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The price of this game is ridiculous
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Play already has it listed for £39.99 as mentioned somewhere else in the thread.
Furthermore changing it to Euro's it is 53.99, 1 euro less then Anet is selling for. Every other store I checked had it listed for around that amount of euros except for one which had it for 39.99 euros, but I'm very hesitant to buy from there because all they have listed is the title and a price. So is the UK paying to much, yes The question is: is it Anet's fault or the British goverment. I think the latter.
Ok, lets get the prices being charged to people in the UK & rest of Europe correct first shall we ?
Prices direct from https://buy.guildwars2.com/
Digital Edition Digital Deluxe
UK £49.99 £64.99
Europe 54.99 79.99
Europe in £
(£1 = 1.2112) £45.40 £61.91
USA ????
(Assuming £1=$1.59) $79.48 $103.33
From the above you can see that we in the UK are probably paying about £4 or so more for each of the versions. That's obviously not totally accurate as ANet had to pick these prices at a given point and exchange rates will have changed since then.
Now, I'm not sure how much these are being sold for in the US because the web site only lets me see European prices (maybe someone from US can post them here). I would bet that the US prices are quite a lot cheaper however.
I don't consider these prices to be unfair per se. An average PC game costs say £30 or so in the UK so you are buying the equivalent (normal edition) of an mmo with 2 months subscription included rather than 30 days.
I have to use mobile broadband so getting a digital version is out of the question for me as downloading the game would use up all my allowance. For that reason I will be buying the physical version when it is listed on a retailers site. And yes. I know its listed at GAME for pre-order of £34.99 but who knows if that is correct or not given that GAME went into administration and was the bought for a pittance.
I suspect that when the physical version becomes available to order from most retailers that the price will be significantly below the pre-purchase digital versions though. This leads to the conclusion that either ANet are taking charging significantly higher for the pre-purchase editions because they can get away with it OR you are paying extra to participate in beta and get 3 days head start. I would go with the latter.
As I will be playing this game non-stop when it comes out I can't say that 3 days headstart has much appeal to me. I don't want to play in Beta as that will just make waiting for the game to be released even more frustating.
I'm not buying this game yet, but I can't figure out what you are going on about. This is not a theoretical discussion.
You can buy this game for 59.99 in the US.
You can buy this game for 39.99 lbs in England.
These are undisputed facts, and there are links for them. They are the in line with all the other overpriced games.
Why did Anet choose to sell it for more than the price their retailers are, only in Europe? Beats me, you'd have to ask them. But the fact that you can buy it for 39.99 lbs in England makes it not matter.
Now, if you are saying that they allow 10,000 copies to be sold by retailers for 39.99, then stop the supply to sell it for 59.99 lbs only from their site, then you've got something.
OP posts single player games (ME3, Skyrim, AC) as examples of reasonably priced games. OP fails (or ignores) to state the fact that GW2 will have server costs due to it being an online game. OP also inaccurately report the costs of Skyrim CE ($150) as being cheaper than GW2 CE ($150 [Gamestop]) though the two are incomparable since one is offline, the other online, though the CE's are priced the same. OP fails again in promoting Bioware's generosity in a fashion that makes it sound unlikely that Arenanet will not offer a similiar grace period. The cost increase from a single player game to a massivly multiplayer game with server costs should be obvious but somehow was not so for OP.
OP does not understand the MMORPG industry and should therefor be restricted from ever opening a discussion on the matter until they do some research and critical thinking.
I wouldn't mind the $60 if there wasn't a cash shop...I simply don't trust them...the pressure to maintain income usually causes the whole game to eventually center around the shop.
I would be skeptical as well if I had only played STO during Cryptic's reign. Arenanet has a history of doing cash shops properly.
You don't trust them to do what ? Sell stuff in a CS that has no effect on anyones gameplay other than to cause them to run crying to their mother cos they don't have it ?
Wah wah mommy - that person has a better sword than me - he is "winning"
Jeez, grow up and play the game for fun instead of thinking that you have to be "better" than other players.
http://i.imgur.com/6i4nf.jpg
its 55 euros, I got no idea why it is 50 quid for UK and 55 for rest of europe....
"I am not a robot. I am a unicorn."
The tip is to look on how they made it earlier, it usually tells you a lot about the future as well.
