Why are game download services so expensive?

Raumarik · 25 Apr 2009 at 18:34

Trying to find Grid at a decent price, cheapest I can find it online is £9.99 inc delivery, but I always prefer digital download. Cheapest there is £19.99.

I can't see why the download should be more than the actual media+manual+p&p

Just checked and it's a similar story with other games!

smithy83 · 25 Apr 2009 at 18:39

because if the games where cheaper on download services retail wont stock the game

NightSt@lk3r · 25 Apr 2009 at 18:45

Because bandwidth is expensive.

Raumarik · 25 Apr 2009 at 18:45

Music sales are cheaper online, the companies running retail outlets also offer online services so that argument doesn't really hold up mate, either way they're getting your money.

NightSt@lk3r · 25 Apr 2009 at 18:58

Kami said:
Music sales are cheaper online,

Music tracks don't come in at 2+ GB a pop though to they.

Heck a whole album usually comes in at less than 100MB from download services.

Amnesia · 25 Apr 2009 at 19:04

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18002196

Spektor · 25 Apr 2009 at 19:20

Kami said:
Music sales are cheaper online, the companies running retail outlets also offer online services so that argument doesn't really hold up mate, either way they're getting your money.

Most game publishers do one thing alone; publish - they burn a squillion discs, box them, ship them out to shops all over the world ... so when they do hand it over to digital distributors, the price is under their control and they will make sure they don't price themselves out of having a point to exist.

Impulse is about to start getting all the major publishers onboard with its platform, but you won't find any competition in prices from 3rd party publishers for the above reason.

baz047 · 25 Apr 2009 at 22:45

I prefer digital purchases as well and when they have a sale they go all out *remembers Steams christmas sale*. But usually they are expensive, COD 4 is still £35 quid on Steam...

apeZ · 25 Apr 2009 at 22:47

You could argue it the other way round as well though. Some games on Steam are FAR cheaper than their retail equivalents.

dbmzk1 · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:38

There is no reason why they are more expensive apart from greedy companies who know lazy geeks will pay so they don't have to go shopping

Goldfingers · 26 Apr 2009 at 00:04

Maby just simple supply and demand, more people buy games at the stores therefore prices are driven down lower.

HangTime · 27 Apr 2009 at 18:47

Retail games usually get slashed pretty heavily a year or so after release (possibly to clear up old stock in some cases). Digital games on the other hand don't have a 'marginal warehouse/shelf footprint' as it were, and seem to often retain stay closer to their original price.