Sony is running a large-scale A/B price test in the PlayStation Store: over 150 games across 68 regions. Including first-party hits — Spider-Man 2, HELLDIVERS 2, God of War. Discounts up to 17.6%.
Being transparent about stable prices without shady experiments is the first step of trust. Years ago Steam got rid of dynamic prices during sales, where prices during sales for games would change. While not exactly the same thing as Sony does, its still good we got stable and reliable prices.
It seems as though many people aren’t reading the article, Sony was testing lower prices for the test groups, not higher. That sounds like the opposite of price gouging to me.
So it means gamers with fomo will never get to see a sale for the games they want to play right. Since Sony knows those gamers will pay the full sticker price.
“What is the closest number to $infinity that people will still buy?”
This is what they are testing. If you care, dont buy anything over $60. $60 is the absolute maximum price anyone should be paying for a physical copy of just a game. Digital should be even less, and Collectors Editions with extra physical items can be priced higher based on the value of the extra physical items.
If you get the lower price only with the app etc. it’s a price increase for anyone without the app. When most of the users have the app and are locked in the prices get changed based on an algorithm and everybody pays more than before.
I’ve always said digital games should be discounted. I saved you the manufacturing, shipping, middle man, and warehousing costs. But I got zero discount, and the digital game can just be taken from you
I went there yesterday. The enshittificatiin is out of control. Instead of being able to sift through games, it’s all a bunch of predatory loot box-ish bullshit. Looks like it’s PC master race from here on out.
More incentive for people to go to PC and chances for Linux gaming to grow. We’ll get a Linux GOG client someday and drag EGS kicking and screaming to Linux too. Steam lets devs generate keys for free for deva to sell on other stores with no Valve cut. Bundle sites like Fanatical, Humble Bundle, Digiphile
Closed hardware platforms with closed software distribution loops are destined for enshittification
They do but that’s regional pricing, meaning that basically if the median income of a country is lower, game prices are lower as well. According to the article, that you apparently did not read, Sony is showing different prices (up to 18% lower in some cases) to different users. I take that to mean that the geographical position of the users could be the same.
It’s almost as though Valve provides a valuable service and respects their customers. Rare traits in the corporate world. Answering to a board of directors is a hell of a lot easier than answering to shareholders.
Well, the only game I was looking forward to from them was Ghost of Yotei, budt since they killed the PC port for whatever reason, i don’t even want to buy anything
If you played first Horizon but thought the second was a boring version of the first, that’s how Ghost of Yotei was for me. Assassins Creed Valhalla too. It’s like everything is the same game.
The next game from the Returnal devs will be released soon. Now that is something that sounds exciting! Returnal was amazing! I hope they port to PC.
I’m not sure I follow the dynamic pricing explanation. This article shows evidence of A/B price testing with different sized discounts, but not specifically dynamic pricing. It seems to be regional at most. If I’m missing anything let me know.
It absolutely will be used in the most shitty predatory way. They’re not going to simply delete the data and most digital marketplaces are excited at the prospect of dynamic pricing.
What i can gather from the article at the moment they are testing what is the percentage they can discount the game and make most profit still from it. I dont inherently see any proof they are aiming for full dynamic pricing.
If they give for group A, 50% discount and make 1000 sales from 70€ game they make 35 000€.
But if they give group B, 25% discount from 70€ game they make the same 35 000€ with only 667 sales.
Then they have group C as a control. If the control group will make as much money as the other groups they know for sure discounts are not good busines.
Simple so far.
After the initial numbers they most likely will follow the retention. If i were there i would follow each group weekly and take a note how much money each group generates. At this time it would be best that each group gets the same discounts and adds etc. My hypotesis would be that people who buy only games from big discounts are more unlikely to buy games at full price. Meaning that even if there were more sales there would be less income and the customers have lower CLV. It does not mean they are bad customers per se, but it would mean they are not the core customer group they should focus their effort on.
