Breakdown of Why Digital Games Cost $70, the Same as the Physical Disc Version?

You might expect the cost of a non-physical game to cost a lot less than the digital version. There is no need for production of an item or transport costs, so why do publishers charge the same?

[Zerobalance]

Not on Xbox

[porkChop]

Some 3rd party games do unfortunately. Battlefield 2043 for example. I'm not buying it at launch, I'll wait for a sale. It's $90 in Canada, after tax that's $101. I'm not paying $101 for a fucking game.

[Knightofelemia]

Yup got to love GST, PST and HST and if you live in Northern Canada like NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut you pay even higher because the shit is flown in.

[VersusDMC]

Sucks that there is tax on digital purchases in Canada now as well...

[Vegamyster]

It's stupid that the PC versions of games with all the bells and whistles are still $80 up here in Canada but console users get screwed with the $10 markup.

[JackBNimble]

We Canadians get screwed because our dollar sucks, we still pay the same as Americans after the dollar is converted, except add taxes.
Although we still don't pay gst for digital in Alberta 😁

[VersusDMC]

What are the price differences between digital and retail on launch for Xbox? If you want to buy the game and not rent it on gamepass.

[Knightofelemia]

The prices between the formats is pretty much the same across the board sometimes usually a $2-$3 difference also depends what kind of deal a company hammers out with a gaming company. When it comes to physical and digital the prices are also the same across the board. Usually when the physical game has been out for a while the price is always cheaper then its digital counterpart unless its a stupid rare game with a low production run then the price sky rockets. I grabbed KH3 for PS4 for $20 last year new for PS4 as of right now KH3 is still $80 new on PS4 digitally. I grabbed ME Andromeda for $10 new on PS4 right now it has been taken down individually on PS4 and bundled with EA play for $40 and bundled with Dragon Age Inquisition to keep the price up around $80 new digitally on PS4.

[annoyedgamer]

Yes they do. What rock are you living under? Digital is a scam regardless of platform.

[Inverno]

Because grrreeeeed! Next question.

[JackBNimble]

Because people complain but are still willing to pay.
Every company is driven by making money, and if the consumer is willing to pay the asking price then nothing will change.

[ufo8mycat]

Because there is no competition on the digital space for consoles. Do you think Sony would charge this price if there were alternative digital stores for Playstation games?

[Knightofelemia]

Unless the game is one I want at launch like say Tales of Arise I will buy it day one. Most of the time I will just wait for the game to go on sale when its kicking around the $20-$40 area. I don't go digital unless I have to I bought FF7 remake and RE3 digital because of the COVID shit even then I should have waited for those games to go on sale but I really wanted them. I bought KH 3 for $20 on PS4 and even then the price is even cheaper I have seen it on Amazon kicking around $14 new. As for digital being the same price as physical it comes down to greed it costs more to print that disc of the game then it does putting it up on a digital store. I understand a company like Sega, Capcom, Namco all have to pay Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Steam a fee to sell the game on their digital store fronts. This is also another reason why I do my homework on a new ip or installment in a franchise I don't want a $90 Canadian dud sitting on my shelf. I learned my lesson with Cyberpunk I will not be taken again like that what a waste of cash.

[VersusDMC]

Also Nintendo excuse for their expensive Switch games was the game card costs...but digital is the same price.

[OhReginald]

They charge it the same cause they can and they will and they don't give a f***

[-Hermit-]

This article is missing something here, what about Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Epic, Ubisoft, and EA games being sold on their own platform? Why aren't their games cheaper? None of these companies have to worry about that 30% cut because they all have their own stores where they can sell games.

As for other games companies, what about their games being sold on the Epic and Microsoft store? Those stores take 12% of every sale, but the games are the same price as they are on Steam, and Valve takes a larger cut of the profits. So why aren't games cheaper on the Epic and Microsoft store?

Let's just tell it like it is, these companies are greedy. It's not like they would suddenly just lower the price of games by $20-$30 if those percentage cuts disappeared. At the same time though, gamers are the idiots here, they are the ones that bitch and moan but then still go and buy the game anyway. Their need to consume is stronger than their principles.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

If companies started to charge fewer amounts for digital games, retailers would fight back by restricting who can have games in their stores.

[plmkoh]

This is exactly the reason. Thank fully someone here has some logic.

[Shikoku]

Cause game companies are greedy there easy.

[brewin]

Because greed that's why.