Bethesda Why I Didn't Buy Skyrim... : V - Skyrim

» Tue May 15, 2012 8:26 am

OP is right in my opinion,it's not about $10, it's about inflation and economics.If the trend continues in a few years the average cost of a game will be $75,sure the companies need to make money,but do the math,look at what recent titles that have sold millions of copies their first week on shelves versus the reletivley small investment in developing the product.Kudos OP ,glad you had the courage to touch on such a sensative topic.

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:53 pm

OP is right in my opinion,it's not about $10, it's about inflation and economics.If the trend continues in a few years the average cost of a game will be $75,sure the companies need to make money,but do the math,look at what recent titles that have sold millions of copies their first week on shelves versus the reletivley small investment in developing the product.Kudos OP ,glad you had the courage to touch on such a sensative topic.

Small investment? Paying 100 developers and 70 voice actors over several years?

I'd hate to see what a large investment is to you o.o

» Tue May 15, 2012 9:27 am

Interesting article I found, when doing a Google search for "video game prices over the years":

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/10/an-inconvenient-truth-game-prices-have-come-down-with-time.ars

Further thing to think about - not just is there inflation, but price increases in various commodities and services also impact game production. As overhead increases, prices need to as well - paper costs more? Running your office, printing game manuals, and printing game boxes just got more expensive. Oil costs more? Ok, shipping costs just went up - but also the cost of the plastic in the DVD and in the game box.

All of these prices have been increasing over the past 5-10 years (and longer). Meanwhile, the price of a game has held steady at $50. Which means that the game companies have been getting less money per unit as time went on. Yeah, there's going to be a price bump at some point. Be glad you got the standardized $50PC/$60Console for so long.

(Console prices will increase, too.... but there's different market pressures and demographics there. The best point, PR-wise, would probably be the jump to the next console generation... but that's still a few years off... who knows if they'll be able to stretch the $60 price that far. Perhaps if they do more DLC and things like the CoD "Elite" subscription. Personally, I'd rather take a straight $10 price hike, rather than being further nickle-and-dimed to death with extras.)

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:19 pm

OP is right in my opinion,it's not about $10, it's about inflation and economics.If the trend continues in a few years the average cost of a game will be $75,sure the companies need to make money,but do the math,look at what recent titles that have sold millions of copies their first week on shelves versus the reletivley small investment in developing the product.Kudos OP ,glad you had the courage to touch on such a sensative topic.

Well...no because you seem to show a distinct lack of understanding of what causes most inflation. Everything undergoes inflation because the worth of money proportionally decreases. That $20 bill is still worth 20 bucks in ten years but "twenty dollars" doesn't mean the same thing as it did before, see? Game prices have been artificially kept away from inflation for a while because of a variety of factors like a growing gaming market, increase in affordable and workable technology, etc. Now things are leveling off and yeah in the past couple years things have edged up slightly from where they were. Yes a game $60 now was $50 several years ago. But remember when a bottle of soda was 50 cents? Now it's about what 1.25 usually?

» Tue May 15, 2012 6:25 am

@ Several posters here

Stop using arbitrary numbers like you know what went in to making this game.

Also, at $50 dollars a game, I bet they'd be making plenty.

Also, it's a bit ignorant to be like "LOL $60 dollars isn't a lot!". $60 dollars isn't a lot only if it's coming
out of someone elses pocket, and not yours.

Still going on record saying I don't agree with the op. But stop with this garbage about development costs. You don't
know jack about that department. Post some numbers before you start vomiting this stuff in other threads.

» Tue May 15, 2012 2:04 pm

I have a job. I make almost $100,000 year with my overtime (base pay is $72,000). That is of course irrelevant and the principle is what I'm discussing. Which has already been disregarded as I thought it would in the first couple replies.

wow, you make that much, I make around 9,500/yr. yeah, they don't pay us disabled folks beans. I bought it because of the value it gives me. I can't afford to go out and have any fun like most people and am going nuts with nothing to do but take lots of pain pills. I don't buy the COD games or many others that give you a scant 60 hours of playtime, those are really huge ripoff games. But at least this one will give me a lot of fun time and a good distraction from the pain I get to deal with. Games like this are outside the norm. They put together a world and I can go anywhere in it if I want and have a long time until I'm tired of it. And I don't mind eating that many more peanut and jelly sands to offset the HUGE cost that it is to me. Everything is relative. To you it's peanuts, to me it's a huge relief from my horrible reality and while everything being equal and I pay a lot more of my useable money I see the value in it. Sure I'd like it a lot cheaper. But the world is what it is, costs are going crazy all over the place. But they don't effect you nearly as much as it effects me. And still I'm willing to buy it because it's a lot of game in there to play. 100K and your [censored]ing. Want to swap places for a few months. Just to make it real we'll have someone come in every day and hit you over the head with a baseball bat. I get to deal with that kind of pain every day. This game means a lot to me and is well worth the cost.
BTW, what kind of car do you drive? I bet it's not a cheap one.

