Canadian Video Games Prices Now Up To $80 In Stores

What’s the most puzzling about this jump in Canadian video games prices is the fact that the Canadian Dollar has been rebounding. The CAD was at $0.795 to the USD the day we found out games would start to cost $75, on February 23, 2015. Just over 8 weeks later, the CAD now sits at $0.831 to the USD, meaning the Canadian Dollar actually improved by roughly 4.5% since. Obviously, these decisions for the Market Suggested Retail Price don’t happen on a day-to-day basis, but the fact remains that Activision and EA are setting the scene for other publishers to mark up their games to these absurd prices once more holiday games are announced.

[Neonridr]

Canadian Dollar is tied to oil prices.. they go up, our dollar goes with it.

but this is ridiculous.

Sony did the same thing with the PS4, claiming that it was due to the weakening dollar that they had to charge $50 more for their console. Strangely enough, they didn't raise the price of their Vita to go along with that theory. And MS or Nintendo didn't raise the price of their consoles either.

But now in some cases we are paying $20 more for the same game.

[GordonKnight]

Maybe they're testing Canadian market with the price increase to see how it affects sells. Then they will increase the price in the NA.

I hope that not the case.

[bradfh]

this is just highway robbery and needs to stop

[Neonridr]

me neither, that would be awful.

Funny thing is, the Canadian dollar will bounce back near or at par within the year probably and retailers will still continue to charge the same prices.. :P

[T900]

People need to wake up to the fact that its the central banks that are printing money out of thin air and keeping interest rates at 0% devaluing all currencies.

This reckless behavior is causing prices of just about everything to go up, their excuse is that they want inflation. While they arent willing to admit true inflation thats really hurting the public, its an indirect tax on everyone.

I think Canada might be a test case, it might not be long before there is a price hike in the US.

[ziggurcat]

@neonridr:

"And MS or Nintendo didn't raise the price of their consoles either."

though the price of the console hasn't changed since the exchange rate change, the price of games have.

it's one of the main reasons why i pretty much just purchase digital now - in the PS store, at least, there's no taxes. and to my knowledge, it's the same in the XBL marketplace.

"Funny thing is, the Canadian dollar will bounce back near or at par within the year probably and retailers will still continue to charge the same prices.. :P"

yeah, that's the horrible thing about all of this.

[pivotplease]

It's completely understandable for where our dollar is. 90 cents has been pretty typical but sub-80 leaves a huge disparity between our prices and American prices. It sucks though because it's not like we are getting paid more or anything is happening to compensate for said increases.

At those who talk about a bounce back...just no. Not for awhile at least. Maybe in 2017. The abundance of oil going around now has kind of screwed Canada since it was a huge source of profit in Alberta. I don't see things evening out for a few years at least. So the price changes are justified though they really suck. No other way to put it.

I recommend googling Canada game deals. It's a Twitter account/website that keeps tabs on deals at various retailers. I got an uncharted 4 pre-order for like 53 bucks thanks to it.

[FinalomegaS]

oh ya i remember this back in the 90s

here we go again.

[Pandamobile]

Reason #2158 why I don't buy retail games.

[BellePelouse]

Sadly they keep the digital prices on par with retail. At least for Battlefront, it is also prices a 79.99 on Origin.

Worst thing is that the right thing to do would be to stop buying games a full price but I probably will probably preorder Battlefront :(

Me an EA are in a unhealthy relationship I can't seem to be able to get out...

[Pandamobile]

Still says $60 for Battlefront for me on Orign, but that might be because of my VPN.

[Nwah]

My heart goes out to my Cannuck brethren.

[yellowgerbil]

SOOOOOOO that comes out to roughly 60$ US seriously must be a slow news day

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

$60 usd = $72.50 cdn currently

Must be a slow brain day for you.

[yellowgerbil]

80$canadian=66US currently so you are paying a whopping 6 dollars more than Americans WAHHHHHHHH WAHHH
I know my math, yeah if it was calculus or something I wouldn't know it but seriously get your head on straight before you accuse someone of not knowing elementary level math.
The entitlement of gamers is really ridiculous lately. Games COST money to make, the cost has risen massively, yet the price has fallen instead of raised. I remember Sega Genesis games costing 100$US back when I was a kid, yet kids nowadays complain that their 100million dollar game costs them even just 60 (or 66).

[pivotplease]

You can't just dismiss the difference due to relativity. No matter how you put it Canadians are now paying 20 dollars more per game plus extra because of higher taxes. It's not like it suddenly becomes easier to make the money because it's worth less on a global scale. Our wages are the same. We are just now paying 33% more per new game. Kind of a big deal.

Once again I recommend Canada game deals to people. It seems GoW 3 remastered is now down to 40 on a few sites.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

So you're aware you're wrong.

