Test Drive Unlimted 360 - $39.95

[bapenguin]

Atari sends word along that their upcoming Test Drive title for the XBox 360 will be priced at a reasonable $39.95! “Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford high price tags,” said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari. “Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited – a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media – for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users’ experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download.”

Full press release Inside (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=348984#post348984).

Great news. Hopefully the game development wasn't "budget" though.

[bapenguin]

ATARI’S TEST DRIVE UNLIMITED BREAKS NEW PRICING GROUNDs
– COMPANY ANNOUNCES US$39.95 PRICEPOINT FOR

NEXT-GENERATION TRIPLE-A RACING TITLE – GAMING EXPERIENCE EXTENDS VIA MONTHLY CAR AND MUSIC DOWNLOADS –


NEW YORK, NY, JULY 20, 2006 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world’s most recognized brands and a leading third-party video game publisher, today announced official pricing for its upcoming, highly-anticipated next-generation racing game, Test Drive Unlimited. Atari will offer Test Drive Unlimited for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for US$39.95. To further extend consumers’ gaming experiences, Test Drive Unlimited car packs featuring six or more cars, complete with genre-specific radio stations, will be available for download monthly, beginning six weeks after launch on Xbox Live Marketplace.



“Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford high price tags,” said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari. “Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited – a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media – for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users’ experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download.”



Test Drive Unlimited’s monthly car packs will feature a mixture of manufacturers and models of the world’s finest vehicles. Each downloaded car pack will also include a free radio station. Radio stations will be set according to genres, such as Rock, Blues, Electronic, R&B, Jazz, Latin, etc., and feature between 10-20 songs.



Test Drive Unlimited has been receiving accolades from industry media as one of the top racing games this decade. GameDaily declared “This is the kind of racing game I live for,” while IGN.com stated “there's no denying Test Drive Unlimited is looking like one of recent memory's most unique racers.” TeamXbox described Test Drive Unlimited as a “revolutionary online driver.” At this year’s E3, the annual video game trade show, Test Drive Unlimited received a slew of E3 nominations and awards, including both PLAY Magazine and GameTrailers.com “Best Racing Game.”



Packed with 90 vehicles, one thousand plus miles of open roads and a host of online options, Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R.: Massively Open Online Racing - the ultimate online automotive gaming experience for Xbox 360 gamers. Both online and offline gamers will experience the world’s most exotic and fastest vehicles on Test Drive Unlimited’s diverse Hawaiian roads. Gamers win races, challenges, missions and tournaments to earn credits and purchase new cars, bikes, apparel, homes and garages. Boasting huge online content, racers around the world can challenge others to join them in the virtual paradise of the game’s persistent online racing world. Players will engage in online challenges, and build communities by creating or joining exclusive members clubs to talk, trade cars, and race with other like-minded and similarly-skilled drivers in Test Drive Unlimited, one of the most comprehensive online racing experiences to date.



For more information about Test Drive Unlimited, please visit www.testdriveunlimited.com

[absolut taco]

Now I'm worried. If any game looked like it was worth $60, it was this one...

[absolut taco]

OK I get it. It looks like they will release new cars once a month. That's probably how the other $20 are made. Smart!

[Wyrm]

Yeah, I'm not too sure about this, sounds like they are merely trying to get some easy sales by making it cheaper.

[bean19]

Yeah, I'm not too sure about this, sounds like they are merely trying to get some easy sales by making it cheaper.

Oh no! Someone is pricing their product competitively to increase sales. The bastards!

Great news IMO, though I won't directly benefit. I'm not a racing game fan. I buy the Burnout games and they scratch what little racing itch I possess AND they have other awesome features like Road Rage and Crash Mode. :)

[jacktion]

It is worrisome that they price it this way. Usually that is an indicator of a lack of confidence on the part of the publisher. It doesn't bode well for Test Drive.
On the flip side, it might be that they are experimenting with a new pricing structure and they are going to release a high quality product with less content, i.e. fewer tracks, fewer cars than most average racing games. They will then attempt to recoup development costs through the Xbox Live Marketplace by selling cars, tracks and so on. This could be an interesting development and is essentially a baby step on the road towards episodic content as a staple of game sales. It will surely be intriguing to watch this industry develop.

[MSUStud911]

I'm hoping the reasoning behind the price is in-line with what jacktion is saying. I mean if they're going to hold content back (cars, songs, etc.) to be paid for in the future, they should know off some cash from the retail price. A low price at retail means more people will buy which ensures a bigger revenue stream from Marketplace content.

