MTV Games Tries Something New

Remember the good ol’ days when Wii games used to cost $50? What is that you say? That is still the case? Well tell that to MTV Games who seek to release Beatles: Rock Band at $60.

Shortly after this current generation of consoles released, game prices for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 rose from $50 to $60, to account for the more expensive technology. Typically, the Wii’s less expensive tech specs allowed games to stay down at the old price of $50.

So why is MTV Games doing this? One could point to the fact that MTV is falling way behind in the battle of the bands for the Wii. Due to their poor first attempt with Rock Band, and the late Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero has been thumping Rock Band on the Wii. Perhaps this is an attempt to make up for some lost ground financially.

This should certainly raise some eyebrows as well. Will other games follow this new trend, and start releasing sixty-dollar games? Luckily, 1UP has gotten an opinion to the contrary.

"I don't think $60 will become the standard," said Pacific Crest Securities senior research analyst Evan Wilson to 1UP over e-mail. "Many games have actually started to go the other way -- launching at $40 instead of $50. They [MTV Games] think the market will bear a higher price due to the attractiveness of the content."

Is pricing the game at sixty dollars smart? Are you worried that others will follow MTV Games’ lead?