It's not entitlement at all either. When the canadian dollar was significantly more than the US dollar, we still paid as much as you guys. This isn't even including sales tax, which is 15% in most provinces.

But hey it's only $6 right? But hey I can just buy used games, I mean to a major corporation it's only $60 right? (minus whatever cut the retailer gets). I mean you can argue the company deserves the money, but I can argue they are entitled. Grow up, and learn economics. Sometimes charging more because it's possible to is actually gonna hurt more than anything.

[BellePelouse]

''Worst off, $79.99 CAD comes out to $66.48 USD at the time of posting, showing that the jump to higher prices in Canada outpaces the cost to those gaming in the US.''

Personally I think this is outrageous, games are already overpriced enough as it is, in both USA and Canada, we don't need to have them charge us again for no reasons

[KrisButtar]

This article just tells me I will have to wait longer for the price to drop is all. I won't be paying more I'll just wait for bigger sales than I normally do.

$79.99 + 15% tax = $92 here in NS

[pivotplease]

In ON were at 13% taxes currently. Still sucks. I reccomend no one buy games at the 80 price point. Browse around and you will often find games for 60 to 70 and will still find pre-order deals for under 60. I've seen witcher, bat man, uncharted, fc4, and lbp3 all be available for like 50 bucks at one point or another for pre-order. That's like newer than new lol.

[The_Sage]

15% sales tax! That's outrageous! Time to start throwing tea into one of your harbors.

[KrisButtar]

Where do you find pre-order deals like that? I just wait until the game hits a sale for 29.99 or 39.99 before I pick it up. It usually means waiting for a few months after the games release but to me very few titles are worth more than that.

[BellePelouse]

www.g2a.com gets a lot of preorder deals, but for PC only

[BaltimoreNovak]

I just couldn't do it any more when they were 69.99, I am about 6 months behind in the gaming world because I wait until they cost 29.99 on sale then buy them.

[Lukejrl]

Yup. I now wait for them to drop to buy. Mgs phantom pain included

[ShaunCameron]

Try $34.99 plus tax.

[pivotplease]

I do 39.99 for the ones I really want and 29.99 for the ones I want less. Case in point, will pay 40 for bloodborne and 30 for the DS2 remaster.

[Aenea]

CDN$80 is about €59, MSRP for games in Europe is €69.99, the PSN store uses that price point too.

Have to say though, when you shop around I usually pay between €45 and €55.

Doesn't Canada have sales tax or VAT? That would explain maybe the extra $6 to $7?

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

In most provinces I believe tax is 15%, however in Alberta where I'm from its only 10. So with tax it goes to $88 or $92 which is outrageous, so I buy digital (through a VPN). Odd how it's opposite in the EU and UK

[ShaunCameron]

Yes. A 5% GST and ____% sales tax depending on which province you live in. In my province, Quebec, it's 9.975%. So a $79.99 game would come up to $91.97 CAD in the end.

[Aenea]

CAD$92 is about €67, the €69.99 price I mentioned in the EU already includes 19 to 21% VAT (depending on country, oddly it doesn't mean the price changes).

So basically you guys are paying about the same as we in the EU. Granted I do think it's a lot of money and I've never actually bought a game for that price. I use a Dutch price comparison website especially for videogames and with that I can find games (even new ones incl. pre-order prices) in the €45 to €55 range.

How is the pricing at online shops in Canada? None are selling them cheaper than the MSRP?

Still, I never really understood why the US prices are so much cheaper tho...

[esemce]

$80CAN is £43.00 with sales tax added its probably about the same as us in the UK so what's the big deal? Like us they have a national health and welfare system which has to be paid for through taxes etc.

[HeavenlySnipes]

The big deal is that irregardless of whether the dollar strengthens, the game prices won't drop

When our dollar was worth more than the USD we were still paying $60 for games

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

Digital goods shouldn't reflect taxes/higher cost of living, but publishers do it anyways

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

This makes me slightly ill to my stomach. Just gross and wrong.

[KrisButtar]

Here the tax is going to kill me. $79.99 + 15%

But I haven't bought a game since this console gen started at full price. It looks like I will have to wait longer for sales is all. I'm still waiting for Dragon Age to come down in price. :(

[SonyKong64]

dragon age was in a flash sale I think in January for 24.99 CND psn

[KrisButtar]

That was an error, by the time I logged into PSN is was $48 and change. I also don't like Digital so much as I think most prices are too high. I don't mind waiting for the prices to come down as there are very few games worth full price these days. I'm likely going to wait for the GOTY edition of Dragon Age to be honest

[Knightofelemia]

The stupid thing is when the dollar goes back up prices don't come down.