Sometimes companies do change but it is rather likely that you will get a look into the devs head just by looking on the gw cashshop.
https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl?action=toggleCategory&category=4
Look at it and form your own opinion, this game have been out since 2005.
They also count on expansions, that's where they need to do a good job in order to continue getting revenue from the players.
Does it really make any difference if they had a cash shop at release? If it eventually gets one its the same thing, and taking GW1 as an example they obviously needed to make more income in between expansions and the microtransaction model was on the rise so they used it. I also don't believe the quality of GW2 and amount of content will compare to a F2P game at release.
You own as much of the game with any MMO so Im not sure what you are trying to get to there?
B2P is the model that has been used since the beggining of gaming. RIght now I believe Anet is using microtransactions because its a business model that works, keep in mind you don't have to pay a cent in microtransactions. Also, you compared B2P with microtransactions to F2P, why not compare it with the sub model also? You are basically getting a lifetime sub with the purchase price.
I think I have a solution... Anet just needs to make the game free....
Plus - all items in the cash shop should also be free.
That would solve a lot of problems. As soon as money is removed from the world's economy and people work for "free", this plan will absolutely work and most importantly, will make people feel justified in their purchase for GW2.
That - or people can [mod edit] just NOT buy the game. I have no problem with constructive critism (I have my own, about a page long on GW2 alone) but nothing in 90% of the posts I've read are anything but constructive....
I am QQing out of principle
(which is retarded I know...) Not that I won't buy the game.
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.
It's kind of funny. When I reinstalled my GW1 game, I just downloaded it directly and installed it. I didn't use my CDs. I didn't have to re-enter my codes. The game just installed.
Kind of like what Steam does...
So, in this case, there's no benefit to having the CDs except, perhaps, a bit quicker install time...
If you want to play just for fun and dont care about compeeting with other gamers then why would you play a competetive e-sport type of game like GW 2?
The fact is that GW2 is being promoted as a PvP e-sport type of game and such games are highly sensetive to cashshop and P2Win.
My gaming blog
Its not overpriced , but the digital deluxe and the CE are a bit overstep but if the game is awesome who cares.
I compared GW2 to single player games just as comparisons of what I would pay for a game in general. Single player games (like the ones I mentioned) also have a much bigger budget than GW2 and don't have cash shops, so yes if any of them should be charged higher is should be single player games not GW2.
Onto your second point sever charges, which will not only be paid for by the massive digital sales for easily a year until the first expansion but also they have a cash shop, which will make very close to a normal MMO montly subscription, mark my words. So again your point is invalid.
Next I never once compared the collectors edition, maybe you should re-read my post, I was only talking about the digital version and the digital deluxe, I agree that the CE is average price for a CE, but the other two editions are not.
ArenaNet has also already confirmed that Pre-Purchases get 3 day head start, pre-orders get one day, fact. Therefore ArenaNet is NOT offering the same grace period as BioWare, again fact. Your point is again invalid.
Again with the server costs, which will EASILY be recouperated for the year with box sales and then profit with cash shop. Point invalid again.
So my point is, I do understand the MMO industry, clearly more so than you. I state facts, you state assumptions made on my part not by me.
Such an irrelevent troll post.
1) Being promoted as a PvP e-sport ? What planet are you on - total rubbish.
2) Even if 1) was true it is NOT P2Win and nothing in the CS is going to help you in PvP (everyone is lovl 80 and has same gear). It might have a very small influence (via buffs) in WvW (but nobody really knows for sure).
Yet another misinformed post regarding P2W and CS.
And, BTW, apart from PvP rankings (see point 2) what exactly are you competing against other players. Most titles, fancy gear ? LOL
Ok I'll stop assuming start stating facts with numbers then, and stop trolling you.
Current standard MMO price
TERA stanard Edition: USD$49.99
SWTOR Standard Edition: USD$44 (going off CD key sites which are cheaper than Origin)
The Secret World (without any packages): USD$49.99 (only 3 character slots, although with that game one for each faction seems enough alts, with no classes) (cash shop)
WOW (to start now): USD$19.99, to fully upgrade USD$117.96 (which is everyone is at)
RIFT (lowest I have seen now): USD$29.99, but it certainly has gone lower before because I bought my digital collection edition for USD$27
NOTE: I notice you use EU prices, so maybe it is more expensive there, I'm not sure if you can buy from NA sites, but considering I'm from Australia, I buy all my games online from US sites because Australia is retarded with its pricing, $89 for a generic pc game off the shelf. $99-$109 for console. And thats in AUD
So it wasn't 4 month, I was being generous with that number because I was considering you might like RIFT as well.