» Tue May 15, 2012 4:10 pm

Spoiler

Two things are going to happen before anyone reads this:

1. It's going to be disregarded by the community as a whine and not read
2. What's said is going to be justified by those who made the purchase

... neither of which help me. But I feel it needs to be said to the company should anyone care to read it.

Now to set the stage, I've watched this game for a LONG time. I juggled a pre-order on it for many months and just waited to see. I'm now seeing the rave reviews and friends comments and want the game even more now. Except for one thing... the price.

Now I get it. The social and industry norm now is that PC gamers buy games at console pricing. All part of an inflated market for those trying to make an extra dollar. But I can assure you that I have NO plans to EVER purchase a PC game for $59.99. I wont do it, and wont even give it a second thought. I wont go into the details other than I've been gaming for YEARS when new top titles released at $19.99 on CD-ROM and 5 1/4" disk. I saw the industry adjust with the times and slowly go to $29.99 then $39.99 and then stick for many years at $49.99. This new "concept" of paying now another $10 and often times for digital downloading is absurd and frankly disappointing that you'd think me that stupid

So Bethesda... plan on something soon. Drop the price to a normal respectable PC price ($49.99) and I'll gladly pay it. I have every intentions on owning this game when the price is right. I want very much to experience the game and enjoy it... but I absolutely refuse to contribute to the inflation. Now of course the argument could be made that with my IGN account I could have purchased it from D2D during the pre-order period for $47.00. Trust me I wish I had. But the thought of it originally being a full $60 pricetag from the start bothered me. We're now seeing EA doing it, Activision, and others. Bethesda is one of the latest to fall victim to the "norm".

I guess I should also say that I own a PS3 and 360 (among almost every other console since the Atari). I've paid full price to include $59.99 for console games for a long time... but I accept that for consoles. I don't for PC's. Again I wont go into the reasons because I don't want a flame war. But Bethesda... please drop this price soon so I can enjoy the game!

I'm sorry but Bathesda could have asked me to pay 100 bucks for this title and I gladly would have, for the content and hour vs dollar value I am more than getting my moneys worth. I can understand your point with games that have 6 hour campaign and weak multiplayer, but dude, you are picking a fight with the wrong people here. For the amount of content the price tag is more than justified.

» Tue May 15, 2012 5:01 am

I put off buying a PS3 for a long time simply because of the increase in the cost of games. I agree, sixty bucks for a game these days is ridiculous, no matter what form it's in. I too have been playing for years and years; I remember when you could buy a new fantasy game for pc and it would come with all sorts of goodies - maps, figures, cards, real manuals, etc. You really got your money's worth, and it didn't come in the form of an overpriced "collector's edition." Funny how we've become convinced that paying more for a digital copy of a game is worth it.

I ended up trading in five other games just so I wouldn't have to pay full price for Skyrim. Was it worth it? Time will tell.

I want to get "Rocksmith" but now just the game alone costs what, eighty bucks? I don't think so.

» Tue May 15, 2012 12:01 pm

@ Several posters here

Stop using arbitrary numbers like you know what went in to making this game.

Also, at $50 dollars a game, I bet they'd be making plenty.

Also, it's a bit ignorant to be like "LOL $60 dollars isn't a lot!". $60 dollars isn't a lot only if it's coming
out of someone elses pocket, and not yours.

Still going on record saying I don't agree with the op. But stop with this garbage about development costs. You don't
know jack about that department. Post some numbers before you start vomiting this stuff in other threads.

He's...not using arbitrary numbers that was the stated staff for the game in expense and design reports. You do know companies carefully track these things and make them publicly available to investors right? It's always baffled me how so many of the people who claim to be frugal and discriminating consumers know so little about actual economics and metrics of worth.

» Tue May 15, 2012 10:38 am

Also, it's a bit ignorant to be like "LOL $60 dollars isn't a lot!". $60 dollars isn't a lot only if it's coming
out of someone elses pocket, and not yours.

Yeah, $60 isn't trivial.

But neither was http://www.huguesjohnson.com/features/sears_catalog/sears-catalog-1990-pg1447-NES_full.jpg.

Or $50-65 for Sega Genesis games from Electronics Boutique

» Tue May 15, 2012 10:35 am

Two things are going to happen before anyone reads this:

1. It's going to be disregarded by the community as a whine and not read
2. What's said is going to be justified by those who made the purchase

... neither of which help me. But I feel it needs to be said to the company should anyone care to read it.

