We're ripping Bethesda off : Othor Games

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:03 am

No :nono:

Determining the price of your product is science.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 9:02 pm

GTA V is nowhere near a masterpiece, masterpos more like...but yes buying a game like Fallout vs buying a game like Call of Doody, we get much more for our money from Bethesda.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:47 pm

55 GBP for one game? Well, I paid equivalent of 60 GBP for... 3 boxed copies of Morrowind (re-releases bought in 2005, 2007 and 2012), standard boxed Oblivion in 2006, boxed Skyrim on release day in 2011 and digital Skyrim Legendary in late 2013.

Do I feel like I ripped Betehsda? No, not at all. It's normal for a customer to prefer lower prices and for a company to have their products available to largest possible audience while still generating income. Prices of games are not based just on time players are going to spend playing then or on time spent making them.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:05 pm

￡55 is daylight robbery. Of you. I paid ￡36 for it.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:35 pm

Each ES and FO game that I have played I have at least 200 hours in each. I also have done the DLC. If I had a computer, I probably would have never stopped playing them.

Morrowind

Oblivion

Skyrim

Fallout 3

Fallout NV

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:20 am

I actually like to think of it as that other developers are ripping us off. Then again, I see other games with "low replay" value and yet people sink hundreds of hours into.

I remember when I played Cod4 a lot, I had about 15 days worth of playing time record in my stats, and that was just 1 of 2 accounts. And that was just the multiplayer. I spent a lot perfecting the SP campaign.

So really, it all depends on what you personally get out of a game and what you put into it. That includes time spent character setup, customization, on top of playing. I know plenty of people who got Skyrim and barely put a days worth of time into it.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 9:06 pm

Nah man, we're not ripping them off...but I do like the way you lured me into this thread to illustrate that they are one of the few "value-oriented" developers left out there. Heck, that they release a toolkit for each iteration sets them apart from just about everyone. Developers like Bethesda should be richly rewarded (and are), because you don't hear a lot of corporate speak and 'artistic integrity' rubbish (like Bioware and EA throw back at their customers when they are displeased with the rubbish products they've been releasing of late) from them. No, Beth speaks with their product...plain and simple...and have a rich following because of it. The replay value alone is worth years of entertainment per game. As one writer said of Skyrim (and sums up perfectly why I'm attracted to Beth games):

"The games we normally call open worlds - the locked off cities and level-restricted grinding grounds - don't compare to this. While everyone else is faffing around with how to control and restrict the player, Bethesda just put a f--- country in a box. It's the best open world game I've ever played, the most liberating RPG I've ever played, and one of my favourite places in this or any other world."
Tom Francis, PC Gamer, Nov 9 2011.

This is why Beth is so popular. They are different that just about everyone in the industry; and you have little to worry about in us supposedly ripping them off. The ES series is literally worth billions.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:13 pm

Considering the fact that Bethesda chooses the pricing, I wouldn't call it ripping them off.

Do we get a lot of value for our money? Yes, yes we do. And it's good that there still are some developers that make games that are worth the damn asking price.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:50 am

I must have played and modded Morrowind for over 7000 hours by now. That's a lot of entertainment value for comparatively little money. There have been times when I felt like I ripped them off a little bit. These games are worth far more to me than Bethesda charges for them.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 1:53 am

I think its is difficult to put a price tag on value. OP, what is treasure to you might be garbage to someone else no matter what the production cost of the object is. You're clearly basing your assumptions from a die-hard fan point of view.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 3:51 am

I agree with what many others have said. It's rather difficult to quantify value like this.

I'd personally be willing to probably pay $150+ from BGS if they would release a game that I was certain that I would enjoy.

Also, I have a few friends who dislike the TES and FO series and find it over-hyped or even boring, so for a few of them, they probably wouldn't even pay $40 for a GOTY edition of a game in both.

I also agree with some of the scrutinizing about people already calling FO4 a masterpiece. While I'm as excited as anyone, I too am rather skeptical about certain aspects of the game. Will I more than likely spend $60+ on it? I'm almost certain I will. Will it ultimately feel worth it? I'd guess probably, but ultimately I can't be 100% sure with anything before I've played it, no matter how consistent the developers.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:21 pm

Cease your complaints. If you value Bethesda's work as much as you claim, then you'll find ways to show it. I bought Skyrim 5 times, and you don't see me whining that others should do the same.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:02 pm

You can pay extra if you want by buying all there DLC, but don't bump the retail value of the game. I think I am paying enough for standard games nowadays so I don't want to further increase my spending when it's not necessary. Some of us have lives to live and mouths to feed, and I'm not putting video games before my own well being.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:04 pm

There will always be People that purchase a product and dislike the product, like the Young Son of a Co-Worker that was given Skyrim for the 360.

