wallet shut. You can't buy a game nowadays and get everything, day 1 even as they spread content all over the place. DLC is ridiculous now. Valve are one of the few who know what their doing. Customer loyalty has gone out the window this generation.

    Map packs should be used to keep the retail price profitable while keeping the community large. There really is no point playing multi player more than a few months after DLC is released, it just dies on it's arse, even the big ones suffer this or are skewed to very good players which can be no fun. Publishers complain development is expensive so how about supporting the same game for a couple of years instead of yearly cash ins plus DLC. Greed has ruined gaming.

  • freethinker101 #98 3 months ago

    I find my self in a similar position to a lot of people on here. games are expensive and where as a year ago I was racing through games, selling them on and buying new ones. I am now making myself play games through twice, and being more selective about what I purchase. This tied in to the fact that Dark Souls took up about 120 hours of my time, and you have have a consumer that just isn't buying in the same way he used to. I am now less inclined to trade in, and when buying I go on-line to find the best deal. Also the post Christmas release schedule has been pretty poor, and I would say that online passes and the dlc for pre-orders is really turning me off.

  • super_monty #99 3 months ago

    I still like buying games in store. It still reminds me of when i was a kid spending what little money I had one something I loved.

    That magic is still there a bit but been removed by the usual complaints of DLC, flooded market, games too expensive,recession etc etc.

    but many stores like Game, HMV are sterile.

    Bring back Bits and Bytes / City Software!!!!
    Edited by super_monty at 23/02/12 @ 13:16

  • LazyDan #100 3 months ago

    Here's how it goes for me:

    /Walk into a high street store.

    None of these games appeal. The ones that do, I own. Everything is too expensive for an impulse purchase.

    /Log into Steam.

    There must be stuff on here I want to play, but nothing's jumping out. I kind of want to buy Modern Warfare 3 for the PC multiplayer, but I already have the 360 version and I'm not paying £40. I kind of want Battlefield 3 and Skyrim, but I'm not entirely sure that I will personally like either. Again, both are too expensive for an impulse buy.

  • Stratix #101 3 months ago

    There have been quite a few games out recently that do last a decent amount of time.

    I know a lot of people just play CoD all the time, and that's them happy. Skyrim lasts ages, and I've logged a number of hours into Battlefield 3 PC online too.

    While people are still happy playing these games, it is unlikely they are going to want to go out and buy more.

    While there have been a few great games out recently, there have been better periods. Not an awful lot is interesting me at the moment.

    Yes, the economy is dire, so people are going to want to make their games last longer in my mind.

  • skunkfish #102 3 months ago

    If they made games that take less time to play I might be in a position to buy new ones... As it stands I've got a shelf full of unplayed games as it is.

    Bought Skyward Sword last month but I'm only around 5 hours in, I have managed to put a couple of hours into Alan Wake this week but there's some PS3 games (e.g. Final Fantasy XIII) that I've had for a year or so and barely touched.

    3DS titles are the only ones I find time to play as I can do it on my commute.

  • makeamazing #103 3 months ago

    For me £40 isnt too much for the right game with the right amount of depth and content, but if the game is only 5 hours long and that's it (not fussed about MP), then i aint going to spend money.

    The other problem is that i do buy alot of games, and they are beginning to stack up, and as i get more and more still in their wrappers, i feel less inclined to take a risk day 1 on other games.

    It seems games companies in some cases have made their games either too short, or done things to make people play it longer than it needs (trophies that you have to spend 6 months online to get), and people then are less inclined to trade in for another game from the same publisher. I think the industry is kinda self defeating in someways... we must keep people playing our new game... but then when people play it alot and dont buy the newest thing, its "OMG people arnt buying games"...they need to make their minds up.

    For me 20-30 hours with all trophies is the perfect timeframe for a game... but add a must play 6 months in MP to get 100%, forget it.

  • Sunjammer #104 3 months ago

    Blaming consumer willingness to pay is the dumbest thing. I'm sure it's not the fact that games in retail are stupid expensive luxury items and the selection on offer these days is painfully anonymous.

