It's insane (and also a complete failure to understand the difference between the traditional handheld gaming and mobile gaming markets).
Video Game News and Miscellany
- Thread starter figmentPez
- Start date
Not really. Developers who aren't Squenix are looking at it and saying, "how can we add additional content that 5% of our users will happily spend $50 on without pissing off the other 95% of our users whose opinions and social networks provide the basis for maximizing our install funnel that turns the 5% $50-spenders into the 10% $100 spenders?"
Squenix is just putting stuff out at $16-20 or more.
Sure, if you could hypothetically release a AAA console/PC title on mobile with little-to-no decrease in experience, you might be able to sell at comparative prices. Vita/3DS makes this seem unlikely, though.
figmentPez
Staff member
I would love to play Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, but I've yet to see it at a reasonable price. The cost of all the chunks in the Wii Shop was like $40, and that's pretty ridiculous for a mobile game with a lot of recycled content.
Square's always been like this. When Chrono Trigger first came out on SNES, it was eighty dollars.
Worth.every.penny.
Oh I agree, I worked a summer job to afford it. But Square's never really been in touch with the economy, I don't think.
League of Legends is the perfect example of how to make microtransactions work without people feeling swindled. Game's free, and there's a rotation of playable characters working like free samples. Sales all the time, and an alternate form of currency earned by just playing the game. If more companies tried this model I bet they'd see a lot more success.
Awesomenauts is exactly the same way and I'm loving it.
figmentPez
Staff member
At least that reflected a greater financial risk on Square's part. Getting cartridges with large ROMs onto store shelves was not an insignificant investment. Getting a mobile phone game using mostly recycled sprites out to an app store is almost negligible by comparison.
Indie game market's going to do better as the big stuff goes downhill. See Kickstarter thread.
GasBandit
Staff member
Is that a sequel or DLC for the original?
Full on sequel, I think.
I hate to tell you this, mate, but you're doing it wrong.
...
What?
Atlus has announced Shin Megami Tensei IV, a sequel to Nocturne (which I sadly never played). There's a Japanese trailer. I can't understand a word of it, but the music and visuals gave me chills.
I'm a little iffy about them charging $50 for a 3DS game though. The handhelds have been consistently $40 or less.
I'm a little iffy about them charging $50 for a 3DS game though. The handhelds have been consistently $40 or less.
The first 40 seconds had me convinced this was a Legend of Korra game
GasBandit
Staff member
Disney has closed LucasArts. What high hopes we had, and how violently they have been dashed.
Screw you Disney!
But LA hasn't made a decent game in like, a decade. Sad for the employees, but if this means decent studios have a shot at the license, I'm okay with it. Plus most times when a studio shuts down, others are more than happy to snag the resulting job seekers.
I'm sort of on the fence about this too. It wouldn't make sense for Disney to close them down this fast without some good reason. Perhaps the corporate culture had gotten so bad that Disney decided they needed a new slate/atmosphere to recreate the Lucas magic? We'll see....
