PC Modern Warfare 2 = $59.99

[Evil Avatar]

http://evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/modernwarfare2_logo.jpg

A few Eagle Eyed readers have noticed that the PC version (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00267S2A0?ie=UTF8&tag=evilavatarcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00267S2A0) of Activision's new shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, will retail at $59.99 the same as its console partners. You can pick it up at a slightly cheaper $49.82 from Walmart.com (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11332037) with a $10 gift card.

Welcome to the party, Pal!

[Earth Djinn]

Just wait for some PC gamers with a sense of entitlement to come in here.

Maybe they can start a petition to go alongside the 'Boycott L4D2' one they made.

[swiftdraw]

Meh, whatever. I'll just wait for the price to drop or a Steam weekend deal.

[randir14]

Over the next few months there will be Borderlands, Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age, Alpha Protocol...yeah I think I'll be able to wait until the price goes down.

[Bludgums]

Meh, whatever. I'll just wait for the price to drop or a Steam weekend deal.

That's how I plan to "petition", with my wallet.

[Itchyeyes]

Just wait for some PC gamers with a sense of entitlement to come in here.
There's certainly going to be an outcry. I can't say that in this case I think it's completely unjustified though (and I generally fall on the "stop being such a whiny bitch" side of pricing discussions). Most PC gamers are of the hardcore variety and are aware that the reason their games cost $10 less is because there's no platform holder to pay a fee to. Those people are going to see this for what it is, Activision pumping up their profit margin for no other reason than they think they can get away with it (Imagine the outcry, for instance if Microsoft decided to sell a Halo game at $70 just for funsies).

Personally, I think this is going to come back and bite Activision in the ass. Not necessarily because of self-righteous PC gamers and their indignation, but because this is the holiday season in hard economic times, and there will be plenty of other hot new AAA games on the PC platform all available for about 20% less.

[Venkman]

Activision sucks balls. I hope this bites them in the ass.

[AversionFX]

Definitely going to wait on a price drop. No way in hell I'm going to pay ~$66 dollars for a game. Although, admittedly, with Borderlands on the horizon, I wasn't entirely interested in this. The $60 price point for the PC version seems like a really bad move, and I also hope it bites them in the ass.

[Demo_Boy]

The "high" price for PC MW2 is a good thing.

Players will buy other games - distributing much needed cash amongst more developers is a good thing at the moment.

Thank you Activision for gouging those MW2 whores.

Now if we could only get WOW to increase their prices the PC industry might get revived off the operating table.

[felix]

I'm sure if this sells well - and it will - we can plan on seeing more price hikes from them in the future. I was planning on picking this up, but I will wait until there is a good deal somewhere. I've got tons of stuff to play as it is, and I don't need this on day 1.

I'm sure if they lowered the price instead of raising it, they would see an increase of sales, that would increase their profit by a percentage.

[ÜberJumper]

It's too bad there's not a MW2 ultimate edition that has both a PC and 360 version in it (and Night vision goggles) like Dragon's Age.

I'd shell out megabucks for that... especially if you could rank up in one MP version and have it cross over to the other. Only reason I haven't bought the 360 version of CoD4 is because I don't want to level up all over again :-(

[Ulysses]

Amazing how disliking the pricing of something translates into entitlement.

[Judas]

This is great bad press for a transparently greedy company like Activision. Sure they'll sell lots of units regardless, but pirates will get more motivation undoubtedly. There's too many games on the horizion to get hyped over one game out of 5 comming down the chute that look great as well.

Seeing as how it costs as little as 10 dollars to bulk manufacture and ship these products to market, this price increase is an insult. No wonder Gaming is out pacing Hollywood Movie ticket sales.

Keep in mind, this is still another shooter. It's alot of hype that marketing experts force feed the internet that preys on unwary minds. I can wait for another shooter just fine really!

[Banlauk]

I would like to think that I would hold out for a price break, but... I have a job, I love CoD, and it's 10 measly bucks.

[Jotoco]

I have COD5 and really didn't like it half as much as COD4.

