EA drops current-gen prices on new releases
Top publisher Electronic Arts has announced that its future releases on the current generation consoles will be priced at $39.95, representing a 20 per cent price cut which the company says is necessary due to the transition period.
Top publisher Electronic Arts has announced that its future releases on the current generation consoles will be priced at $39.95, representing a 20 per cent price cut which the company says is necessary due to the transition period.
The move will see key titles including The Godfather and Black coming in at the new price point, as will the current generation (PS2 and Xbox) versions of EA Sports title Fight Night Round 3, whose Xbox 360 version will continue to be priced at $59.95.
It's not the first time that EA has cut prices on major current-generation products - at the end of January, it dropped Need for Speed Most Wanted to $39.95 as well in a move designed to improve slowing sales - but it's the first clear indication that the publishing giant sees $39.95 as the new standard price point for the formats.
"$39 is resonating with consumers given the transition," the company's communications boss Jeff Brown told Reuters. "There are indications that $39 is a solid and sustainable price point."
While consumers will undoubtedly be happy to see prices falling on current generation titles, it will make the price contrast with next generation software even more stark. Games for the Xbox 360, currently the only next-gen console on the market and likely to remain so in North America until next Autumn, will now sit at a price point $20 above everything else on the shelves.