How much is too much for mobile?
There’s an ongoing discussion right now about Nintendo, Super Mario Run, and its decision to price the game at $10. For some, that’s too much considering the final product. For others, it’s worth it to have a game that works well with no ads and no microtransactions. The same conversation is had every time Square-Enix re-releases something from its vault for as high as $20. It’s not a conversation that’s going to end anytime soon, but it is bound to change over time as the prices keep climbing higher and higher.
Case in point: Corpse Party: Blood Drive. Right now, you can get it on your iPhone or Android for $12.99, again a price that may be too high for some people. However, according to this Facebook post, that’s the sale price. The regular price?
$31.99.
I can see the logic behind it. Blood Drive originally launched on the PlayStation Vita as a premium priced game, and just because it’s on a new platform doesn’t mean it’s not worth that premium. And the times are a changing, with more and more people gaming exclusively on their phones. Not every developer can survive on free-to-play mechanics and if people want more robust gaming experiences, they should be prepared to pay for them.
But I wonder about the game’s compatibility in the long run. When I buy something on my Vita, pending something catastrophic, it’s always going to run on that Vita. When I buy something on my phone, that’s not always the case. I had a handful of games I paid for on my old iPhone 4 that wouldn’t work on my iPhone 6 because the developers failed to keep updating them for newer operating systems. I would never keep a phone to keep playing games the way I keep consoles and handhelds, so there is voice in the back of my head that tells me no anytime I see a price higher than $10.
But that’s just me. What do you think? Is $32 too much for a mobile game, or is there a game you would absolutely pay more than $30 for to play on your phone?