  • semtex03 #105 3 months ago

    It is because no one has any money. It surely doesn't take 'industry analysts' to work that out?

    Gaming is not just the preserve of teens and live at home 20 somethings any more. The vast majority of my late 30's/early 40's friends have stopped buying games in order to pay the frikkin' bills.

    With gas, electric, food, petrol going up and income being taxed higher than it was a year ago I have gone from buying the games I really want AND taking a punt on a few others to just not being able to afford any.

    While the younger gamers will complain there is nothing of quality out there I'd disagree, there are shed loads of games I'd buy if I had a windfall.

    The missing sales are predominantly from 'dadcore' gamers.

    That and most stores (high street and online) have such wonky stocks. I tried to find Saints Row the 3rd just after Christmas and it was not in available anywhere (yes, it probably is now but that ship has sailed).

    I'd suggest the publishers make their wares available to download much sooner and at a sensible price - say, £20 for new releases and £10 for those older than 6 months. And not just the big budget triple A stuff either.

  • EvilRedEye8 #106 3 months ago

    If you look this year's releases on Metacritic, there isn't a whole lot crying out to be bought near release. One of the few big releases is Amalur, but it's a new IP by a developer without much of a background - it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people waited for a price-drop just in case. And actually most of the green-scored games for this year on Metacritic seem to be digital downloads.

  • v.profane #107 3 months ago

    @newf TV adverts are for people who don't know anything about games, which is the market EA want.

  • romelpotter #108 3 months ago

    After a few years of a shrinking economy, there are uncertain times and revenue's are down in a lot of different industries. But really what would you like us to do about it?

    Sure, we will spend our cash on a full priced product, to see that there is lots of content that we are missing out on unless we spend even more money buying tat we don't need!

    I mean its not like we all know how much money will need to be spent on basic living and all that! Its not at all the fact that I have already been made redundant once in the last year, and now uncertain about my regular income for the next few years!

    Maybe its so that I am only going to give in and spend my money on something that I really, really want??

    /kicks soapbox under his cardbord box!

  • Ironic_War_Criminal #109 3 months ago

    @semtex03

    The missing sales are predominantly from 'dadcore' gamers.

    There are also a huge subsection of young gamers that only buy FIFA and COD every year with a couple of casual purchases in sales and maybe a big name release like GTA or Resident Evil. They are a much bigger market than the hardcore, hence the reason why the industry has swung to try to appeal to them.

    And the low price campaign has been tried before. Nerds swung to the defense of the publishers because it kept the "Casuals" out. They got the industry they deserved and ruined it for the rest of us.

  • BobbyDeNiro #110 3 months ago

    Why are they confused over this?

    The economy is stagnant. People don't have the money to spend.

    There was a massive glut of great games towards Christmas 2011 and people are still playing these-Skyrim disk hasn't left my 360 since November.

    Who wants to spend £300 on a VITA and some games when it only offers what a PS3 does?????

  • cheeky-sod #111 3 months ago

    Consumers dont want to spend money? lol.. we just know not to get ripped off at Game, we know how to shop online.

  • jogyourmind #112 3 months ago

    The industry can't have it both ways. Even the BBC ran a story about how the the industry lacks originality and how the majority of new games are sequels, due to the high costs of development and investers unwilling to back untested and therefore risky projects.

    So if that's how it is then that's how it is I suppose. But don't expect everyone to buy them. I've been playing two games for the past few months, one is a relatively unknown mmo from 5 years ago, and one is the RTS called Forged Alliance, also from 5 years ago because the most recent version (Supreme Commander 2) was a dumbed down consolised game with smaller maps etc.

  • TexMurphy01 #113 3 months ago

    Won't make back marketing money eh? Well there's a lesson there - you took a risk and lost. Don't start blaming people.

    Oooh wait, sorry, I'm not in the right frame of mind for this industry. I blame the pirates and pre-own games! Shut the internet down!

  • TonyHarrison #114 3 months ago

    This is a generation nearing the end of its life in the midst of economic troubles. Lower sales shouldn't be a surprise, especially when you consider we're into the 7th year of this gen when they're usually over in year 5. We would have been playing games on new consoles for the last 18 months if it wasn't an abnormally long gen.