I will wait until it is about half that price, then I buy it.

[Itchyeyes]

Amazing how disliking the pricing of something translates into entitlement.
This is the Internet. Your only available stances in a discussion like this are

a) Communist - Intellectual property rightfully belongs to the masses. Any effort to charge for such a thing is a corruption of the natural order.

or

b) Corporate shill - The only conceivable way that you could consider higher prices reasonable is if that you are yourself benefiting from said revenues.

If you choose to deviate from either perspective, we will assign one to you and interpret anything you say in such a light.

[Judas]

your value of money is what these companies love about you.

[AversionFX]

I have COD5 and really didn't like it half as much as COD4.

I will wait until it is about half that price, then I buy it.

Considering COD4 is still ~$40, you're going to be waiting a while before MW2 is at a half-price. Also, the devs who made COD4/MW2, are not the same devs who made World at War.

[Zander]

I have COD5 and really didn't like it half as much as COD4.

I will wait until it is about half that price, then I buy it.

Nothing like making a misinformed decision.

[Johan]

Amazing how disliking the pricing of something translates into entitlement.

Well, you don't own the product/IP, and if you think you deserve it for a lower price, that's the very definition of entitlement.

Now, if you merely dislike the price, while recognizing that they can price it however they wish as they own it, and you simply decide to not buy it at all or to wait for a price drop, then you're exercising your right as a consumer.

So...pick one!

[swiftdraw]

On further reflection, I've got a prediction to make just so its on record.

The price hike will cause lower sales and slightly higher piracy rates for the PC version, causing Activison to officially say supporting PC games is no longer profitable. Bobby Kotick may or may not release some inflammatory statement to coincide with this. Support and AAA games go exclusive to consoles (with possible ports to PC later, little to no support) and PC fanboys riot all over the intertubes.

Also, is it just me, or is EvAv loading slow today?

[Syl]

I might still bite, i guess i'll see what it costs for steam pre-orders and then go from there...

[oldjadedgamer]

This has been known for over a month now. It's been up on Amazon's website for this price as soon as it went up.

[lockwoodx]

That's how I plan to "petition", with my wallet.

Me too. Part of the reason PC games are cheaper is because you don't have to pay the console manufacturers any fees to develop for their system. When a publisher gets greedy in the pc market the reception is always a cold one at best.

Hell even Halo was cheaper on the PC and we all know how greedy Micro$oft can be with XBL and DCL fees. That should be a clear indication Modern Warfare 2 is well beyond a tolerable price range.

[Darcydian]

Fuck it, buying it, I'd rather pay 10$ more for games I know I will like that shit I play once if even finish it. I will be playing the ever loving crap out of this i'll just skip whatever crap they try and throw at me at the box office in Nov
Love
Darc

[Sasori the Medic]

Aren't the map packs and things free for PC users? If they release just 3 packs, then overall you're still saving money.

[ÜberJumper]

Yup, the map packs are free for PC users... or were with Cod4/5 anyway.

I don't get the PC rage here... the Console price will be the same right? So you get it on PC or console, what's the big deal? If you want this title you have to shell out. Why are people thinking that a good PC game (which MW2 will be) should cost less?

I've got hundreds of hours of playtime out of CoD4. If they'd charged 120 bucks for it, it'd still be a deal, and I'd HAPPILY pay it.

If MW2 was going to be as good as MW, but with more stuff (mp features, maps, etc), I'd shell out 100+ bucks for it without hesitation.

[blackzc]

Just wait for some PC gamers with a sense of entitlement to come in here.

Maybe they can start a petition to go alongside the 'Boycott L4D2' one they made.

The price is annoying but if i was a big COD fan ib be all over it. I will boycott an FPS that have so much crap going on at one time you cant possible know what to do next, duck shooting range popup guys and guns that jab your skull and shake the whole screen when you pull the trigger....im not a COD fan. Ill just go play some sandbox mod.

