Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

ESPN Sports Titles to Scrap $20 Price Point

Posted by Zonk on from the TINSTAAFL dept.

SansTinfoilHat writes "Gamesindustry.biz reports that 'Take-Two and partner Sega will seek to return pricing to premium levels for the next-generation console versions of [the ESPN series of sports games].' It couldn't last forever." From the article: "Most notably, [the low pricing] has put immense pressure on Electronic Arts' market-leading sports range, with the giant publisher forced to drop prices on several of its key EA Sports titles in order to compete more effectively in the run up to Christmas."

12 of 41 comments (clear)

  1. This means one of two things: by superultra · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lowering the price worked really well, or it didn't work at all. Huh.

  2. links to sales data? by mckwant · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd be really interested in seeing:
    - the sales difference between last year's ESPN titles and this years, and
    - a comparison between NFL 2k5 and Madden, which I suspect was the primary target of this ploy.

    I seem to recall that the ESPN NBA, NCAA Hoops, and possibly the NHL games got better reviews than EA's lineup, anyway.

    I know I jumped on ESPN's NFL game because of the price point, and I can't think I'm the only one.

    --
    ceci n'est pas un sig.
    1. Re:links to sales data? by angle_slam · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't have a link. But someone posted on another board that NFL doubled its sales. Unfortunately for them, that still means that Madden outsold it by 5X. The figures I recall is that for the 2004 titles (the ones released in 2003, but with the 2004 name), Madden sold about 4 million compared to 400k for Sega. For the new version, ESPN sold about 800k, with Madden projected to about hit last year's number.

    2. Re:links to sales data? by alphaseven · · Score: 2, Informative
      ESPN 2k5 sold about 800k in July alone, which was almost twice what 2k4 sold during it's entire run. We won't know for certain how many units 2k5 will sell till next year but some people are guessing based on the sales so far that they'll end up selling 3 million. So I guess it's safe to assume whatever revenue the lost per unit they will more than made up for in volume.

      See also Analyst calls ESPN pricing 'brilliant'. So I guess the lower price really worked out for them.

  3. No Way! by blueZhift · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think those ESPN people are in for a little shocker. Once you cut prices like that on a product that is not the leader in its sector, there's no going back. Madden is king, they can do what they want for the most part, but ESPN is going to find out that they can't hope to stay in the game without some kind of price advantage. Now maybe the retail price will go back to $39 or $49 with a mail in rebate or some other incentive. But toe to toe with Madden at the same price they can't make it.

    Discounts are a double-edged sword. As the auto manufacturers found out, once you start discounting, the customer expects it all of the time. When was the last time you or anyone you know bought a car that didn't have a rebate or discount financing? Only the top end can play without incentives.

    --
    To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
    1. Re:No Way! by eamonman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Madden is king, they can do what they want for the most part, but ESPN is going to find out that they can't hope to stay in the game without some kind of price advantage.
      Right. As far as I see it, I don't like the EA versions $30 more than I do the ESPN versions. But I'd say that I do like EA (especially NBA Live) maybe $10 or even $15 more than ESPN. NBA 2K5 was the first game I literally threw across the room because the controls were so damn annoying. Maybe it was because they kept throwing the fast break passes all the way back to people that weren't in the break.

      --
      0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
    2. Re:No Way! by MBCook · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The problem with the automakers is that everyone did it. So even if all 20 car makers (just a random number) went back to the old pricing structure, as long as 1 held out they were in trouble.

      In this there is only two players. There is ESPN (the old $20 people) and EA (Madden at $50 or whatever). They can raise their price. The only danger would be if Madden would be cut to $20 (never going to happen). They may lose sales for a year when people realize what happened, but after that things will stabalize and they'll be OK.

      That said, I would be suprised if Madden got discounted either before or now from it's old price. I don't know if it has already happened, but if ESPN goes back to $50 games and Madden all of a sudden goes to $40, they are in DEEP trouble (at least for football).

      This isn't like the automaker situation. This is the same as if there was only Ford and GM (and all dealerships were company owned so everyone followed company prices, no discounting or haggleing).

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    3. Re:No Way! by bigman2003 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I disagree...

      I buy football games ones every 2-3 years. And when I did (in the past) I always bought Madden. Because if I was going to pay $50, I wanted it to be something I knew would be good.

      This year I spent the $20 for NFL2K5- and I found out that I like this game a LOT more than I like Madden.

      So, next time I buy a football game (probably next gen Xbox) I will buy the Sega product- even if it is the same price.

      They have a good product, and they just needed people to try it out. Once I tried it, I found I liked it, and now I consider myself an ESPN fan, rather than a Madden fan.

      (Why do the players 'glide' so much in Madden?)

      --
      No reason to lie.
    4. Re:No Way! by Flunitrazepam · · Score: 3, Funny

      No one can compete with EA, because they spend all day sodomizing their employees with hat racks, and refuse to compensate them with anything more than gift certificates for mashed potatos from El Pollo Loco.

      --
      1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
  4. RTFA by tholomyes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you read the article, the experiment was successful, and put pressure on EA to lower their prices.

    Also in the article, they are only talking about raising prices for the next-generation consoles-- i.e. the PS3 and X-Box 2. There is no mention of what they will or will not do for the current platforms (only speculation).

    --
    When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat? -C. Palahniuk
  5. Everyone is missing the point by computertheque · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It seems like everyone skipped over an important phrase in that post:
    Next Generation Consoles

    Obviously the cost to develop for the new consoles is going to be higher, so a better return is going to be made by returning to the standard pricing method.

    This would be a bigger deal if it was happening for current game systems, but it isn't.

  6. Or it worked too well... for the consumer by MMaestro · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The $20 price tag worked, the ESPN line was able to outdo EA's line... at first. The problem is EA fought back the way it always did, by throwing money at the problem. Once all sports games hit $20, Sega's advantage was lost and any future attempts to do so again would just be responded by EA by the lowering of prices again. It was a one-shot trick which gambled on EA not being willing to lower the price so quickly.