Any current P2P MMO other than RIFT you play beyond the first month will already be more expensive than GW2 box price in total. You can earn cash shop currency in game.
As much as anyone want to, no one makes decisions without bias and assumption, it is how human brain is wired to think. We think with relative assumption, if I tell you someone plays tennis, you will assume he has a tennis racquet to begin with, which he might not. By asking you if Turkey's population is above 35 million, you initial guess of Turkey's population will be anchored by my input of 35 million.
Lastly, you said what if you stop playing after 1 month. I guess this is just how MMO population thinks now, they don't think any good games will ever come out. Do you go join the Gym membership and the first question you ask is how to cancel it? By asking this question, you are assuming the worst, wait, I thought you shouldn't assume?
I'm viewing the game from an optimistic pov, and you are looking at the game from a pessimistic pov. Is it wrong, it isn't. But if you are going to play ANY MMO spending every month how terrible the game is and you might quit within the next 30 days, I suggest you to take a break from every MMO. Sometimes it isn't the game's fault, but your own. No game is perfect, but we play the ones that we can tolerate its negatives. And from my opinion, I can tolerate GW2's negatives. Having even just as a backup game in between other sub games, where you can just go on any time you want and play without worries of a sub, is a pretty good deal to me considering all press has been positive about it.
My honest suggestion will be, don't buy the game now, wait for 2 months, watch the reviews, maybe the price will go down, then see if you want to play the game. And hopefully, you wish you had joined the community sooner after trying it.
I guess ultimately, not everyone is going to like the game, I hope you get the game you want eventually.
PS: its funny how downplayed Secret World's cash shop is, I mean everyone is jumping on GW2 being B2P with CS, no one is gunning TSW for sub with CS.
How much WoW could a WoWhater hate, if a WoWhater could hate WoW?
As much WoW as a WoWhater would, if a WoWhater could hate WoW.
SWTOR's SE was $59.99 if I chose to buy it,as is BF3, MW3, TES v Skyrim etc. and so on, so was the cost of GW2' SE- $59.99 when I chose to buy it.
Tera and TSW both have sub fees as does Warcraft so I really fail to see your point, beyond being mad at Arenanets price in your region as if they are just trying to charge "you" more.I think this has already been explained in several other threads on this site.
It seems expensive in the UK, but that's only because, for some reason, publishers take VAT on the chin normally when they set games prices. Gw2 hasn't done that, so it's basically $60 + VAT as you would otherwise expect.
IMO game prices have stayed low for far to long because players bitch and moan like no tomorrow when it happens in trade for DLC's which were ok until the last year or so when game companies try to make up the loss of a price increase.
I don't even think game prices have increased at the same rate as inflation over the last decade.
They haven't increased at all since the early 90's, since which inflation has made everything else cost twice as much (remember walkers crisps being 25p? they're now 60p from most places!). If games followed inflation, we'd be paying £70-80 for each game.
Thankfully gaming grew so that the low prices were offset
Also, GW2 will have had a massive development budget. Salaries, voice overs, tech ect. will mean the game will be looking at $100m at least.
What is the budget for GW2 over it's 5 years development? I want you to make a treatment that also takes marketing costs and daily upkeep costs from the servers, into account, as well as the costs of running the betas, the forums, the customer support, the server techs, the in-game 24/7 gms and admins and so on. Since these people are not getting a monthly income from the players it will be interesting to see.
Clearly the answer is that you don't know what you are talking about. It's sad and depressing that in 2012 people are still whining about higher prices in the EU. Can't you just shut up, or move to the US if you want it to be so much more fair? the region locking is in their, not by choice, but by law. Steam has to do a similiar thing. It's illegal for customers to buy goods over the internet and bypass the extra taxes that are added on all products sold in the European Union. That's just how it is. But we have several goods and benefits that they dont have in the US. That's partly due to these extra costs we have. We have a higher cost of living on products, foods and clothes. Just the way it is.
^ Basically, in the UK we pay more on everything so when we get a severe illness we're actually cured. Or when someone commits a crime they actually get caught. The little things