    Eventually things have to give.

  • Peter_LIAR_Molyneux #115 3 months ago

    My new game purchases for full price are steadily decreasing for a number of reasons including abusive DLC and locked out content posing as "bonus" pre-order incentives.

    However, the biggest single reason my spending habits are down isn't due to the recession as I still have as much disposable income as I used to have, it is because of my negative feelings towards many publishers. Why do I feel dirty when I even consider pre-ordering an EA or THQ game? Why do I feel good about buying a Valve or Atlus published game?

    The answer is simple, games published by greedy dirtbags get bought when they are dirt cheap while games published by respectful publishers get bought day one. It saves me a lot of money since so many publishers are doing everything they can to add themselves to the former category. Treat me with respect and i will do the same. Treat me as a wallet an d blame me for not jumping through your nickel-and-diming hoops and I will take great pleasure if your game tanks. Enough is enough.

  • semtex03 #116 3 months ago

    @Ironic_War_Criminal I agree with that, to an extent. I'm no fan of CoD but I'd be happy if it subsidised the development of games like Mirror's Edge.

    That game is a classic example of a great game and experience that was shunned by the mainstream because 'I don't like the shooting' and 'it's too hard' etc.

    It was great because it was a bit different.

    I'm also happy to pay whatever a publisher and developer thinks their title is worth if I agree.

    None of which detracts from the main problem that people do not have the money to spend on games.

    There were plenty of games out before and after Christmas that I would have been happy to buy at full price...I just can't afford them any more.

    As an example, I'm one of those that bought a PSPGo on an impulse. I'm very very happy with it. If I had the cash I'd do the same with the Vita.

    I don't feel at all stiffed by the games industry. My ire is directed elsewhere.

    Having said all that, I've seen the coming and going of many recessions now - it's just a case of getting through it.

  • GavinUK86 #117 3 months ago

    im buying every game i want. renting the rest i cant afford. sorted.

  • semtex03 #118 3 months ago

    It's very simple - if you are noticing things like DRM, DLC, reviews and second hand prices then it simply comes down to money. If you really had the disposable cash you wouldn't notice these things (as much).

  • tachometer #119 3 months ago

    The videogames scene has enjoyed its greatest boom in the last 5 years, it's only natural that it contracts now. The question is how long the lull lasts, I expect 2 or 3 years.

  • levitate #120 3 months ago

    @v.profane: Surely someone who "doesn't know anything about games" wouldn't be interested in a game like Mass Effect 3 anyway.

  • bad09 #121 3 months ago

    @newf

    The marketing and advertising is way out of hand and I suspect a big chunk of "development costs" are are being spent there.

    I was gobsmacked recently to see a primetime TV ad for a trailer on youtube of RE6. RE6 a game not coming out until the end of the year on 2 platforms and probably next year on PC. Prime time TV ads to promote an ad on youtube for a product nearly a year away....

  • FortysixterUK #122 3 months ago

    This is also because games are too expensive, and always have been, full stop.
    Release a brand new title at £19.99 and see it leap of the shelves.

  • jablonski #123 3 months ago

    Count me as someone who doesn't buy games on release any more.
    I got burnt on pumping multiple hours into a game that didn't have an ending - Fallout 3.
    I had to pay more to get what I was entitled too for my money.

    And that was a game that gave me serious value for money - but it's the nasty taste it leaves in the mouth.
    Also I'm confused at all the pre-order incentives for some games, so in the end I just sat on the fence. And by the time feedback started coming back after release about which one to get, the hype was gone and I thought, sod it, I'll wait for the sales (which are less than months after release these days).

    In short Mr publisher, you and your ilk have cheapened the 'brand' and the product in my eyes.
    I can do without it until the GOTY comes around for peanuts.

