Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare might be coming out at its standard $60 price aboard (or the higher $80 for the edition people really want), but it’s became a bitter pill to swallow for local gamers. Here in South Africa Call of Duty: Infinite War is expensive – clocking in just below a grand for PC and well over it for consoles. Throw in that Modern Warfare Remaster and you’re looking at R1500 on console, and a break in at the grand mark for PC.
Infinite Warfare is expensive locally. Battlefield 1 though – the DICE developed shooter coming out at the same time – isn’t. Why?
For comparison sake, let’s look at digital prices of both Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1. On Xbox One specifically, Battlefield is up for pre-order for R799.00. Infinite Warfare, on the other hand, is R1199.00. That’s a massive R400 gap for two games that are meant to be retailing for the same price. So what gives?
There’s a truth that we’ve all slowly learned to accept about local prices, and that’s just how heavily influenced it is by the exchange rate. Games need to be shipped here, distributed by third-parties (who take a cut) and then sold to retailers (who take a further cut). The stock is bought at a reduced rate, but these prices start adding up and inflating greatly when the stock is bought with a tanking Rand. Slight changes don’t make massive differences, but the dives we’ve seen over the months have.
Games overall have become more expensive, but there’s a trend with Activision titles that has become worrying. In general, their titles have been consistently more expensive locally than others (in actuality, all distributors have fluctuating prices now), and you only have to look at Overwatch as another example. Activision games are coming in at a premium for both digital and retail, and it’s widening an already existing gap with titles like Infinite Warfare.
The reason for this is a little murky. We’ve reached out to local distributors but are still waiting on a firm answer – probably because they aren’t the ones controlling this either. Prices being dictated by Activision abroad are probably the biggest influencer here, as they adjust more frequently for our shifting currency than others. Because that does happen. More often that you care to think, prices are decided upon for months on end, with many sticking to a predefined value rather than adjusting for currency changes.
We’re seeing both the negative and positive sides of that, with some games retailing for much less than they should, and others way more. More often than not we get the middle ground, but when you compare two outliers you end up with the situation we have now. A R400 gap – nearly a full 50% price difference that starts bringing up a lot of questions.
And it’s not only questions we as consumers are asking. Although I’m not at liberty to say who, but there are some investigations being taken up with publishers overseas as to what is happening with pricing for smaller markets. Because it has an extremely dangerous knock-on effect. It’s very easy to say “vote with your wallet”, but with a market as small as ours it isn’t the bigger publishers that feel it. Instead it’s local distribution, which then cycles back to affect us – the people choosing not to buy games because they’re too expensive.
There’s little we can do to influence this, but there’s hope that the right people are talking to the other group of right people to figure out what is happening. It’s somewhat isolated with Call of Duty (and previously Quantum Break), but it’s something that doesn’t look like a trend we want to settle in to. Hopefully that doesn’t happen soon.
Whatever does happen, people will buy it anyway.
Last Updated: May 10, 2016
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 10, 2016 at 15:33
So what’s up with the price for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare? – the price is up 😀
Admiral Chief in New York
May 10, 2016 at 15:34
Header…..reminds me of ScarJo
Strawman Jim
May 10, 2016 at 15:34
That’s what happens when you almost get Junk Status…Mmmm that third world currency! Taste so good if you’re visiting from elsewhere…. but to be honest though, and I could be wrong here, but Activision’s games have always been a little more expensive in South Africa? Might be a good idea to ask our suppliers and distributors.
Ottokie
May 10, 2016 at 15:35
O look my favorite healer in Overwatch :3
and some recycled warfare game
Admiral Chief in New York
May 10, 2016 at 15:36
Hehehe, you sure do love that dude! And quite effective too.
You can heal me any time big boy, mmmm
Ottokie
May 10, 2016 at 15:37
_____________________
^there is the line, I see it
Admiral Chief in New York
May 10, 2016 at 15:38
[Peeks over the line]
_____________0__0_____________
Elo
Ottokie
May 10, 2016 at 15:39
__________________
?_?
Admiral Chief in New York
May 10, 2016 at 15:40
Oi, stop peekin’ up me kilt ye
Kromas untamed
May 10, 2016 at 16:59
He is always welcome when I am piloting my mech and live streaming the battle. 🙂
Admiral Chief in New York
May 10, 2016 at 15:37
Paying more, for less.
Lol, go vote with your wallet sheep!
Allykhat
May 11, 2016 at 08:21
The problem is this, as I see it.
I want to boycott the game right? So I vote with my wallet. Then my less informed friends go and buy the game and start playing. I’m now the only kippie without it. Then there’s the millions of streamers, competitive players and the like… a boycott only works if everyone does it, and South Africa as a market wont even be a blip on the radar if none of us bought the games. The publishers wont be hurt, the distributors will.
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 10, 2016 at 15:38
Some adjust for our local currency’s weakness, others don’t – some are willing to make a smaller margin on the game in order to sell it. It’s quite noticeable on Steam with new games from some publishers selling for R100s more than those from others.
GooseZA
May 10, 2016 at 15:40
Physical distribution being more expensive is almost understandable, but the prices are still ridiculous on the digital downloads as well.