Now to set the stage, I've watched this game for a LONG time. I juggled a pre-order on it for many months and just waited to see. I'm now seeing the rave reviews and friends comments and want the game even more now. Except for one thing... the price.

Now I get it. The social and industry norm now is that PC gamers buy games at console pricing. All part of an inflated market for those trying to make an extra dollar. But I can assure you that I have NO plans to EVER purchase a PC game for $59.99. I wont do it, and wont even give it a second thought. I wont go into the details other than I've been gaming for YEARS when new top titles released at $19.99 on CD-ROM and 5 1/4" disk. I saw the industry adjust with the times and slowly go to $29.99 then $39.99 and then stick for many years at $49.99. This new "concept" of paying now another $10 and often times for digital downloading is absurd and frankly disappointing that you'd think me that stupid.

So Bethesda... plan on something soon. Drop the price to a normal respectable PC price ($49.99) and I'll gladly pay it. I have every intentions on owning this game when the price is right. I want very much to experience the game and enjoy it... but I absolutely refuse to contribute to the inflation. Now of course the argument could be made that with my IGN account I could have purchased it from D2D during the pre-order period for $47.00. Trust me I wish I had. But the thought of it originally being a full $60 pricetag from the start bothered me. We're now seeing EA doing it, Activision, and others. Bethesda is one of the latest to fall victim to the "norm".

I guess I should also say that I own a PS3 and 360 (among almost every other console since the Atari). I've paid full price to include $59.99 for console games for a long time... but I accept that for consoles. I don't for PC's. Again I wont go into the reasons because I don't want a flame war. But Bethesda... please drop this price soon so I can enjoy the game!

Get a life, Most games at release are anywhere from $59 to $69 bucks...........END OF STORY!!!!

» Tue May 15, 2012 4:23 am

Dude... this game is definitely worth $60.

» Tue May 15, 2012 10:15 am

I'm sorry, 300+ hours of content isn't enough to justify the price? They are selling these games at way BELOW their worth. Consider yourself lucky.

» Tue May 15, 2012 4:02 am

Ya know, I wasn't immediately annoyed with you until you felt the need to mention you make 100K a year, definitely higher than average around here. It's 10 dollars and one of the best games I've ever played.

Cut the crap and stop pretending you're being taken advantage of.

» Tue May 15, 2012 2:58 am

I have a job. I make almost $100,000 year with my overtime (base pay is $72,000). That is of course irrelevant and the principle is what I'm discussing. Which has already been disregarded as I thought it would in the first couple replies.

You make that kind of money and you post this trash FFS!!!

» Tue May 15, 2012 7:24 am

I don't even have a job and the game was perfectly affordable to me.

» Tue May 15, 2012 11:29 am

Two things are going to happen before anyone reads this:

1. It's going to be disregarded by the community as a whine and not read
2. What's said is going to be justified by those who made the purchase

... neither of which help me. But I feel it needs to be said to the company should anyone care to read it.

Now to set the stage, I've watched this game for a LONG time. I juggled a pre-order on it for many months and just waited to see. I'm now seeing the rave reviews and friends comments and want the game even more now. Except for one thing... the price.

Now I get it. The social and industry norm now is that PC gamers buy games at console pricing. All part of an inflated market for those trying to make an extra dollar. But I can assure you that I have NO plans to EVER purchase a PC game for $59.99. I wont do it, and wont even give it a second thought. I wont go into the details other than I've been gaming for YEARS when new top titles released at $19.99 on CD-ROM and 5 1/4" disk. I saw the industry adjust with the times and slowly go to $29.99 then $39.99 and then stick for many years at $49.99. This new "concept" of paying now another $10 and often times for digital downloading is absurd and frankly disappointing that you'd think me that stupid.

So Bethesda... plan on something soon. Drop the price to a normal respectable PC price ($49.99) and I'll gladly pay it. I have every intentions on owning this game when the price is right. I want very much to experience the game and enjoy it... but I absolutely refuse to contribute to the inflation. Now of course the argument could be made that with my IGN account I could have purchased it from D2D during the pre-order period for $47.00. Trust me I wish I had. But the thought of it originally being a full $60 pricetag from the start bothered me. We're now seeing EA doing it, Activision, and others. Bethesda is one of the latest to fall victim to the "norm".

I guess I should also say that I own a PS3 and 360 (among almost every other console since the Atari). I've paid full price to include $59.99 for console games for a long time... but I accept that for consoles. I don't for PC's. Again I wont go into the reasons because I don't want a flame war. But Bethesda... please drop this price soon so I can enjoy the game!

So...basically you're missing out on an epic game because of $10. Thats stupid.

and....yeah Im sure he makes 100k a year....lol. someone complaining about 100k a year does not complain about dumb [censored]e like this.