  • IIJAZMANII #124 3 months ago

    new games are usually half price if you wait a couple of weeks

  • lmfsilva #125 3 months ago

    The first UFC game outsold the UK's current number one game, UFC 3, by 3:1 during the same period, MCV reported.
    In this specific case, couldn't it be because the UFC 2009 was the first really good MMA title, the first since Craves' half-arsed attempts on the PSOne/DC and PS2 (excluding Fire Pro Wrestling, who has a cute MMA mode) and was released right on the middle of a fast expansion of the company with plenty of media coverage, while UFC 3 has to compete not only with 2009 and 2010, but also with EA Sports MMA (that can be obtained very cheaply now)? Not to mention a lot of people are out of work or cut of frivolous expenses because they might be made redundant sooner or later?

    And another thing about DLC, it's true it is holding plenty of people back, since in a few cases, it might pay out to wait for a gold/GOTY/complete edition of the game later on, particularly for those with backlogs. But for those that don't mind buying them, the money that is spent on those DLCs could be money that does not go into the purchase of other games. For instance, I've bought the season pass for Saints Row The Third, with that money I could have bought half of Madden 12 or pay almost all of Vanquish, Driver SF or Rayman Origins - all games I've been meaning to buy, but will have to wait for March / April.

  • Velios #126 3 months ago

    I do spend money on games, just not in the shops anymore. The last 5 games i bought were either through Steam, Origin or from the App Store.

  • guernican #127 3 months ago

    "We are trying to understand it"
    Good God.

  • madjim #128 3 months ago

    I don't know, maybe I am so stupid but... with so many great and commercially successful games being released from September to December 2011, doesn't it make sense that people MAYBE don't buy because they have a big already purchased backlog to complete?

  • Ironic_War_Criminal #129 3 months ago

    @FortysixterUK

    Release a brand new title at £19.99 and see it leap of the shelves.

    It won't because the standard of value means that it will be seen as a "Budget" game. Companies tried doing it during the end of the X-Box/PS2/Gamecube era and no one would bite. Psychonauts was released at £19.99 on X-Box and PS2 and sold poorly, for example.

    It's just not going to happen with the type of customers the industry is mostly comprised of, especially as they see it as being "above" other forms of entertainment like movies and music.

  • IkariW #130 3 months ago

    @madjim Couldn't agree more. I mean, how much money do these fools think we have just after Christmas. Especially as towards the end of last year, there were a stupid amount of games released!

    The sooner publishers realise that playing games has nothing to do with holidays the better! We play them all year round if they are good! Stop releasing them all in a 2-3 month window!! Arggh.

    As for retail, its easier for them just to blame this.....

    "Right now we have the perfect storm. The appalling state of the economy combined with the end of the console lifecycles."

    ...everyone else does.

    Hold on, end of console lifecycles? Someone better tell all the games lined up for September-Novemeber 2012 release not to bother!
    I've never heard such a pathetic reason in my life...

    UK retail has so massively missed the digital bandwagon its hard to believe! Stop making up other excuses, you just can't compete with online sellers, or digital download, and its going to get worse for you I'm afraid.
    Not saying its a good thing that retail is going to die because of these things, I just see it as the direction its all going, seen it coming for over a year now, so if a spod like me has, how come retailers haven't?

    *(Just an opinion, others may differ of course, before I get every Gamestation/Game/Granger fool sl@gging me off!)
    Edited by IkariW at 23/02/12 @ 15:49

  • TheBusterMan #131 3 months ago

    I,m afraid I bought COD MW3.I am truly sorry.Can anyone forgive me? I feel dirty.:redface:

  • drSchiwago #132 3 months ago

    Does this guy spread pessimism by comparing releases like COD, BF3 and Sykrim to 2012 titles?

    Have I missed a major release which took place this year?

  • Lamb #133 3 months ago

    Too many games. too little time.

    Uncharted 2 was like coca-cola had difficulty withdrawing from it and now Uncharted 3 is out. :( I am too afraid I will spend too much time in multiplayer on it.

    Citing UFC 3 example above. Thats a niche market a yearly update only cannibalizes the core user base. Maybe just release an updated skin pack with tweaked moves for the fighters at a third of the price.

    Also the waiting game is great for a cheaper deal. Often I have too many games to play rather than not enough. I do remember my Super Nintendo days though where the cartridges were too expensive that I only bought about five games total for that console and did a couple of rentals.

