Sony is one of several companies that has raised prices for its games with the onset of a new generation of consoles, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the $60 price that has been an industry standard for a while is soon going to go up to $70. Sony first party games like Demon’s Souls and Sackboy: A Big Adventure have launched at that price tag- but those in the UK have had to shell out £70 for the same products, which, considering currency conversation rates, is a little ridiculous, converting to over $90.
According to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, however, that’s a fair price. Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, when asked if he thinks £70 for Demon’s Souls is a fair price, Ryan said, “Yes, yes, I do. If you measure the hours of entertainment provided by a video game, such as Demon’s Souls compared to any other form of entertainment, I think that’s a very straightforward comparison to draw.”
Recently, in fact, reports emerged that Sony had actually considered setting prices at higher than $70, before settling on that price. Ryan, though, says that report is “categorically false.”
“I can say that that report that we were considering higher prices for first party games is categorically false,” he said.
The question of game prices and what’s deemed fair and what isn’t is going to be a pertinent one for a long time, but it’s worth mentioning again that UK audiences do seem to be getting the short end of the stick here, keeping currency conversion rates in mind. Whether or not this is something Sony will take into account with its pricing strategy going forward remains to be seen- let’s hope they do.
