Harmonix's Rob Kay Comments by Ellie Gibson

yeah, way to grill them EG

i like how you didnt mention Scrumhalfs comment:

I have two examples for him of VAT and higher price of consumer electronics:
iPod Touch $299 - £199
Macbook Air $1799 - £1199

Now explain Rock Band $170 - £180, please

or how the Wii/360 didnt have double the price here...

or even the guitar hero comparison...

and instead you show your disappointment at the lack of sombreros

what we wanted to know:

How does $170 U.S +17.5% VAT = £180/240 euros?

this guy says:

I can't talk to the explicit pricing - how it gets split down between retailers and distributors and the whole chain - because I don't actually know that much about it. But I can say for sure, we've tried to set up a situation where people can not feel ripped off playing the game, and actually feel like it's well worth their investment. I'm going to sit here and say I think it's well worth the money.

yeah, that answers all our questions...

Whooooops

sorry, i am clearly stupid

you could go back and forth to Spain 6 times then, which would be nice :OP

According to EA's website songs won't be 80 and 160 G's though, they only mention once price, no prize for guessing which

"... are you aware that all six destinations are actually in the same country?

You know, Spain?"

Faro is in Portugal...

Well. This article did absolutely nothing to make me more likely to buy the game.

Actually Faro is in Portugal, but yeah lol.

portugal is in spain....basically

I think it is kind of a shame that this guy was wheeled out to defend the pricing. Its not his call, he probably doesn't even have a say in the matter. I think the pricing sucks, but I don't blame him for it and people on here calling him a c*nt need to calm their sorry childish heads down a bit.

I don't see anyone from EA or MTV in the firing line. The people who determined the pricing should be answering the questions about it. Then we can reasonably decide what to call them :)

Spain...Portugal, whatever

you can get the lovely trolley dolleys of easyjet serving you cheap drinks a total of 12 times, which rocks...hard!

kerrrannng!

Don't. Try. To. Justify. It.

You're all cunts. Get over it. We hate you.

I must say I'm disappointed at Eurogamer for not asking the relevant questions. What's the point of having a news site if you're afraid of stirring the pot? Would it really be that difficult to ask about the delays, about how "choice in the EU" somehow justifies a 100% increase in price, or why the discrepancy between the Xbox 360 and the other versions in Europe?

Seriously, you might as well just post the press releases unedited if your interviews will continue to be this lame. Waste of space.

I'm with tonynibbles on this one.

Yeah but the fact that he's not even saying, "we'll we tried our best to get it to you guys at a reasonable price. We really love our product and really want the most people ot be able to play it but this this and this were out of our hands for x and y reasons" smacks of 'I don't care' and 'I can't agree else i may be in trouble'

Instead you get a i don't really know and some vague improbable gueses mixed with some of the weakest excuses i've ever read.

That doesn't do anyone any favours.

Feel sorry for Rob - surely it's EA's decision on pricing/bundling?

btw this interview was clearly taken yesterday, some of yesterdays quotes from him were taken directly from this interview

EG could have just told us yesterday that we wouldnt get our questions answered (like we didnt already know that

instead they had us waiting til today for this uninformative piece of journalistic drivel

until someone can tell us where the extra £100 or so is going we wont be satisfied...

and even then, it better be going to a damn good place... like famine relief or aids vaccines for the third world, before we can in good conscience pay that fee...

its probably cheaper to buy a US XBox and the US game? (ignoring shipping of course) did US get an xbox price drop when we did?

@t8yman "I'm with tonynibbles on this one."

Seconded :p

@FenderMaster : Some of it will definetly go to fund the European social state, which I may add, I'm totaly for.

A wait of over six months longer than the US release, a price increase of over two hundred per cent, and a harmonix employee had the balls to try and defend this bullshit? All this interview has done was make me lose all respect for harmonix. They were a great company, they pioneered and popularised rhythm gaming, which is one of my favourite genres. If they had just kept quiet, I could have given them the benefit of the doubt, but publicly backing up the hideous gouging of the EA pigfucking greedheads is not something I can easily overlook.

This was my most anticipated game of the entire year. Knowing that in order to get it, I'll have to bend over and take a financial raping seriously harshes the buzz that has been gradually dwindling over the past six months anyway. I'll still probably get it, but only used so that those extortionists don't get a single cent of what I pay.

@Miiiguel

well im all for this socialist state too, but theres more deserving causes imo, like helping trachoma/river blindness sufferers

"... are you aware that all six destinations are actually in the same country?

You know, Spain?