[E Huntington]

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to buy it. Not for awhile at least. I'm sick of paying $60 for 8 hour games. Yeah, there's MP, but I don't care enough about that. Maybe if I could spend $20 on just the single player...

[gdawg27]

This isn't surprising. Activision always jacks up their major PC releases 10 bucks.

[Frogleg Special]

+$10 for the game, yet free for all future PC DLCs will not sound that bad.

[Jotoco]

Nothing like making a misinformed decision.

If waiting to make a decision is a misinformed decision then I'm guilty.

I am very aware they are not developed by the same company, their logos are shown each and everytime I play either. But I know they have similarities enough to base one on the other and wait to see the result.

And even if it results in a game as polished as COD4, then I will wait for it to hit a discount and then buy it. Otherwise I'm not even buying it.

[ElfShotTheFood]

I remember when Return to Castle Wolfenstein was selling new for $80 + tax. To this very day a friend who bought it at that price reminds of how much he paid for it at least once a week. ;)

[kickmybum]

This is a smart move by them. Everyone knows MW2's meow is it's online multiplayer... which essentially prevents piracy... which is one of the main influences behind the lower price point on the PC.

[lockwoodx]

+$10 for the game, yet free for all future PC DLCs will not sound that bad.

Or buy the game for 40$ just as the future DLCs are being released. Or buy them in a bundle for even less.

60$ now is just fleecing sheeple.

[brutalus7]

I can't say this was really unexpected - frankly, I'm surprised that it took this long. When 360 games started being common at $60 a pop, I thought for sure it would be 6 months before PC games followed suit. I'm happy for it to have taken 4 years. Maybe it will be on a case-by-case basis since there isn't Microsoft to regulate everything as strictly.

To the people that think PC gamers are unwarranted in their complaints: a lot of console users whined and complained when their games went to $60 with this generation's hardware. Saying that PC users feel 'entitled' to keep the $50 price point is just hypocritical. Besides, what kind of idiot is happy about paying more for anything? I understand that development prices are going up and they have to offset it somehow, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

[Itchyeyes]

I can't say this was really unexpected - frankly, I'm surprised that it took this long. When 360 games started being common at $60 a pop, I thought for sure it would be 6 months before PC games followed suit. I'm happy for it to have taken 4 years. Maybe it will be on a case-by-case basis since there isn't Microsoft to regulate everything as strictly.

To the people that think PC gamers are unwarranted in their complaints: a lot of console users whined and complained when their games went to $60 with this generation's hardware. Saying that PC users feel 'entitled' to keep the $50 price point is just hypocritical. Besides, what kind of idiot is happy about paying more for anything? I understand that development prices are going up and they have to offset it somehow, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
PC games did follow suit, they used to retail for $40 at launch. The $10 price gulf between console and PC games is because console platform holders take a cut of retail sales to the tune of ~$10. It has nothing to do with PC gamers feeling "entitled" to anything. Console games are actually more expensive for the developer to sell. This $10 price hike for MW2 is nothing but pure profit for Activision.

[BGSS]

I remember when Return to Castle Wolfenstein was selling new for $80 + tax. To this very day a friend who bought it at that price reminds of how much he paid for it at least once a week. ;)

I'm pretty sure I bought that for $50 from Babbages (now GameStop) on the day of release.

[brutalus7]

PC games did follow suit, they used to retail for $40 at launch. The $10 price gulf between console and PC games is because console platform holders take a cut of retail sales to the tune of ~$10. It has nothing to do with PC gamers feeling "entitled" to anything. Console games are actually more expensive for the developer to sell. This $10 price hike for MW2 is nothing but pure profit for Activision.

I guess there isn't a platform deduction from their profits, but what about inflation? I have no idea what it is or how long prices have been where they are at, but expecting games to stay at the same level forever seems kind of naive to me.