As for the game itself, I tried the E3 demo and didn't like it at all. The driving felt very floaty and I had all but crossed the game off of my to-buy list. For $39.95 I may have to reconsider, pending good reviews of course.

[Morratut]

I played the demo and I didn't like it. So I take this as though it hasn't improved since the demo :D

I hope however it's just a new aggressive price point. If thats the reason then lets hope it catches on :)

[Demo_Boy]

I admit that I have been down on this game for not having that magic spark for a 60 dolla game, however this is a perfect move by the publisher.

It is _certainly_ worth 40 bux, and lopping off 20 bux to make it back on episodic content puts the choice in the consumer's hands about how much they want to spend for the game. The ball is also squarely in the developer's court to make the car packs so appealing that the masses MUST have them. Announcing the pricing structure in advance is also a great move, since it is clear that the price is being subsidized by the held back content, so we can't be too upset about the Day One marketplace content.

Provided the game comes with 90 cars as advertised, and all of the island is playable on the SKU purchase (as advertised), I think this is TOTALLY fair for the players. Conversely a scumbag move would be to release the sku with 25% of the island accessable and 20 cars and you pay extra for the rest. So we will see.

Finally, I really think this is the future of game publishing.

[cp#]

It is worrisome that they price it this way. Usually that is an indicator of a lack of confidence on the part of the publisher. It doesn't bode well for Test Drive.



Orrr maybe publishers are finally realizing that people aren't going to buy a $60 game (I know I never will). $40 is the magic price.

[Worldcrafter]

It must be nice in the land of gum drops and make-believe where you live. People apparently are willing to buy $60 games, and they're buying them by the millions.

[agentgray]

Great, just what we need.

<sarcasm>
We buy the game for $40 and maybe even $30 in the future and they nail us for $20+ on Live add-ons to complete the game.
</sarcasm>

Notice anything here? We could be paying for more than $60 a game, just through a sneaky route.

[fahrvergnugen]

I finally tried the demo last night and it was good, but not great. This price point piques my interest again.

[Xerxes]

I like the dropping the price and hoping to recoup on downloads. Like someone said it's sorta a scumy move. But I like it.

It's kinda like at a resturant, and you for tips. Lie to the people at your table, "They say we can only give one of this item per order but though in some extra." Knowing there is no limit on this item when the customer doesn't, he think you are hooking him up when you just faking niceness. Like the lady at denny's does.

I'm not on xbox 360 yet so i haven't had any first hand with the marketplace, but I don't like packs too much. It's like Ipod... Sell me car by car, decal by decal and so own. I'd also like a a game where I can by parts and switch out engines in body's and crazy shit. Customization people...

[fitbabits]

Huh! As an entry price to the world of TDU, this is pleasing.

[Kamalot]

I very much enjoyed the demo, but not $60 worth.

$40? I am so there!

Edit: While they may release additional cars that one can purchase on Marketplace, I doubt they will do that with tracks. The entire island is modeled for seamless driving. Unless they stary putting up 'toll roads' that one needs to purchase access to, the whole isdland will be driveable.

[MSUStud911]

GameTrailers (http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_testdrive_unlimited_vp_gt.wmv) has a video preview up for Test Drive if anyone wants to check it out.

[Mike Jones]

Can you say Microtransactions...substitute Horse Armor for Cars.

[MSUStud911]

Can you say Microtransactions...substitute Horse Armor for Cars.
Right. But you get a price break off of the top and a choice to buy (or not buy) the additional content. That's fine with me.

[Kamalot]

Right. But you get a price break off of the top and a choice to buy (or not buy) the additional content. That's fine with me.
Exaclty! It isn't as if they are charging $60 and then want you to buy half of the game's content. I'm all for Microtransactions if it means I can get a good game at a good price. Those that love the game can get more.

The thing is with this model, that the price of all the cars and the original game combined shouldn't equal more than $60.

[Mike Jones]

. I'm all for Microtransactions if it means I can get a good game at a good price. .

The key word is if. What if they start releasing games with half the maps, half the levels, half the weapons. I wouldn't want this to be a trend.

[UnderHero5]

Umm... when was the last time there was a good Test Drive game?

In my experience pretty much all the Test Drive games have been horrible. I don't care how pretty they make it look, as far as driving games go, they all have pretty poor gameplay.

[Kamalot]

The key word is if. What if they start releasing games with half the maps, half the levels, half the weapons. I wouldn't want this to be a trend.
Have you taken a look at the $50-$60 games out there? Most are downright crappy anyway. If I could try more games at a cheaper price and, if I like the game, unlock the rest of the content, I'd be willing to buy more games to give them a shot.

As it stands, at $60 I have to KNOW that a game will completely rock before I buy it.