If they are doing what they are doing to figure out their audience really is, this is not predatory. A/B testing is unfortunaly the best way test it, and to company as big as Sony, the data they collect is unmeasurable in value. Everyone of us had been part if some companys A/B test at some point. Adds, news site headers, youtube videos, hell even telemarketing calls do this all the time.
Im not saying they are not looking into to dynamic pricing, but with what information the article gave me i cant say that they are.
Sorry for the long text. I wanted just to justify why i dont see this for a reason to immediadly jump in to conclusion that Sony is trying to screw everybody up.
Don’t we already have a similar thing with regional pricing?
Video games (and pretty much everything else) are sold for less in countries where the local currency is “weaker”, to maximize the profits in each market. Selling Slay the Spire 2 for ₱779.00 Philippine Peso means they get this brand new game for half the price Europeans pay for it, only difference to most other goods is that it literally is the same product.
This is justified by claiming gaming is for everyone, it would be unfair to price out entire regions simply because the average worker earns less US $ over there.
Does this not apply within countries, too? Wouldn’t it be fairer if they sold games for less in Kansas compared to New York? I get that we do not trust game publishers with this new tool, and fear they just want to get the most money out of us, but then we also need to make the same fuss about how they use the old tool to do the same thing. I for one am closer to the Japanese median income, can I pay their prices then?
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Dynamic pricing = unbridled greed
Being transparent about stable prices without shady experiments is the first step of trust. Years ago Steam got rid of dynamic prices during sales, where prices during sales for games would change. While not exactly the same thing as Sony does, its still good we got stable and reliable prices.
It seems as though many people aren’t reading the article, Sony was testing lower prices for the test groups, not higher. That sounds like the opposite of price gouging to me.
So it means gamers with fomo will never get to see a sale for the games they want to play right. Since Sony knows those gamers will pay the full sticker price.
“What is the closest number to $infinity that people will still buy?”
This is what they are testing. If you care, dont buy anything over $60. $60 is the absolute maximum price anyone should be paying for a physical copy of just a game. Digital should be even less, and Collectors Editions with extra physical items can be priced higher based on the value of the extra physical items.
If you get the lower price only with the app etc. it’s a price increase for anyone without the app. When most of the users have the app and are locked in the prices get changed based on an algorithm and everybody pays more than before.
It’s just a test. Doesn’t mean they won’t use it the other way.
Probably just seeing how much people notice and why.
Or maybe they’re testing how many more sales they make when discounting more.
Anyone dealing with Sony in anyway absolutely deserves everthing they get. Fuck Sony ten ways to forever.
Dynamic pricing for video games isn’t new. Games will charge more or less based on your location.
It’s funny how companies brazenly do this, yet there are still swaths of moron saying it’s necessary to keep the lights on.
No, dipshits. It’s necessary to maximize profit off of your stupid-asses.
I’ve always said digital games should be discounted. I saved you the manufacturing, shipping, middle man, and warehousing costs. But I got zero discount, and the digital game can just be taken from you
So what you’re saying is never use the Playstation store for any reason whatsoever.
I went there yesterday. The enshittificatiin is out of control. Instead of being able to sift through games, it’s all a bunch of predatory loot box-ish bullshit. Looks like it’s PC master race from here on out.
More incentive for people to go to PC and chances for Linux gaming to grow. We’ll get a Linux GOG client someday and drag EGS kicking and screaming to Linux too. Steam lets devs generate keys for free for deva to sell on other stores with no Valve cut. Bundle sites like Fanatical, Humble Bundle, Digiphile
Closed hardware platforms with closed software distribution loops are destined for enshittification
I wonder why steam is so successful
Integrity.
Valve does the least amount of scammy/scumbag bullshit, and they’re rewarded accordingly.
Companies like EA only want customers that have no self-respect, so that’s what they get.
Doesn’t valve also do this for different regions?
They do but that’s regional pricing, meaning that basically if the median income of a country is lower, game prices are lower as well. According to the article, that you apparently did not read, Sony is showing different prices (up to 18% lower in some cases) to different users. I take that to mean that the geographical position of the users could be the same.