    These days I'm mostly waiting for a cheap digital download or Amazon. And then I have too many games regardless because I'm greedy and think I will magically find time to play them all.

  • 32768Colours #134 3 months ago

    Half of what they should be?

    That's a little presumptuous isn't it? We're in the middle of the worst global financial crisis in over half a century!

    From a personal perspective, I've gone from buying one or two brand new games almost every month at the beginning of this generation, to me and my wife having our first child three years ago. Last month I got the first pay rise I've had in three years and it amounted to just under 2% of my gross salary; barely scratching the rate of inflation over that time.

    Buying games for £40 is pretty much always out of the question for me right now. In fact, the last time I did it was Skyrim at launch, when I could've waited a fortnight and got it for about £22 from Gamestation. With the knowledge that games rapidly drop in price just weeks after launch, I'd love to know why the anyone in the industry thinks sales should be anything but cautious?

  • AgentCool #135 3 months ago

    I'm sorry, but anybody who says games are too expensive is a complete tool and is probably the sort of idiot who wants everything for nothing. The stickered price of new console games hasn't changed for God knows how long (at least 20-odd years) whilst inflation has gone up enormously. I remember paying £39.99 for Sonic & Knuckles in 1994 - that's nearly £65 in today's money.

    Sticking to that sub-£40 price barrier, in addition to the heavy discounts you rarely used to see, is something of an achievement given games cost much, much more to develop these days than they did back then. I think the industry should receive a lot of kudos for keeping consumer costs down and have every right to ignore the cretins who think everything should cost a fiver.

  • Kostas #136 3 months ago

    Other than the obvious reality of people getting poorer by the day you freakin imbeciles who are "trying to understand it" it also has something to do with the fact that a) no blockbuster has appeared in 2012 yet and b) why the hell would we bother when we can have any game 2-6 months down the line for half the price or less and as a complete package to boot as opposed to the half-baked, cut out versions you are feeding us at launch?

    You really believe that you can come out from this economic crisis unscathed and if so do you really believe that you will be able to with the same prices, services and general attitude as you do today?

  • LLT_taz #137 3 months ago

    I want to and have spent my spare money on Games... not in game though.. i have a Vita with with two games and a 8gb card. in game that would have cost. £335 i got t for £265....

  • LLT_taz #138 3 months ago

    @AgentCool This is very true... i remember paying £50 for mario kart 64..

  • Tyronne #139 3 months ago

    Truth be told I have stopped buying games on day one as I see no point to it anymore.

    Considering you can wait years for a game to be released, by waiting a few more months after release normally results in a drop in price by about a third if not more if bought online or digitally (take dead island on the pc as an example, at release it was about £30 to £25 quid online but by waiting a few months and playing the backlog of stuff I had bought, I eventually bought it for a tenner).

    I have bought loads of games in the steam sales, the various indie bundles which do the rounds, play a few free to play games like star trek online, spend time playing minecraft and truth be told my gaming time is nowhere near as much as it used to be as life gets in the way.

    If you want to pay top dollar on release day then it is your choice but it is one I have forgone and truth be told my wallet is all the more thankful for it.

    It has to be said though that games are not the only thing which I have started to control, I now no longer visit the cinema as by the time the tickets have been bought, the parking, the popcorn/drinks for me and my other half then you are looking at the better part of 35/40 quid....I now wait for the blu ray release and watch it at home.

  • weebl #140 3 months ago

    Whoever said the games industry was recession proof was an absolute tard.

  • Rybo1314 #141 3 months ago

    There was too many major releases last year, i bought nearly all of them lol. Totally regret it though because now i've got several games i havn't even played yet. Many of my friends are the same, so why even buy any games this year? Max Payne 3 is the only game i want to buy this year!!!! (and I'll maybe buy the next Assassins Creed and Call of Duty towards the end of 2012)

  • Mister-Wario #142 3 months ago

    @AgentCool Unsurprisingly, you're swinging between extremes. There are games that last hours and offer great value for money: Skyrim, for instance. But there are also many games like Portal 2 that can be completed in a relatively short time and regardless of how much time and effort went into MAKING them, you've still spent £40 on something you can finish in a week or so. £40 a pop is a lot of money regardless of how much entertainment you get out of the product and there is no standard that says you will get that value out of a product.