[EGO]

It's so amazing to me how many "bitches" there are out there on forums. People want to string up publishers for making games cost $60, then they slam them for releasing a game at $40. WTF?!?

Seems like there's no pleasing people.

I mean, the game's gotta be better than Ridge Racer 6 or Full Auto and I know a bunch of youz guyz paid full-price for those pieces! :p

[tombofsoldier]

So much for considering getting this game, now its definite. Forza 2 and Test Drive UNLMTD? Awesome.

[SuperMonkeyFighter2]

... actually, Atari is hurting badly for cash and is counting on this title to pull them out of the crapper. Pricing it this low enhances its ability for market penetration on an otherwise unknown license (by mainstream standards)

[Royal Fool]

Can someone tell me why my post about "Atari going down the drain" was deleted? I distinctly remember it being #20 in the thread.

[Demo_Boy]

I think Full Auto rocks, and you can get it cheap now.

[Pretzel]

It's interesting to see the psychological effect of lower prices. Immediately people think the game must be lower quality.

I'm curious how retailers feel about the new price. They might not stock as many since they won't get as big a cut.

[Kamalot]

It's interesting to see the psychological effect of lower prices. Immediately people think the game must be lower quality.

I'm curious how retailers feel about the new price. They might not stock as many since they won't get as big a cut.
I don't see that at all. I've played the demo. I know what I'm getting into. I'm ready for game prices to be $40.

I've paid too much for total trash before. $50 is too expensive for 95% of the games out there. $60 is CRAZY!

[Pretzel]

I don't see that at all. I've played the demo. I know what I'm getting into. I'm ready for game prices to be $40.

I've paid too much for total trash before. $50 is too expensive for 95% of the games out there. $60 is CRAZY!

I'm not saying it's not crazy. I'm constantly annoyed when I pay $59 for a 360 game. Some comments in this thread questioned the quality if it's $40, so obviously it enters some people's minds when they buy it.

Recently I've been buying a bunch of old XBox games from Fry's for $9.99. Some old Ghost Recon's and Rainbow 6 titles, plus Thief 3 and Deus Ex:IW. That's a lot of good gameplay from several games and the total price was less than a single 360 game!

[Thenetcase]

Anyone with eyes can tell this game had very little effort put into it. It looks like a game from 3 years ago... GTA 3 looked about as good as this ... Ugh.

[Kamalot]

I'm not saying it's not crazy. I'm constantly annoyed when I pay $59 for a 360 game. Some comments in this thread questioned the quality if it's $40, so obviously it enters some people's minds when they buy it.

Recently I've been buying a bunch of old XBox games from Fry's for $9.99. Some old Ghost Recon's and Rainbow 6 titles, plus Thief 3 and Deus Ex:IW. That's a lot of good gameplay from several games and the total price was less than a single 360 game!
You took the route I usually take with games.

So few games are worth $50-$60, so why buy them at that price? I know that the price will come down, so I wait. I usually pick up titles in the $20-$30 price range, a sweet spot for games. Sometimes, I find hidden jewels in the discount bins.

I believe the president of Nintendo recently stated in an event that he'd like to see the price of games come down overall. Imagine this, instead of having a game launch at $50 and 6 months later be in the discount bin for $19, why not launch the game at $35 and keep it there for 6 months?

[Demize99]

$50 is too expensive for 95% of the games out there. $60 is CRAZY!

Crazy is that the prices have been locked at $50 for the past 25 years, when inflation alone should have driven their prices up to $74.37. Games are cheaper than ever!!!!

[Kamalot]

Crazy is that the prices have been locked at $50 for the past 25 years, when inflation alone should have driven their prices up to $74.37. Games are cheaper than ever!!!!
That's total bullshit. If inflation drove the cost of entertainment, music and movies would be more expensive. This isn't a limited resource like coal.

I still stand by my statement. $50 is too much for the vast majority of games out there and $60 is crazy.

[needoptic]

That's total bullshit. If inflation drove the cost of entertainment, music and movies would be more expensive. This isn't a limited resource like coal.

I still stand by my statement. $50 is too much for the vast majority of games out there and $60 is crazy.


:confused:

You really need to rethink what you post.
Inflation drives the depreciation of a monetary unit ($).

So if you look at x-years ago and now - the developer now gets much less pay (purchasing power, etc. etc.) per game. Then again - these things are offset by the quantity of product sold, so you can argue that.


Edit: Movies are more expensive. How old exactly are you? Everything is more expensive.

[Demo_Boy]

pretzel, i think they will stock as many as they think they will sell.
new games are almost a flat profit now.
used, thats where the big money is.