:) "

and Easyjet?! ROCK AND ROLL! ;)

I guess they wont learn until it goes on sale and no one buys it. Unfortunatly there are probably too many people who'll when it comes to it will just say sod it and buy it anyway. So my message to those people is DON'T if no one buys it then they'll have to lower the price.

Yes, Easyjet play motorhead songs while you fly and the pilot comes on the tannoy to tell everyone to 'mosh furiously' when you hit turbulence (to stabilise the plane)...they rock hard

@ Moz

yeah your probably right..

but remember, thats what sony thought with the PS3, and MS with the original XBOX, and look at how they were forced to price cut?

seriously, people wont swallow this crap at this price, theyll be forced to move to salvage their money back and price cut (i.e lower their prices to still extortionate, but slightly more digestible proportions)

theyre gonna have to shift a few of these, cos they wont make a loss on this

@SlackMaster:
"GH2 and 3 controller are not compatable with Rock Band. If you want to play it you have to buy their Guitar. There was a big fall out between Activision and Harmonix's a little while ago about this very thing."

I think you are only half right there, because GH2/3 controllers are compatible with Rock Band on the x360. The dispute you mentioned was only for the PS3.

"if people do [buy it] they'll have an amazing experience they couldn't get anywhere else."

still doesn't answer the question

"Why is it £100 more expensive than the states?"

I'm going to sit here and say I think it's well worth the money.

Why does it feel like there should be a "not" in there?

I won't be buying it either. Sadly history tells us that other people will buy it despite the price and EA will grow richer. People grumbled about the price of DLC for GH2 on the 360 and yet it still shifted in sufficient numbers that there was no price cut. The idea of an EA boycott is nice but good luck in organising it, people say one thing and do the opposite.

There are a lot of assholes on this thread arent there?

He's the game designer.. Of course he's trying to say the game is great and buy it anyway.

It's not HIS fault the price is high. He's just saying "but it's great anyway - so please buy it".

This is a games site.. We want games developers to come here and be interviewed - but the way all these comments threads go where you geeky little shites all consider yourself to be better than the people making the games you love so much just go down their necks.. I'm surprised any of them ever come back.

CUNTS some of ya..

Besides.. The fact you all are so upset tells me you're going to probably buy it anyhow. Europeans are stupid like that, they quite happily bought the ps3 at the ridiculously high price it launched there (pretty much the only territory it sold at launch)

@FenderMaster:

"How does $170 U.S +17.5% VAT = £180/240 euros?

this guy says:

I can't talk to the explicit pricing - how it gets split down between retailers and distributors and the whole chain "


That pretty much explains Most of it to me.

Hey.. did you know a big mac costs MORE than double in the UK!!!

QUICK WRITE TO YOUR POLITICIAN..

Save your £180. Get PAIN for £5. Spend £175 on beer. Live Happily ever after.
Rock Band looks like a "colossal waste of time" at that kind of a price.
I don't care what the American's pay. I'd still rather be living in Europe.

At least you can sum it all up in a picture.

"GH2 and 3 controller are not compatable with Rock Band."

I thought that was only on the PS3? I thought the 360 versions are fine.

Hey.. did you know a big mac costs MORE than double in the UK!!!

QUICK WRITE TO YOUR POLITICIAN..

Apples and Oranges comparison. A Big Mac costs a lot more in Switzerland than it does in Austria, however a 360 costs less. So what?

I can't deny the fact that things in Europe cost more than in the US and why would I. It's also no secret that there's much more to it than just the taxes. But nothing even remotely explains why Rock Band more than doubles in price after being affected by taxes etc. while other, similar products don't. The Guitar Hero games or other console peripherals like the wheel all cost a bit more than in the US, that's no secret but it's all within a limit that can be explained whereas Rock Band simply costs a lot more and noone can really explain why.

No, seriously, are you THAT self absorbed? Or do you genuinely feel that European emotions have a 110% premium om them. You're not selling some profound moving experience, and forget the hyperbole of "connecting people to music" You are selling a video game. And it's fantastic that the best response to why you're charging so much was the usual piss poor trump card of UK VAT. Regardless of how retailers retain their margins, your will remain untouched at any price.

@smelly, that doesnt explain ****

you think that retailers and distributors (EA themselves) dont take a cut in the american price?

the game in america is $170, that includes retailers and distributors (EA)

add another $20 (max) in tax and thats $190 (about £100)

here it costs £180/240 Euro

if £100 can cover retail, distribution, and tax in the U.S, THEN SURELY £120 could cover it here (im saying an extra £20 shipping fee per unit, though i doubt it really costs that much)

so all things considered, youve still got about £60 (realistically, more) unaccounted for...

smelly: "We want games developers to come here and be interviewed - but the way all these comments threads go where you geeky little shites all consider yourself to be better than the people making the games you love so much just go down their necks.. I'm surprised any of them ever come back."

