Beatles: Rock Band is hitting retail on September 9, and everyone is excited. That even includes Wii owners who should be getting the game day-and-date with the release on other competing consoles, unlike Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2.
OK, so what's the catch? In yesterday's announcement, MTV Games stated that the standalone version of the Beatles: Rock Band disc would cost $59.99. Even though most Wii games are priced at $49.99 or lower on Nintendo's popular console, 1UP has confirmed with MTV Games that the $59.99 pricing is indeed correct.
Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson tells 1UP he doesn't think $60 will become the standard, and states that MTV Games likely thinks "the market will bear a higher price due to the attractiveness of the content."
While that might be the case, I'm going to have to call bullsh*t here.
After losing a ton of ground to Activision and its Guitar Hero franchise by first releasing a gimped version of Rock Band and then the sequel months late on the Wii, MTV Games can't afford to take chances like this. With Activision presumably releasing somewhere between eight and 80 Guitar Hero-branded games this year -- all of which will be likely priced at $49.99, if not lower -- I don't care whose name, face, or music is on a product. A consumer at retail, especially around the holidays and with money tight, might have a hard time wanting to spend another $10. Especially after potentially spending up to $200 on peripherals.
Breaking the pricing conventions like this when you're already behind in the game seems like a foolish gamble to take. When it comes to console gaming, the Wii battle is not one you want to lose; it's simply too important at this stage in the game. And with months to come before Beatles: Rock Band's release, I wouldn't be surprised to see MTV Games lower the pricing of the Wii version as Activision starts flooding the market with "competing" music games.
So what do you guys think? I am completely off base with this? As a Wii owner used to one set of pricing, are you OK with spending $59.99 on any one title?
Contest:
6:40 PM on 03.06.2009
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It's still a silly move though. Just price it normally to avoid backlash from consumers. It's not worth the lost sales.
Similarly, I doubt a *more* expensive product will do that great this holiday season (considering it is forecast to be the bottom of the recession...dear God, I hope it has bottomed out by then!).
Yeah, Beatles or not, it's too damn expensive.
I wonder how long it will take until everybody is burned out on GH and RB. Of course they will still be played by some people, but I can't see them being really big sellers in a few years.
2) When did Wii owners suddenly get so poor they can't afford to pay the same price used by other consoles who will sell boatloads of the same title at the going 60 dollar rate?
3) F#ck'em. Its the Beatles.
I will not be getting this until A) I see a track list and B) the price drops.
Isn't it the Wii fans who bitch about being treated like they have an equal system? They just don't want to pay for it. Of course.
Come on, casual fans, kids and those kids parents + Beatles = Instant Win.
I got Rock Band for the Wii because I didn't have the PS3 and 360 at the time, so I saw (and still see) no need to re-purchase the hardware and game for the other consoles. As long as the game is equal in functionality to the PS3/360, then there is no reason for a price cut.
Look, as one of the few in Dtoid who actually - SHOCK! - support the Wii, at what point did the console hardware because the factor in the pricing for a third party game? The whole thing comes down to value and what people perceive to be the return on the purchase. If people are willing to pay $60 and that's what the market can bear, that's what companies are going to charge.
If Wii owners get just as much enjoyment out of the game as do 360/PS3 owners AND the game is equal in functionality on all three consoles, then why should Wii owners be entitled to a discount ... and this coming from someone who will most likely buy the Wii version?
The core demographic of GH/RB do not FC all songs on expert by themselves. They play it with friends. That's the whole point of a party game.
If they want people to love them they should be selling it for ten dollars LESS instead. Unfortunately profits are more important than fans, which is very short sited.