Activision Calls for Console Price Cuts

[Emabulator]

Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick told Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aev9VBdJU9tQ&refer=asia) he was disappointed not to see aggressive price cutting by the console manufacturers at E3.

“I was disappointed not to see any sort of aggressive price cutting,” Kotick said. “Of all the things that the hardware companies need to be doing right now, it’s recognizing the difficulties of the economy and pricing their hardware appropriately.”

Kotick joins GameStop Corp.’s Daniel DeMatteo, head of the world’s largest video-game retailer, in saying prices are too expensive to attract consumers during the global economic slump. Worldwide shipments of game consoles and handheld players will probably fall more than 7 percent in the year ending March 2010, the first annual drop in six years, according to UBS AG.

“As the macro economy gets worse this year compared to last year, it’s hard to boost sales of game consoles without a price cut,” Eric Lee, a Tokyo-based analyst for Barclays Capital said by telephone today. “Expectation for an announcement of price cuts had risen before the E3 show.”

[via Edge Online (http://www.edge-online.com/news/activision-%E2%80%9Cdisappointed%E2%80%9D-not-to-see-console-price-cuts)]

[grognard66]

I'm disappointed that Kotick keeps charging $60 for games in this recession - particularly when most of them are Guitar Hero cash in's. He could probably charge less for games if he didn't sue the same developers he tossed out on the street after realizing you could make money on good games without exploiting the franchise.

I wonder if he said this with a straight face while knowing that he's charging $120 for yet another Tony Hawk game...

[drakkarim]

ditto, god forbid games drop in price, its obviously the fault of the consoles themselves. idiots.

[Vandenh]

QFT. Nuff said.

[solinari6]

QFT. Nuff said.
Doesn't Quoting For Truth usually involve quoting something?
;)

[nophex]

The price of all three consoles is much more appropriate than the price of software imo.

[drakkarim]

Doesn't Quoting For Truth usually involve quoting something?
;)

unless the QFT here stands for "Quite Fracking True", used interchangeably i believe, with the correct meaning implied by what precedes the acronym, if anything.

[Demo_Boy]

Next up: Kotick sues every person who ever walked into gamestop without buying an Activision game.

"He looked at Guitar Hero. That's got to be worth something"

[Meusli]

Well the most obvious statements have been made so I will move on to the next thread. :p

[suVa]

I've got 2 of the 3 consoles but I'm fairly sure I've only bought 1 or 2 games this year. I've bought probably ten games on steam though.

Drop the price of the software, then he can talk.

[brandonjclark]

It makes perfect business sense for him to say that. Why you ask?

Well, if he can get console manufacturers to lower prices (won't happen because of him but play along) then figure in one or two titles a year for those people, chances are one of those titles purchased would be a big-name pub like himself.

So, like I said, it makes sense he would want lower console prices, although lower software costs are what would really help the public.

[Nominal]

Hey, Activision, remember how we used to hang out back in the day? You know, River Raid, Pitfall! Spider Fighter, Keystone Capers? Look, I know Kaboom got really difficult really fast but it doesn't mean it had to turn you into such an all-around prick. Jeez.

[fable2323]

The consoles need to drop in price. The PS3 is still way too expensive, the Wii has been on the market for 3 years and has not seen a price cut yet and the 360 could benefit from it as it will help move more consoles. The more consoles out there, the more chances you have to sell your game. Seriously, if the PS3 were $199 how many of those sitting on the fence would be willing to pick one up? Probably lots of folks.

[Hagetaka]

Pot, I have someone I would like you to meet....

[Phread]

After Activision's latest stunt (lawsuit to block release of Brutal Legend) I can't help but get angry every time Kotick says something, even if it's something I would normally agree with. Activision needs to get a new spokesman without a history of sticking his foot in his mouth at every opportunity.
Yes, I'd like to see cheaper consoles. When Kotick says it, it doesn't seem like as good an idea for some reason.