» Tue May 15, 2012 9:04 am

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. And you won't spend $60 on a game? hahahhahaahahahahahahaha.

People are going to read your above sentence and

1. laugh at you.
2. ...

Yeah, pretty much this. Anyone boasting about pulling in a six-figure salary and whining about the normal price of games should be laughed at for thinking they have any ground to stand on.

» Tue May 15, 2012 9:43 am

60 bucks is big price for third and second world countrys like Russia or Afganistan. But in Russia Skyrim cost only 15 bucks.

For countrys like USA,Canada,Germany,Norway,Sweden,England etc 60 bucks is nothing.

And ppl play action-shooters for 10-20 hours and getting bored. When you play Morrowind,Oblivion you playing it for 4-6 yearrs so i think it worth support Bethesda for evryone who can afford it.

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:25 pm

TBut I can assure you that I have NO plans to EVER purchase a PC game for $59.99.

stopped reading here...OMG I can't stop laughing...

» Tue May 15, 2012 12:48 pm

OP is right in my opinion,it's not about $10, it's about inflation and economics.If the trend continues in a few years the average cost of a game will be $75,sure the companies need to make money,but do the math,look at what recent titles that have sold millions of copies their first week on shelves versus the reletivley small investment in developing the product.Kudos OP ,glad you had the courage to touch on such a sensative topic.

I hate inflation as much as anyone, but it is hardly a reason to complain about the price of a game. If the prices of everything else go up, obviously the prices of video games are going to go up too.

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:08 pm

You already have a copy. Just admit it. We won't be mad...

» Tue May 15, 2012 3:54 pm

@ Several posters here

Stop using arbitrary numbers like you know what went in to making this game.

Also, at $50 dollars a game, I bet they'd be making plenty.

Also, it's a bit ignorant to be like "LOL $60 dollars isn't a lot!". $60 dollars isn't a lot only if it's coming
out of someone elses pocket, and not yours.

Still going on record saying I don't agree with the op. But stop with this garbage about development costs. You don't
know jack about that department. Post some numbers before you start vomiting this stuff in other threads.

When Bethesda created The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it had a team of roughly 60 designers. On Skyrim, that number has jumped to more than 100.

Source: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/elder-scrolls-v/1192791p2.html

Speaking for CVG, Tim Clark asked Lafferty how Bethesda plan to make more convincing cities for Skyrim. He mentioned that “we had, I think, fourteen voice actors on Oblivion doing all the voices. In this one, we have seventy different actors doing all the different voices, over 47,000 lines, so we work to make that a variety there as well.

Source: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/06/08/e3-2011-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-has-70-voice-actors-players-free-to-explore-from-start/

According to Game Developer Magazine’s annual salary survey, the median salary in the video game biz is $73,000.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18406129/ns/technology_and_science-games/t/sure-its-cool-job-do-games-pay/#.TsXeHla9auI

Based on 2009 figures for this industry, all actors earn an average of $28.79 per hour, with pay ranging from $7.98 to $74.44.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8006845_average-salary-voice-actors.html

Compounded over 5 years.

I never claimed to be an expert. What I'm saying is that there is no way in my mind that Skyrim can be counted as a small investment. What if, for some unknown reason, Skyrim bombed? They'd be out hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

I'm also not belittling the price. I'm an unemployed college student. I had to put money aside for months in order to buy this game. I do, however, believe $60 is a steal for Skyrim, seeing as I've already gotten cheaper entertainment per hour than a movie would get me, and for some reason, $10 for a movie seems to be totally accepted where I am.

» Tue May 15, 2012 8:13 am

I would honestly pay $100 for this game, it has that much replayability. Missing out on this game for $10 is perhaps one of the worst decisions you can make ever for a videogame, because this game is not just worth the amount bethesda is asking for it, it is worth tens of times more than what they're asking for it. Seriously get the game.

» Tue May 15, 2012 5:52 am

In the town where I live in Texas, there are maybe 3200 people max. There aren't really that many good job opportunities here. I went to beauty school and got my nail technician's license. Came back to my home town because I was offered a job at the local salon. I rented a spot in the salon to do my nail business. $200 a month was my rent there.Well needless to say, business was great for a while, but the economy is crappy here like it is everywhere else. I wasn't getting enough customers coming in to keep up, so I had to quit and get a job at a local restaurant bussing tables. I'm not whining and crying, I'm damn proud I have a job. I know the other side of your $100, 000 a year. If anyone should [censored] about the price of something, it should be someone who isn't making anywhere what you make. I still think that $60 for a game like Skyrim is an excellent price, for the amount of detail, things to do, and overall vastness of the game.

Sorry for my rant, it just irks me when rich people [censored] about a measly $10