[Itchyeyes]

I guess there isn't a platform deduction from their profits, but what about inflation? I have no idea what it is or how long prices have been where they are at, but expecting games to stay at the same level forever seems kind of naive to me.
I don't expect them to stay at the same level, and I've always thought it was silly that games, regardless of quality or content, are expected to all launch at the same price point. My objection here is that they only bumped the price on 1 version of the game. If development costs or inflation are issues here, then why didn't Activision increase the console price as well? Especially since that's the version with the slimmest profit margin for them. This is nothing more than a money grab. Activision is betting that PC buyers will either a) be ignorant of the underlying reasons for why PC versions always sell for less, and simply assume that across the board $60 is just the fair market price for all versions, or b) won't care because MW2 is such a big name title. I think that they're underestimating their customers.

[PIPBoy3000]

Long ago I discovered that patience in PC gaming was measured in cold hard cash.

When gogamer.com lets me pick up year-old games for a fourth of the price, I hesitate to be the first kid on the block to buy a new game. There are exceptions, of course, but I'm happy playing the waiting game for most things.

[brutalus7]

I don't expect them to stay at the same level, and I've always thought it was silly that games, regardless of quality or content, are expected to all launch at the same price point. My objection here is that they only bumped the price on 1 version of the game. If development costs or inflation are issues here, then why didn't Activision increase the console price as well? Especially since that's the version with the slimmest profit margin for them. This is nothing more than a money grab. Activision is betting that PC buyers will either a) be ignorant of the underlying reasons for why PC versions always sell for less, and simply assume that across the board $60 is just the fair market price for all versions, or b) won't care because MW2 is such a big name title. I think that they're underestimating their customers.

You're probably right. I'd hate to see something like this lead to no more PC Call of Duty games because of poor sales though, that would be pretty lame. If it were $60 or no PC version at all, I would rather pay the extra $10.

[Silent1]

not too surprising, this game is going to sell anyway; hopefully steam will have a good deal.

[Sasori the Medic]

I guess there isn't a platform deduction from their profits, but what about inflation? I have no idea what it is or how long prices have been where they are at, but expecting games to stay at the same level forever seems kind of naive to me.

What's naive? You act like the volume of video game sales has been stagnant for 20 years. As more and more people get into this now multi-billion dollar industry, the more revenue the developers and publishers get. If just as many people were playing video games now as there were in 1985, you'd have a point. But that's not the case.

[Chaos Machine]

Just wait for some PC gamers with a sense of entitlement to come in here.

Maybe they can start a petition to go alongside the 'Boycott L4D2' one they made.

sense of entitlement? fuck you, publishers rationalised that the 10 dollar price premium on console games was to cover the cost of having to learn the new hardware. if you are going to lambast me and other pc gamers for getting hot and bothered about this you can go back to sucking the console cock.

For the record I have owned at one point in time a ds, psp(stolen), wii(stolen), 360, and ps3. Given that my platform of choice is still the PC. Nothing can touch its multiplayer and modding community.

[Blog]

Johan... I love you, man.Well, you don't own the product/IP, and if you think you deserve it for a lower price, that's the very definition of entitlement.

Now, if you merely dislike the price, while recognizing that they can price it however they wish as they own it, and you simply decide to not buy it at all or to wait for a price drop, then you're exercising your right as a consumer.

So...pick one!

[defiant]

sense of entitlement? fuck you, publishers rationalised that the 10 dollar price premium on console games was to cover the cost of having to learn the new hardware. if you are going to lambast me and other pc gamers for getting hot and bothered about this you can go back to sucking the console cock.

For the record I have owned at one point in time a ds, psp(stolen), wii(stolen), 360, and ps3. Given that my platform of choice is still the PC. Nothing can touch its multiplayer and modding community.

+1 for the chaos man! :D

[Mantooth]

Considering COD4 is still ~$40, you're going to be waiting a while before MW2 is at a half-price. Also, the devs who made COD4/MW2, are not the same devs who made World at War.

COD4 was discounted like crazy the Christmas it was released at several stores. Consoles and PC version. I paid either $34.99 or $39.99 for the 360 version at Best Buy some time in December. He won't have to wait long at all.

[PopoWRX]

I liked MW1 but not so much to pay $59.99 for it. Plenty of other PC games to occupy my time with.