By Brian Perry

Originating out of a discussion on neogaf about game graphics and rising prices Eat Sleep Play Founder Dave Jaffe took the discussion to his twitter feed and put words to a fear of publishers and gamers alike. Can the video game industry back down from the 59.99 price point?

[...]Be nice to be able to make our version of mid range movies now that we can make our indies. But at the moment, there is no room for games like THE PROPOSAL, THE HANGOVER, or TAKEN. That’s not 100% true (L4D) but if new game@39.99@retail was a real deal, that would rock! But most gamers see new game@$39.99 and question the quality and stay away

As it stands now the industry standard is for AAA games to be at the premium price point, and games that may be of questionable quality either start at a discount, or quickly fall there as retailers clear shelf space for newer titles. There is one example of a franchise dropping it’s price point to good effect, ESPN NFL Football. Unfortunately that attempt was preempted by EA sports acquisition of an exclusivity contract with the NFL, canceling the series.

On the other side of the argument should publishers lower the price point, or instead raise it; as Activision has done with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the European market?

While many gamers would love to see their hobby become cheaper, and it’s possible that sales would increase, it is unlikely that we will see it happen this gaming generation.