Yeah I misunderstood the article
It’s almost as though Valve provides a valuable service and respects their customers. Rare traits in the corporate world. Answering to a board of directors is a hell of a lot easier than answering to shareholders.
Enshitification hasn’t struck there…yet.
Well, the only game I was looking forward to from them was Ghost of Yotei, budt since they killed the PC port for whatever reason, i don’t even want to buy anything
If you played first Horizon but thought the second was a boring version of the first, that’s how Ghost of Yotei was for me. Assassins Creed Valhalla too. It’s like everything is the same game.
The next game from the Returnal devs will be released soon. Now that is something that sounds exciting! Returnal was amazing! I hope they port to PC.
They’re still going to port it to PC.
Man people like slop games. No wonder they keep pumping them out.
Are you suggesting Ghost of Yotei is a “slop game”?
I would really love to know what isnt a slop game if that game is one
I have no idea what you are trying to say
No matter how dynamic a pricing model, five-finger discount always makes it free.
I’m not sure I follow the dynamic pricing explanation. This article shows evidence of A/B price testing with different sized discounts, but not specifically dynamic pricing. It seems to be regional at most. If I’m missing anything let me know.
Exactly what i was thinking. A/B testin is the best way to get data.
What worries me more is what they are going to do with that data and if it will lead to predatory business model or not.
It absolutely will be used in the most shitty predatory way. They’re not going to simply delete the data and most digital marketplaces are excited at the prospect of dynamic pricing.
Yes, predatory use is what i fear.
What i can gather from the article at the moment they are testing what is the percentage they can discount the game and make most profit still from it. I dont inherently see any proof they are aiming for full dynamic pricing.
If they give for group A, 50% discount and make 1000 sales from 70€ game they make 35 000€.
But if they give group B, 25% discount from 70€ game they make the same 35 000€ with only 667 sales.
Then they have group C as a control. If the control group will make as much money as the other groups they know for sure discounts are not good busines.
Simple so far.
After the initial numbers they most likely will follow the retention. If i were there i would follow each group weekly and take a note how much money each group generates. At this time it would be best that each group gets the same discounts and adds etc. My hypotesis would be that people who buy only games from big discounts are more unlikely to buy games at full price. Meaning that even if there were more sales there would be less income and the customers have lower CLV. It does not mean they are bad customers per se, but it would mean they are not the core customer group they should focus their effort on.
If they are doing what they are doing to figure out their audience really is, this is not predatory. A/B testing is unfortunaly the best way test it, and to company as big as Sony, the data they collect is unmeasurable in value. Everyone of us had been part if some companys A/B test at some point. Adds, news site headers, youtube videos, hell even telemarketing calls do this all the time.
Im not saying they are not looking into to dynamic pricing, but with what information the article gave me i cant say that they are.
Sorry for the long text. I wanted just to justify why i dont see this for a reason to immediadly jump in to conclusion that Sony is trying to screw everybody up.
testing if there is a call to boycott or people swallow it I assume
Doesn’t matter if there is boycott or not. They are letting the cat out of the bag and it’s not going back in.
This is the start of normalizing surge pricing in gaming.
Don’t we already have a similar thing with regional pricing?
Video games (and pretty much everything else) are sold for less in countries where the local currency is “weaker”, to maximize the profits in each market. Selling Slay the Spire 2 for ₱779.00 Philippine Peso means they get this brand new game for half the price Europeans pay for it, only difference to most other goods is that it literally is the same product.
This is justified by claiming gaming is for everyone, it would be unfair to price out entire regions simply because the average worker earns less US $ over there.
Does this not apply within countries, too? Wouldn’t it be fairer if they sold games for less in Kansas compared to New York? I get that we do not trust game publishers with this new tool, and fear they just want to get the most money out of us, but then we also need to make the same fuss about how they use the old tool to do the same thing. I for one am closer to the Japanese median income, can I pay their prices then?