They (general media, other companies, etc.) keep saying the starting price for next gen will be $60 brand new (in the US). We've already seen this with many games already. Still, the average is about $50 and some new games have come in lower than that.
So, it's not just EA saying this, but I can see EA being a (very active) supporter of the practice.
Even so, with home video game history, I can see an initial spike when the consoles release but by a year or so, the average will drop. People will just buy more of the cheaper-priced games. This will especially be evident when more "casual" players enter the market and buy their console sometime after launch. Also, this just gives the competition an edge over companies that want to stick with such a strategy.
Remember when EA was "bullying" Nintendo and the Wii because it thought its lineup was weak? ( http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/ea-sa...ionhttp:// ). It also wants to move totally into online and jettison any Single-Player games. These type of things may hurt EA in the future IMHO and we may see a reversal at some point, the question is "when".
In the end, there are other gaming companies out there who want your dollar and are more flexible in their product strategies.
So, it's not just EA saying this, but I can see EA being a (very active) supporter of the practice.
Even so, with home video game history, I can see an initial spike when the consoles release but by a year or so, the average will drop. People will just buy more of the cheaper-priced games. This will especially be evident when more "casual" players enter the market and buy their console sometime after launch. Also, this just gives the competition an edge over companies that want to stick with such a strategy.
Remember when EA was "bullying" Nintendo and the Wii because it thought its lineup was weak? ( http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/ea-sa...ionhttp:// ). It also wants to move totally into online and jettison any Single-Player games. These type of things may hurt EA in the future IMHO and we may see a reversal at some point, the question is "when".
In the end, there are other gaming companies out there who want your dollar and are more flexible in their product strategies.