    We never said we wanted free games. What we DID say is we want to pay a price that's reasonable, and that's what Game and other high street stores overlook when it comes to new games. Why exactly should I pay £43 for a new release irrespective of what it is? That's what the average console game seems to cost from these places. Portable games aren't much better. I saw Touch my Katamari on sale in Game yesterday for £30. Why should I spend all that money on what's basically a throwaway and short-lived experience? And I say that as a massive katamari fan.

    The point is, games are expensive and the amount of content you actually get can vary wildly. Whereas with films we have a reasonable expectation of what we're getting in terms of content, with games there's much more difference.

  • polaris70 #143 3 months ago

    Maybe it's because people are spending their money on those bizarre luxuries, you know like food, rent and heating that we all used to take for granted.

  • talideon #144 3 months ago

    So basically, you could replace this article's headline with "Skyrim temporarily maims the rest of the industry's sales for a bit" and it'd be more accurate.

    I've a big stack of games I still have to play though that would tend to disagree with our good marketroid's evidenceless pronouncements.

  • RGeefe #145 3 months ago

    @Alex_976 even up to 95, I remember Donkey Kong Country 2 and Yoshi's Island being £60. think PS1 lowered the prices a bit but that was most likely because of the transition to disc and smaller packaging.

  • RGeefe #146 3 months ago

    GAMES INDUSTRY used CONFUSION on itself...

    it's SUPER EFFECTIVE!

  • Leolian #147 3 months ago

    Fatigue with the current generation of hardware has to play a part I'd say.

  • Toothball #148 3 months ago

    @RGeefe

    Yeah, I remember some Gameboy games costing up to £35. It took me a while to persuade my parents to get me Marble Madness, which contained five levels. I only managed to get to the third one too.

  • semtex03 #149 3 months ago

    Why has the sub heading changed from "we don't understand why consumers are not buying" (or words to that effect) to "Consumers don't want to spend money."?

    Either way, it's not a case of not wanting to but not actually having any to spend.

  • xuiton #150 3 months ago

    online shopping is more easier, faster and cheaper.

  • the-stax #151 3 months ago

    Like a few commentators on here I'm put off by day one or near launch DLC. Why rush out and pay full price for a game that then has more content released for it straight away?

    I agree that you rarely need to buy the DLC but lets face it, gamers don't like to miss out on anything - thats why so many of our games have '% complete' score tucked away somewhere in the stats!

    So the obvious solution to the DLC conundrum is to buy the Game of the Year or Complete edition when its ineveitably released - and no doubt cheaper than the original release too. Well, solution from the gamers POV anyway.

    Thats my policy with Arkham City anyway.

    I'm not keen on Season Passes either - pay twice for a game on release on the promise of future DLC? No thanks.

  • the-stax #152 3 months ago

    @TheBusterMan You and me both. And not only that, but I haven't played the bloody thing since November!

  • TR100 #153 3 months ago

    ive stopped buying games at release because im fed up with paying £40 for a game and then when i actually get around to playing it noticing that its £15-30 within a couple of weeks of release sometimes, dark souls, skyrim, space marine all less than half price when i got them

  • CypherQ #154 3 months ago

    Well TBH I'm bored of endless re-hashes. In fact nothing of interest on the horizon either for any of the home consoles. Also that £40 I would have spent on the odd game I bought? I can get much more entertainment value elsewhere.

    Personally I'm more than happy spending the odd £5 on XBLA/PSN/iOS games, having a love film sub for £5 per month and paying for a broadband connection. All this can be had for less than the price of one AAA retail game. "Full price" games just don't work for me anymore - just don't offer me personally great value for money.

    Oh and as mentioned that £40 game? It'll be 1/2 that price in around a months time.
    Edited by CypherQ at 27/02/12 @ 13:09