Topic: How to Make Money on Licensed Games

[Bloodworth]

This is part of a fact sheet sent out today for Shrek the Third. (bold mine)

Quote
Developer: Amaze Entertainment (PlayStation 2, Wii, PSP)
7 Studios (Xbox360 and PC)
Vicarious Visions (GBA and Nintendo DS)

Release Date: May 2007

Platform: PlayStationÒ2 computer entertainment system/Xbox 360Ò video game system from Microsoft/Nintendo WiiÔ/Nintendo DSÔ/Game BoyÒ Advance PlayStation® Portable system/PC

Suggested Retail Price:
$49.99 (Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii)
$39.99 (PS2, PSP)
$29.99 (GBA, NDS)
$19.99 (PC)

I am pretty sure that the 360 version of the game won't be too different from the PC version.  So basically Activision gets $30 free from anyone that buys it on 360.  

[Bill Aurion]

But, but...DOES THE PC VERSION HAVE HD!?

[Shecky]

yes

[Bill Aurion]

[NWR_pap64]

Isn't this the case with nearly all PC games, though?

I've noticed that some well known PC games are cheaper than their console ports.

[ShyGuy]

With a PC games, you don't have testers, you just release it as-is and patch it later. Saves big $$$

[UncleBob]

Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
With a PC games, you don't have testers, you just release it as-is and promise to patch it later. Saves big $$$

Fix'd

[IceCold]

And no licensing fees.

[KDR_11k]

Rayman Raving Rabbids had a similar price distribution, 60€ for the Wii, 30€ for the PC.

[BranDonk Kong]

There's also about 500 PCs out there for every Xbox 360. Of course I can't imagine this game selling more than 5 or 6 copies on the PC anyway.

[KDR_11k]

Out of those 500 PCs 5 can run games. Of course the PC still has a larger userbase as evident by the shelf space allocations in stores* (PC sections are usually twice as large as PS2 sections).

*=May not apply to backwater countries like the USA.

[Bloodworth]

lol, here the PC games section is some tiny little shelf in the corner with action figures on the other side.  Console games cover the rest of the store.

[KDR_11k]

That's why Americans constantly whine about the death of the point and click adventure, their stores just don't stock them.

[S-U-P-E-R]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
That's why Americans constantly whine about the death of the point and click adventure, their stores just don't stock them.

I'm also pretty sure that most of them were horrible

[KDR_11k]

Naah, they literally claim those games don't exist. It also seems like most P&Cs get released half a year or a whole year later in the US than in Europe.