Cartridge hardware costs of creation was a huge chunk of that money though. The switch to optical media was an instantaneous huge savings for publishers. The switch to digital was another huge savings for publishers. The switch to not having a publisher is another incredible savings for the game developer. I'd say NMS at $60 will end up being the most profit-per-sale of any game released on PS4 for any specific developer.
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How much will No Man's Sky cost?
- Thread starter The_Dama
- Start date
Cartridge hardware costs of creation was a huge chunk of that money though. The switch to optical media was an instantaneous huge savings for publishers. The switch to digital was another huge savings for publishers. The switch to not having a publisher is another incredible savings for the game developer. I'd say NMS at $60 will end up being the most profit-per-sale of any game released on PS4 for any specific developer.
Exactly this. Independently developed doesn't mean cheaper prices. It means the game had a small team work on it but if there's plenty of content than that changes the value of the product.
An indie game can cost $60 if its ambitious in scope and content, while a game made by a big team but is smaller in scope and size can be priced at $20. They're not mutually exclusive.
Coffee Dog
Banned
The video game industry has a tech fetishism complex and a publisher induced and encouraged "out with the old, in with the new" mentality that leads to things that are lower budget (and lower tech) having a stigma. Basically, big money has much more sway over what constitutes "quality" than any of those other industries you listed.
As indie games proliferate more and more it will hopefully erode over time.
Psychoward
Banned
To be fair - indie games had a long streak of being either very simple (gameplay wise or asset wise) or very short/low on content but that's hardly the case anymore so I'm not sure why people are still hung up on it.
SmoothRunningGun
Member
It will be whatever price they think it will sell well at. The witness guys knew the press was going to slobber all over it so they knew they could sell it for $40. Surprised they didn't try 60.
Doesn't make any difference to the consumer. The point is that we used to pay a hell of a lot more out of pocket for a single game than we do now, and back then you were buying blindly to a much greater degree. Now we have videos and walkthroughs and let's plays to help with buying decisions, while back then when you bought a newly released game you were hoping the magazine reviews and the screenshots in the print ads weren't a total snowjob.
As someone who actually lived through the entire history of home videogames, the current industry is more consumer friendly than the first 30 years combined.
To Far Away Times
Member
The gameplay systems are going to determine the value and lasting appeal more than the amount of proceedurally generated content.
uncleslappy
nethack is my favorite dark souls clone
You haven't even played it.
AHA-Lambda
Member
And since when has budget ever correlated with price in this industry? Or any other for that matter?
CosmicQueso
Member
GhostWriter24
Member
$
9.99 American
3
Coffee Dog
Banned
For you, sure. But I do not believe this to have any basis in reality if you're talking about mass audiences.
Xion_Stellar
People should stop referencing data that makes me feel uncomfortable because games get ported to platforms I don't like
If anyone doesn't like the price of a game than simply don't buy it or wait until it drops in price or goes on sale.I don't see why a game has to meet some sort of arbitrary content milestone in order to justify it's launch price.
As for your question OP I believe the game will $60.
As for your question OP I believe the game will $60.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Agreed.
Also, your average consumer has proven time and time again, that entitlement sounding bickering are the vocal minority left to message boards on the Internet.
Post of the year right here jfc
QuantumSquid
Member
If playing games based on random/procedural generation has taught me anything, it's that the generated content is often a tenth as compelling as content that is hand-made.
At least the puzzles in The Witness were all made by hand. I still don't know what the point of No Man's Sky is, other than to explore. But if they're gonna price it at $60 because it has "infinite content" when in reality all that will translate to is "I visited a planet today and this time the dinosaurs had three ears instead of the regular two", that isn't going to cut it for me personally.
I just get the sense that a lot of people who are hyped for NMS are going to pick it up for full price in their excitement, play it for maybe a week or two, and then drop it realizing the price you pay in terms of quality content when all of it is procedurally generated. People will look back on it as that game everyone was super excited for for years during the PS4/XB1 generation of consoles and then it didn't live up to expectations.
I hope it turns out to be a great game and is priced reasonably so it is financially successful, but that's the vibe I'm getting from it right now. Then again, I thought the same for The Division, but now that they're coming out with all of the preview content and they have a beta going on, I can see that game might actually have legs, and I'm pretty excited about that considering I had zero expectations before. Only time will tell, I suppose.
