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(Summer Sale Madness) Warning - don't visit STEAM today...

... if you don't want to spend money.

Steam summer sale is on and they have a truck load of silly prices on some excellent games. Best of all are their one day only offers - today I picked up Bioshock 2 and the complete Overlord pack for less than €20 all in. I assume that a new round of today onlys will kick in soon so be quick.

I have commented on the complete unpredictability of PC game prices before. A game that costs €50 today may be available for €10 tomorrow. I wonder is this the new reality or is it a temporary phenomenon. I am sure these sales are making money or else they wouldn't be repeated so often but surely there comes a point at which they cannibalise full price sales. I know that I personally almost never buy a game a full price any more - instead waiting for the inevitable sale. If everybody does that won't game companies lose out or will the increased volume of sales more than compensate for the discounted prices? Could this possibly herald in a new era of generally lower game prices all round? I hope so.
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Martin Richard said…
I'm guessing there's still a group of rabbid bleeding edge gamers.. More than ever in shops you see PC parts for junkies, from performance items to neons and whatnot.. So I'm guessing part of that same crowd (and this is also true in the console groups) is still on that "need that new-bestest-game-ev4r-title _right the second it comes out_.

Then you have the people buying a game on day 1, finishing it in a couple of days (ahh the memories of going to school... actually having time) and selling it back. Shops love to sell you pre owned, the profit margin is a lot better.

Myself I'm in the same boat as you - I regularly pay AAA-day1 prices.. but for that amount of dollars, I get a loooooot more titles, even if older :)

What's your Steam tag btw ? Mine's txster if you feel like adding ppl to your friends list there.
1:56 pm
Jayedub said…
To late, I have already purchased four games!
10:36 pm
mbp said…
Ha, I have only made three purchases to date Jayedub. I obviously have greater willpower :)

Its the "today only" offers that really get me. I have been travelling for the last few days with only sporadic internet connection. Nevertheless I found myself hunting out an internet signal to check up on the days offers. What a sublime piece of marketing. I actually managed to buy Left 4 Dead 2 on my phone and no its not even an Iphone!

Martin my username is mbp, I have already added you as a friend thank you for the invite.
4:48 pm
Tesh said…
"Could this possibly herald in a new era of generally lower game prices all round? I hope so."

Agreed. At the very least, the digital distribution era needs to embrace the product lifespan and the "long tail" of sale prices. Steam's crazy sales combined with Good Old Games and their offering of classics gives gamers a lot of options. That tends to mean better quality all around as the best products rise to the top.

Oh, and if I didn't already have the X-Com bundle, I'd buy it today. Whee for the original and TFTD for under $4! (Those two games alone make the bundle worthwhile.)
5:24 pm
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