Yeah they have to maintain servers and host it bla bla. That’s why we pay for XBL. No game should cost anywhere near R1000.
miaau
May 10, 2016 at 16:22
I read this article on pirating books (yes, apparently it is a thing) and the argument went as follows:
People want e-books to be MUCH cheaper than the physical. The publishers, however, weigh in and say that 85% or more of the book price is the IP, i.e. the stuff on paper, the words, not the paper and distribution. So they say, should it then be that e-books are naturally 15% cheaper than the same book at the same release time. Then its harder, cause now supply and demand also enters into the mix.
Sort of applies here, game cost $100 million to make (Deadpool game, for example) I would think most of the cost of the game, per unit, goes into paying that back, with physical CD;s and distribution costing, say, 10 to 20% of the total cost per unit. Who knows? I am damn sure the publishers will NEVER let that info out, even if they are publicly traded companies.
Tl:dr
GooseZA
May 10, 2016 at 16:31
Hmm… that’s a pretty good point actually.
Still, R1000 is too much, regardless of the medium 😀
miaau
May 10, 2016 at 16:57
YES. R1000 is far too bloody much, thank you very much.
Allykhat
May 11, 2016 at 08:13
Fair argument, and if that were the case then I would 100% agree with you.
BUT.
DLC. We pay 1k+ZAR for CoD right? That pays off the game and allows them to make money, right? Then we pay another 600-800ZAR for the Season Pass, which to be fair is content that should ship with the game itself, then Microtransactions, then, then, then, $, $, $… I’ve all but dropped PC gaming because the pricing has fallen in line with console. I’m not forking out 8k every 8 months to keep a pc up to my own standard and then having to fork out an extra 1k per game too. That and PSN account sharing… WHOOOOO!
HairyEwok
May 10, 2016 at 15:47
Press F to pay respects.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
May 10, 2016 at 15:48
*Zip*…
BurninZ
May 10, 2016 at 16:09
I have always been a COD fan, have taken the abuse over the years and have still bought the game (not every year but i have had a few). This year Battlefield looks like its ticking all the right boxes for the fans! and with the price i cannot justify even being interested in it! And if i am in for a FPS at the end of the year, it will be Battlefield (to place along my 3 or so COD games, like a token child in the mix).
Pieter Kruger
May 10, 2016 at 16:46
Just another reason COD can kiss my ass! Getting BF1 Early Enlister deluxe edition pre order for R854 on XBL which is still R218 less than the COD standard edition….ROFL!
SentientSlug
May 10, 2016 at 16:53
Screw you activision and if any of you by infine then screw you too. Say what you like but cod is the same shit every damn year and you keep buying it. Jerks.
SentientSlug
May 10, 2016 at 16:55
Damn it I meant infinite
Kromas untamed
May 10, 2016 at 17:03
Sa prices taken out of the equation Overwatch is 20 dollars cheaper than Battleborn and has way more content even as a mp only title.
Sageville
May 11, 2016 at 08:24
R400 for what?
Is there an ombudsman that we can take this to, cause it sounds like price fixing.
Andre Fourie
May 11, 2016 at 09:10
I only thought of buying it to get the remastered modern warfare. Now I will give it a miss, unless I have ebucks to spend. Battlefield? PFFFT. WW 1. No thanks.
Kerrits
May 11, 2016 at 11:27
Interestingly enough, local pricing in steam is a boon to us now. We mostly come in at under what the dollar price should be, which makes GoG and their fair price even more expensive.
Raidz19
May 11, 2016 at 13:55
If CoD does not do something about that high price, they WILL regret it.
After we’ve seen what Battlefield will be about in the next installment, so they’ll need all the help they can get if they want a chance at getting sales
Will
May 11, 2016 at 13:56
agreed…..I know i’m not going to buy it, especially for that ridiculous price ! Activision and their greedy investors have RUINED COD ! No if, ands, or buts !!!
Raidz19
May 11, 2016 at 15:10
I think it’s a good thing that it’s finally come to this. maybe they sell zero copies of the game, make a huge loss and then they can finally take a break and go back to the drawing board. and after a few years of working hard to give us what we want, it might just be great again!
Geo Torino
May 11, 2016 at 19:19
Cod IW is $59.99 for the standard edition. It will cost $79.99 if you want to get Cod IW along with CoDMW. If and only if I choose to buy it, I’m sticking with the standard $59.99.
Christopher Loughrey
May 11, 2016 at 21:18
Why isn’t anyone talking about the fact that in the US Digital Deluxe is the same price from last year at 99.99 dollars while Europe has seen a substitutional increase of 11 euros from its 2015 price?
Matthew McGregor
May 20, 2016 at 14:03
It’s true, regardless of the price people will still buy it. I’m not happy with the price but I will buy it. But only when it’s on special after a couple of months 😉
Lost Cosmos
September 3, 2016 at 11:00
$60 for the standard edition does NOT translate to R1000!
There is no “cut” to be for local distributors, its Online distribution through Steam!
Its absolutely disgusting how we keep getting scrwed when it comes to pricing in SA.
I’ll be purchasing an online key through another distributor for $60 when it gets released and circumvent Steam local!