At least the puzzles in The Witness were all made by hand. I still don't know what the point of No Man's Sky is, other than to explore. But if they're gonna price it at $60 because it has "infinite content" when in reality all that will translate to is "I visited a planet today and this time the dinosaurs had three ears instead of the regular two", that isn't going to cut it for me personally.
I just get the sense that a lot of people who are hyped for NMS are going to pick it up for full price in their excitement, play it for maybe a week or two, and then drop it realizing the price you pay in terms of quality content when all of it is procedurally generated. People will look back on it as that game everyone was super excited for for years during the PS4/XB1 generation of consoles and then it didn't live up to expectations.
I hope it turns out to be a great game and is priced reasonably so it is financially successful, but that's the vibe I'm getting from it right now. Then again, I thought the same for The Division, but now that they're coming out with all of the preview content and they have a beta going on, I can see that game might actually have legs, and I'm pretty excited about that considering I had zero expectations before. Only time will tell, I suppose.
Probably somewhere around The Witness's price point.
Then you probably should have said 'It needs more to keep me playing' in the first place, instead of 'It needs more to keep people playing', which is what people were debunking in the first place.
Then you probably should have said 'It needs more to keep me playing' in the first place, instead of 'It needs more to keep people playing', which is what people were debunking in the first place.
Look at it this way; there are 155+ million gamers in America, compared to 230 million movie goers. Film's have two-tiered releases: theatrical, then a home release. Films aren't seeking a single movie ticket, they're vouching for the whole auditorium, ranging from 75 seats (for small indies), and the 600 stadium seater (for a blockbuster).
If you want the wall-to-wall screen and the best sound quality, then yes, you pay a little extra.
But make no mistake, some indies release in state-of-the-art arthouse theatres where they jack up the price. Film festivals also have higher priced tickets. Indies also stay in theatres for a month or two, whereas blockbusters can remain for up to 6-7 months.
But that's for film, because the gaming industry is different. However, both industries have a ceiling in their respective field; for film it's the cost of your local IMAX; for games, it's the 60 dollar retail price, that you pay once.
Icyflamez96
Member
It's not that weird or surprising though. A big reason why the stigma exists is because indie games tend to be priced on the lower end, and have for a long time. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to have had that expectation, but what comes off as an active resistance against the idea that indie games have a right to be priced at 40 or 60 is a bit tiring. NMS comes off as an indie game to a lot of people (although it's debatable whether it should actually still be considered one or not) so the stigma hits this too. It won't really go away until indies continue to chip away at those expectations for long enough until it becomes the norm to people.
Ninja Scooter
Member
"I'm scared this game which I haven't played might cost as much as other games"
CarbonFire
Member
There's only one server as far as we know(Atlas), it's just for storing the location/name/configuration of all the player discoveries. The entire game can be played offline, unless they've changed that since they went radio dark again.
Rising_Hei
Member
My take:
30 $ digital
40 $ retail with some extra stuff, like some art and a OST CD
60 $ Limited edition with an space ship figurine
Minecraft launched @ 20 $ and it did pretty well, it doesn't need to be expensive even if it has a good online component to do greatly
30 $ digital
40 $ retail with some extra stuff, like some art and a OST CD
60 $ Limited edition with an space ship figurine
Minecraft launched @ 20 $ and it did pretty well, it doesn't need to be expensive even if it has a good online component to do greatly
Dr_LucienSanchez
Banned
This thread has now provided us with the notion of hipster games. I think it's served its purpose.
Oh, and the idea that a game's price should correspond with the size of the dev team. Man, we're apparently getting a good deal on those Assassin's Creed games, if that's the case.
Oh, and the idea that a game's price should correspond with the size of the dev team. Man, we're apparently getting a good deal on those Assassin's Creed games, if that's the case.
Fushichou187
Member
I'd say $60 if it has a retail release; look for the digital price to have parity.
This is also totally acceptable. I gotta think Sony is going to want to pack in a title with a lot of buzz with PSVR and NMS seems like a great fit.
Opinions and all but this is gross, OP.
So what you're saying is that you'd only really pick it up if it went on sale? This is a completely rational and understandable stance. Far more so than the "indies can't be priced above X amount" line of thinking.
lol or even "i'm scared this independently developed game's value proposition far outstrips this AAA game I pre-ordered so I could get a skin unlock for my gun and some premium in-game currency".