I feel pity for the PS3 Users that have chosen to abandon Bethesda Products after trying Skyrim :violin:

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:20 pm

I paid ￡27 for Skyrim. On preorder. Sub 1990s prices are fun when retailers have a price war. I consider it fair payback for the ￡100 or so that I put into various copies of Oblivion.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:41 am

Quality vs Quantity imo.

They don't have the best gameplay or story. They are never well polished and have a plethora of bugs. They have very little characterization with only a handful of characters with any real depth or personality. They don't do much with their own lore. They are basically a big sandbox that you get to mess around in. If you have mods? That's great, but that is outside the purview of the base product. The price is fine and I may not even bother to pay it for the next few games because I simply don't find their games to be a great use of my time. I'd rather play something more engaging that doesn't drag on and on. I loved them when I first played them, but the luster wore off a long time ago for me.

Do I feel like I'm ripping Bethesda off? Not in the least. Do I think their products are probably worth a bit more than many other games that are short and forgettable? Sure. But I don't think inflating their price will help them much and nor do I think they deserve it.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:34 am

Well it's a good thing that Bethesda isn't making anymore products for the PS3 after Skyrim :tongue:

This made me think of something: If Bethesda actually raised the price because of a realization of what we're talking about here, would that actually hurt them in the long run by decreasing sales because of a higher price point? I think so. On top of that, it might discourage them from putting as much content into a game and charge more than the standard price for new games. Essentially, they would see it as "either put a lot more content in and continue to charge higher prices, or reduce content and reduce price".

All hypothetical of course.

It really comes down to that base game package: outside of being given a toolkit and outside of mods, that you should basing the value on. I mean, you can mod other games just as much as TES (and FO), but Bethesda just makes it even easier for everybody. As I mentioned before, it's all about what you put into the gaming experience that really determines what you get out of a game. Anything you get outside of that base package is completely on you, it is not something that the developer actually delivered to you.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:48 pm

I do know People Who are reconsidering Their Fallout with Bethesda

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 4:03 pm

Yes I do too, across all the platforms. It's not just a PS3/PS4 thing. Though I will say the PS4 users who had a PS3 with Skyrim definitely have the most....ummmm....documented? reasons why they wouldn't get another Bethesda game, at least not on launch or at full price.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:50 pm

Though I know you′ve bought several copies of the same games from them, and so have I :twirl:

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:28 pm

I agree with this notion. The simple act of an NPC opening a door lacks refinement compared to a game like the Witcher 2. I think the more you play Bethesda games the more of it's inner workings begin to show. The uncanny valley disappears and you're left with the massive world full of shoddy principles you've grown accustom to.

With all that said, I still believe that there is a lot more content in their games compared to others, and with so much freedom and choice you're bound to play it again somewhere down the line. With the PC version and mod making too, the content is literally endless, so I would easily pay another 10 - 20$ for one of their games despite the lack of refinement.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:21 pm

Considering that Bethesda chose the price in the first place and they employ accountants much more qualified than me, no, I don't feel like I'm ripping them off. This price range seems to be satisfactory for both sides. If you wish to support Bethesda further, you can buy multiple copies of their games or merchandise from their store.

As a side note, coursing between a hotel and a beach sounds like a terribly boring way to spend your vacation.

» Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:27 pm

That's exactly right. I must have spent close to $300 on Morrowind and perhaps $200 on Oblivion. I've gotten my money's worth out of both games, and then some.

» Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:03 am

Given that Bethesda has chosen to appeal more to the mass market than core fans and has made a crapton of money doing that, I don't at all feel like I am ripping them off. I'm just glad they have kept supporting modding with the CK. If it were not for mods, I would not still be playing their games.

I too own multiple copies of Oblivion and Morrowind, but with Skyrim being a Steam exclusive, there is no need for backup discs. So they are getting less money from me now than before, but it's their choice not to sell a disc version of the game. So I don't feel at all guilty.