Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 News

For:PS3 Also On: Xbox 360, PC Release Date: 10 November 2009

Activision defends high RRPs

NewsPosted 05/10/2009 - 2:49pm GMT+1

UK managing director: 'there is a lot of controversy over I don’t know what'.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 screenshot

Activision's UK managing director Andrew Brown has told MCV that he believes the publisher is perfectly justified in its pricing policy for upcoming releases including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, DJ Hero and Tony Hawk: Ride.

Modern Warfare 2 has an RRP of £55, while DJ Hero and Tony Hawk: Ride will each retail at around £100. While initially appearing quite highly priced, Brown believes consumers will pay a premium if they believe they are getting value for money.

"The question is what represents value for money," Brown told MCV.

"At the end of the day, there is a spectrum of what people can afford and what people are prepared to spend. These things are key.

"Is what I am buying supplying me sufficient value for money and can I afford it? If so then I will buy it."

Brown concluded: "There's nothing in life that isn't price elastic. Price at retail changes all the time depending on how successful a product is or isn't. I think there is a lot of controversy over I don't know what."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is scheduled for release on November 10.

Will the high price tag attached to Modern Warfare 2 prevent you from picking up the game at launch?

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Comments

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User Comments

BatClarkeee

Over here in australia.
fifa 10 and modern warfare 2 are exactly the same price.

Posted 09:50 on 12 October 2009

dav2612

The supermarkets will no doubt do another price reduction like they did with FIFA... which may just put it to normal £40 price but that would still be better than £55.

Posted 13:19 on 06 October 2009

guyderman

I know this would never happen - BUT - if everyone waited just one week extra before buying it and no one went out and bought it on day of release - the following week the price would be down to what it should be everywhere - Activision do not get the sales target they predicted on day of release and would think twice before trying to do it again. Release day figures are very important to these people and this is the best way for the gamers to get the point across that they don'y want to be ripped off.

After the 10th November this year every AAA title will be RRP £55!

EDIT - Blimey I've pretty much repeated myself from yesterday - (scary thing is I don't remember typing it yesterday! - Old age setting in - Rapidly I think!)

Posted 13:01 on 06 October 2009

dudester

Just do I do not buy it and say balls to activision. Yes I'm fully aware activision are not effected by my decision alone but my own actions are the only ones I can effect i will not support blatant ripping off. In the same way i hate these 120 a pop guitar games.

Posted 12:41 on 06 October 2009

CANCEROUS

Its the way the cookie crumbles im afraid, we all know that come the day of release every man and his dog will be out to buy this game. As Brown comments above "The question is what represents value for money," for me it's not paying £55 or £60 for a game only for a week later they are releasing DLC which could have been included in the game disk. That is what get's my goat and with it being activision you know this will happen.

Posted 12:26 on 06 October 2009

Karlius

It was this kind of thinking that made Woolworths go bust. Yes we'll charge you £45 for popular game A. You can get popular game A for £40 next door. Or its online for £34.99. Which place would you choose.

Now popular game demands a price of £55 popular game B is £39.99 saving £15 for that rampant rabbit your nan wants.

If a massive chain store such as Woolworths can go bust due to pricing themselves out of the competition eventually Activision will. Maybe not with COD but the next title to come along and the one after that.

Posted 08:38 on 06 October 2009

Woffls

The 10 million people that will buy this game are to blame. It's very basic economic theory; supply and demand, price accordingly. Interestingly, this is the only industry I can think of that has, until now, insisted on such strict pricing bands that we should be surprised when the most popular selling game has an rrp increase of a fiver.

Posted 21:53 on 05 October 2009

Wido @ bencrosaby

Try looking at Shopto.net. Maybe an error from them as its COD4 for the Wii.

Posted 20:03 on 05 October 2009

bencrosaby @ Wido

I'd love to know where you found this Wii version of Modern Warfare 2 - because it doesn't exist!

Posted 16:40 on 05 October 2009

Mr_Ninjutsu

They are only pricing this game at that price because they know full well that it will sell and break records once again but it is taking the pi$$. Maybe they are being over confident? Or maybe they're being realistic?

Posted 16:23 on 05 October 2009

Wido

Utter bollocks!

Quote:

"At the end of the day, there is a spectrum of what people can afford and what people are prepared to spend. These things are key."

Quote:

I think there is a lot of controversy over I don't know what."

Clearly shows that 'Activision' hasn't really defended themselves that well at all. The controversy is the price of the game. £42.99 is cheapest I have seen for the 360 & PS3, while the Wii verison is £29.99.....

Activision is the new hyporcritical 'EA' back 2-3 years ago.

Posted 15:45 on 05 October 2009

Karlius @ guyderman

As long as we don't go back to the days of £70 cartridges. I once paid £60 for gremlins 2 on the NES yes £60 that was the cost everywhere. The game was pretty *****looking back. £60 back then was retarded but it was inevitable that prices would come back to that level at some point. With inflation i'd say games would have to top around £75+ to be there.

Posted 15:40 on 05 October 2009

guyderman

Problem is that everyone will go out and pay the £55 (although to be honest if you shop around you can easily knock a tenner off that price) which means that Activision will get away with it - which means all other publishers take note and follow suit - the next thing you know every games RRP is £55.
Everyone actually needs to not but it on day of release just to prove a point to Activison wait a week and buy it when they knock the price down due to poor sales - unfortunatley this won't happen and activision will get away with robbing everyone.

I Wonder, in two years time will we be reading about Activision defending the RRP price of £65 for MW3.

Posted 15:20 on 05 October 2009

El-Dev @ renegade

I paid £40 for L4D and definately felt like I'd been taken on.

£55 is a bit steep, but it's a COD game and I reckon it'd still sell millions if it was priced £100.

Posted 15:13 on 05 October 2009