So how does that explain your confrontational belligerence towards spadge of Team17 in the Worms: A Space Oddity comments page, where you mocked and lambasted the development efforts of himself and his development team, before calling into question his honesty about his job? There are some rude, unpleasant comments here, but no-one here is delivering those comments directly to the person in question, unlike yourself in that discussion.

I actually agree with your sentiments here, but coming from you it reeks of hypocrisy.

Haven't gone through all the comments, but my 2p: -

So, the VAT argument is a crock. Bringing a product from the US to the UK doesn't involve a 100% price increase - Full stop. Did I see something about UK specific content - and then a comment about all the same tracks will be available?!? Another crock, another excuse. How have they setup a situation where people don't feel ripped off? What has been done? It easy to say you feel it's good value when you haven't got the EG lynch mob breathing down your neck.

After 6 months of US production, their systems are in place. Their manufacturing must be cheaper than at launch.

There was no reasoning why potential buyers are being treated this way. The real reason is that they feel they can probably get away with it. I refuse to buy Crock Band - and so should you.

Unless I hear some proper explanation, I'd put the money to better use and buy a Wii.

what did we expect he will reap the rewards of our ass fucking, he wasn't gonna turn around and say, stupid price, too high, was he. If he was a normal perosn on a normal wage he'd be in this comments box saying fuck you EA fuck you.

Blaming it on VAT is predictable and not entirely without merit.

Sales tax is added at the counter in the USA so the $ prices quoted don't include sales tax which is usually between 5 and 9%.

The other excuse about electronic devices being generally higher in the UK is a crock....It is basically saying everyone else gets away with it so why not us.

As other people have shown the mark up on certain devices like the Ipod etc is no where near the 100% mark up that they are taking.

So once again I say "EA can Git to f**k" I certainly will not be purchasing Rock Band.

"complete lack of question(s) about how come it was released on Xbox 360 and PS3 at the same time in the US but not for Europe."

I agree... Call him back up, Eurogamer!

OI numbnuts, xbox have secured an exclusive release for it, thats y

@smelly

Your entitled to your opinion and I'm entitlted to mine and I think this guy is a prize cunt of the highest order. He might not have personally set the price but to come out and say, " I'm going to sit here and say I think it's well worth the money." he can fuck off and take his cheap, plastic instruments with him. He must know like we do theres no justifiable reason for this price point yet he spouts this shit, so either he belives it's ok or he's got someone pulling his strings and should grow a pair of balls and back up the fans of his games.

Your 209% markup just sold me Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and GTA 4. There's your value, mate; you lose a sale, I buy 3 or more games with the cash I was willing to spend. I'll certainly not be upset, especially after that idiocy display.

Dev's have no control over the price...
Good read and i'm still going to buy it. But only because ill be able to get it a tad cheaper

"Scooch..?" made me laugh.

/Not buying

I've just pre-ordered GTA IV. Maybe by the time I've completed that, Rock Band will be semi-affordable. Until then, they stick their microphone where the sun don't shine.

you said it stepneg

this guy has no loyalty to his custmomers or fans, despite the fact that we are the biggest market, and our currency is more valuable than the U.S

EG you need to call up EA and have them breakdown the costs

i want to know how much it costs to manufacture, distribute and send to retail + tax in the US and Europe, so we can see what these extra costs are, and whether they really do add up to £100/125 euro difference...

... even though we all know it wont come anyway near close, my guess is they can only account for £30-40

Sorry but with this interview there were but a few decent questions and the rest of them were utter utter cock.There was a chance here to get some deep and actually meaningful questions answered and instead there is lip service and questions about a hat.

Utter utter waste of time.

This guy probably can't say anything negative about the price without having his boss (publisher) getting pissed at him.

at fendermaster

and even then, it better be going to a damn good place... like famine relief or aids vaccines for the third world, before we can in good conscience pay that fee...

fuck that, if i wanted to help aids victoms i'd go to a charity and ask them to charge me 180 quid for a picture of a african child not buy a game

to quote `So if you weren't working on it, if you were a plain old gamer, would you pay GBP 180 for Rock Band?`

Sounds like they would have got a sale off this had he not no doubt already had one.

utter utter lazy question and wtf was he supposed to say.....no ?