I guess we should have expected something dumb from Capcom at some point. It has been recently revealed that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will cost a very expensive $70 for just ITS STANDARD EDITION, which is pretty sad to see Capcom fall into the same gaming-gouge pitfall.
I’ve praised Capcom a lot, but I’ve got to call them out for this pricing choice.
Despite having a recent strings of fantastic PR successes and great video game releases, Capcom has fallen into the ever-growing pitfall of video game companies gouging their own products as it was revealed that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will cost 70 to buy just for the standard edition and over $80 for Deluxe editions. And, to be honest, I just think it’s sad how gaming has become so corporatized.
Alright, I know a lot of you guys reading this article have probably already seen the dozens and dozens of other articles from other gaming outlets that pretty much all say the same thing: Capcom charging $70 for Dragon’s Dogma = bad = Capcom is destroying the gaming community. And, you’ve also probably gathered similar thoughts/sentiments from reading the first few lines from my own article, right?
I mean, I did just write, “It has been recently revealed that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will cost a very expensive $70 for just ITS STANDARD EDITION, which is pretty sad to see Capcom fall into the same gaming-gouge pitfall.” Generally, when you write something like that, you’re probably not too happy with the person (or gaming company in this instance) for whom you are writing about.
Nevertheless, I don’t want to come off as just a massive Capcom hater or something like that as I actually think Capcom is one of the more respectful gaming studios/publishers out there, and they still treat their fans with tons of respect and reverence. Hell, they just remade some of the most classic games of all-time, such as Resident Evil 4, and actually made the game…BETTER!
If you let EA, Activision, or Microsoft get their grubby little hands on a Resident Evil 4 Remake, you can bet your life…and your bottom dollar as these two companies would prefer…that they would not only keep the game almost exactly the same as the early 2000’s title, but they’d also fill it to the brim with loot boxes, microtransactions, and gouge the fuck out of its price tag.
Still, seeing Dragon’s Dogma 2, which looks like it will be a for sure Game of the Year contender when it releases in March 2024, break the longtime tradition of Capcom games being $60 by costing $70 is not a great look for anyone involved. Sure, as I just said, the game trailer and showcase looked fantastic, and I’m positive this will be a fantastic game as Capcom usually doesn’t miss with their titles, but this game costing $70 shows how corporatized and truthfully “scaleless-budgeted” the gaming industry has become.
For the vast majority of these gaming studios, I know the reason why they are charging $70-$100 for their games now is not because they hate their fans and want to suck as much money out of them as possible (that’s only EA, Activision, and Microsoft LOL), but rather the cost of the games is getting out of hand.
Just like in Hollywood with some of the big-budgeted action, superhero, and adventure films, the prices of these budgets are so large and extreme that the gaming studios MUST charge $70 to hopefully make back what they invested in this game or else they risk studio collapse. And that’s probably the case for a publisher like Capcom…despite their already massive size and respected reputation in the gaming industry.
So, this article really isn’t me shitting on Capcom or any other developer/publisher who must charge $70 for their titles, but rather a plea for them to stop risking bankruptcy and financial ruin with the budgets on some of these games.
Obviously, I want the games to look great and have fantastic UI systems, mechanics, cool magic systems, combat systems, storylines, graphics, character models, voice acting, location designs, etc., but there has to be a middle ground between making a cheap-ass game and destroying your studio if the game somewhat underperforms.
Right?
Images Source: Featured Image: (Capcom) (Dragon’s Dogma 2 – Main Trailer – YouTube)
