While THQ CEO Brian Farrell believes that the future could bring lower costs for console games, that seemingly bright prospect contains a bit of a catch for consumers.

Speaking at a recent Goldman Sachs conference, Farrell, as reported by CVG, sees console games eventually selling for between $29 to $39 at retail, but those would be basic or stripped down versions of games, with—of course—extra content available from paid downloadable content.

THQ will experiment with just this kind of concept on its upcoming MX vs ATV title. As Farrell noted, “In the past, we've seen that we bring the game out at $59.99 and it does reasonably well - around one million, or one million-and-a-half units.”

He continued, “When we lower the price to a mass market price the thing really jumps... So what we're doing this time is we're coming out initially with a smaller game at a lower price point - the $29 to $39 range.”

Namco Bandai Partners Vice President Olivier Comte has called for a worldwide summit of game companies in order to address the price of games and to explore new business models.

Speaking to MCV, Comte noted that other types of media have more than one way to procure income; music has physical media sales and live events, while movies are similar, with disc-based offerings in addition to the cinema. Games, meanwhile, “… just have one model, the sale of the product either as a box or a digital download. So we need to think about how we can develop a secondary business model.”

Comte continued:

I am convinced that in the future we must change the price of video games – they’re too expensive for the audience. With the cost of development and the retail margins, £40 (approximately $58.00 U.S.) is a fair price [to us], but for the consumer it is too much.

In response to a consumer suing retailer GameStop over the code for free downloadable content from a used game already being used (by the original purchaser), UK retailer GAME has taken a proactive step to avoid sharing a similar fate with its U.S.-based counterpart.

According to MCV, GAME has fashioned warning stickers that will warn potential purchasers to check with a store’s staff for more information on the availability of a used game’s downloadable content.

This solution, a GAME spokesperson told MCV, would allow the staff to “explain clearly the difference so that our customers understand the benefits of buying both pre-owned and mint [new].”

GAME started using the stickers in its stores last week.


Thanks Andrew!

Since its launch, Assassin's Creed 2 for the PC has been beset by server issues and outages so severe that Ubisoft is trying to make it up to their "patient" fans.

According to a story on Gameindustry.biz, users have gotten emails from Ubisoft offering free DLC for the game. If players bought the collector's edition, which already had the DLC, they are being offered a free downloadable game from the list of Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, Heroes over Europe, Tom Clancy's EndWar and Prince of Persia.

The server problems apparently have been caused by hackers upset with Ubisoft's new DRM policy. According to the story:

If downloadable content released on a game’s launch day gets under your skin, what would you say to paid DLC issued before a boxed game hits the market place.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter was the recipient of some inside news from Visceral Games (an Electronic Arts studio) Senior VP and Group General Manager Nick Earl, and he spilled to GamesIndustry.biz about the plans, which would involve the monetization of “very long game demos,” like EA's 2009 release Battlefield 1943. The $10 or $15 “long demo” would then be followed at some point by the full packaged game.

Pachter offered a further explanation:

Think about Battlefield 1943 as the prototype, so a full (but short) game experience for a reasonable price. At the same time, an expanded version of the game will be under development for release as a packaged product.

Poking, prodding and massaging NPD U.S. videogame sales data, Gamasutra has arrived at the conclusion that the average owner of a console version of Call of Duty: World at War spent $9 on downloadable content.

DLC packs were released in March, June and August of this year with a price of $10 apiece. 6.5 million packs had been sold as of August, with the author rounding up to 7.0 million in order to make sales current. Based on estimates of an analyst, it was estimated that 65% of the 7.0 million DLC sales were within the U.S., meaning an approximate $45.0 million in additional revenue for Activision Blizzard stateside.

The average price paid for World at War was $56.00, adding in the total spent on DLC brings the total average price spent to $65.00, increasing revenue per software unit by 15% (with reduced overhead), ensuring that DLC is not going away anytime soon:

With Modern Warfare 2 expected to best World at War's 11 million units in sales, it seems certain that consumers will again be tempted with paid DLC throughout 2010 as Activision Blizzard attempts to maximize its revenue per sale.

Gamers who live in the state of New York are already experiencing a benefit from President Obama's recently-passed stimulus package.

CNN reports that New York has scrapped a plan to tax digital downloads such as iTunes music and video game DLC.

Instead, Gov. David Paterson and New York legislators will utilize $1.3 billion in stimulus money to help balance the state budget.

If you live in Wisconsin, that Xbox 360 DLC you've got your eye on is about to get 5% pricier. Ditto for that PC game you're considering downloading from Steam.

The Spectator reports that Gov. Jim Doyle (D, left) has signed into law a measure that will impose a 5% sales tax on digital goods. In addition to game content, things such as music, movies, digital books and ringtones will be affected.

State Rep. Scott Suder, a Republican, was among those who opposed the new tax:

It's basically taxing students to fill in the Doyle budget shortfall, and I think that's unfair.

Wisconsin officials estimate that the levy will raise approximately $10.9 million between 2009 and 2011.

 

The mainstream is beginning to react to the news that GTA IV add-on The Lost and Damned features a moment of full frontal male nudity.

Watchdog group Common Sense Media has now weighed in on the controversy:

It is even more controversial than its predecessors because this game has full frontal male nudity. The game lets you lead a life of crime as part of a motorcycle gang with plenty of gang violence... relentless foul language, drugs and alcohol, and sexual references...

Families can talk about why Rockstar likes to push the envelope and garner controversy over its games? Why did they have to put full-frontal nudity in the game if it's not integral to the story? Do they correlate media outrage with extraordinary game sales? Do players expect Rockstar to stir up controversy with each of its titles, including the Manhunt and Bully series?...

Kotaku reports that Japanese publisher Daletto is offering what appears to be a Barack Obama figure as downloadable content for its Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation, a PC game.

The Obama figure and other DLC characters are available as part of a Valentine's Day update.