This is also totally acceptable. I gotta think Sony is going to want to pack in a title with a lot of buzz with PSVR and NMS seems like a great fit.
Opinions and all but this is gross, OP.
So what you're saying is that you'd only really pick it up if it went on sale? This is a completely rational and understandable stance. Far more so than the "indies can't be priced above X amount" line of thinking.
lol or even "i'm scared this independently developed game's value proposition far outstrips this AAA game I pre-ordered so I could get a skin unlock for my gun and some premium in-game currency".
People complain about western AAA titles being the same recycled shit year after year, but expect indie devs to take risks with increasingly complicated and expensive games for $15-20 MSRP.
If we want diversity in the gaming industry, we need to stop valuing the logo of a "real" publisher on the start up screens over everything else in a game. I don't see people suggesting that most Japanese games should be sold at $15-20, and we are getting to the point where things like The Witness and No Man's Sky have bigger budgets than your typical JRPG.
If an independently developed game is offering a full game experience (IE not something that can be finished in 4-5 hours), I don't see an issue with charging $40+.
If we want diversity in the gaming industry, we need to stop valuing the logo of a "real" publisher on the start up screens over everything else in a game. I don't see people suggesting that most Japanese games should be sold at $15-20, and we are getting to the point where things like The Witness and No Man's Sky have bigger budgets than your typical JRPG.
If an independently developed game is offering a full game experience (IE not something that can be finished in 4-5 hours), I don't see an issue with charging $40+.
Generalpsyduck
Banned
Lol what crawled up your ass and died?
Miles Quaritch
Member
Jesus...
hydrophilic attack
Member
It will be $60. Deal with it.
I never understood the "indie" should be cheaper idea. Do you pay less when seeing indie movies in the theater?
I believe this game will be $60.
Maybe it's because you're used to downloadable only games being cheaper and when indie games came out they didn't usually have a physical release? If if makes you feel better NMS will have a physical release.
I believe this game will be $60.
Maybe it's because you're used to downloadable only games being cheaper and when indie games came out they didn't usually have a physical release? If if makes you feel better NMS will have a physical release.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
I suspect it'll be around $40 - $60.
Generalpsyduck
Banned
If its priced at $60 it will lose sales. That's undeniable
indie games should be price lower then triple a games because they do not have the operating costs of a major studio. Also it's industry standard
It's because they've already projected their mass-appeal product will sell millions.
This will be my last post in the thread, because I've made enough points in the last page, along with other posters. Games are priced out based on fixed costs, a break-even point, and their wishful sales target. Indie games are priced lower because the amount of man hours have translated in the quality of their product. That's it. You wouldn't pay a thousand bones for a Moto X, even though it gives you the same functionalities and services; it doesn't nearly have the same amount of research and development and material cost behind it like an iPhone 6s and a Samsung Galaxy s6...
Indie games means a game developed by an independent studio, which Hello Games is entirely. That's it.
It's a holdover from early last generation when "Indie" basically meant small, arcade-esque platformer/twin stick shooter, that had 20-30 year old aesthetics and a run time of 3-6 hours. I can understand people not wanting to pay more than $15 for something like Castle Crashers, Braid, or N+. However, the larger indie development teams are moving past that, and are basically mid-tier development teams now.
funkystudent
Member
My (and I will admit completely illogical, behind the times) opinion on it is if you charge more then $30 for it then put it in a box and you can charge anything up to 60.
I am a old man and I still feel iffy about spending more then $20 on a game that isnt in a box. With time I know I will get over it. I aint over it yet.
I am a old man and I still feel iffy about spending more then $20 on a game that isnt in a box. With time I know I will get over it. I aint over it yet.
paragonpro
Banned
Id pay 60
I'm a budget gamer. We all can't pay $60 for every great game that comes out.
Yea, I kind of realized half way through that I was describing personal needs rather than everyone else's.
GribbleGrunger
Dreams in Digital
If it's a great game, even those that say they won't buy it will buy it.
PrinceOfWhatever
Banned
it'll be free with PS Plus.
I despise LEs and trinkets as a rule, but I'd probably helicopter punch my way through a queue of innocent children to get one for NMS. And I'd pay 90AUD.