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« on: July 15, 2010, 08:35:31 PM » |
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Publishers Weigh In On Kinect Pricing
The last and most important question surrounding Microsoft's Kinect motion camera is the price, and not just for consumers, but for third-party publishers as well.
During E3 last week, IGN spoke to a number of the industry's top publishers and asked where they'd like to see Microsoft price the device, which is due out this coming November.
It should be a surprise to no one that two of the industry's largest publishers, Electronic Arts and Activision, are hopeful for a low price point.
Electronic Arts COO John Schappert was pretty straightforward about where he'd like to see the company price Kinect.
"As low as possible," said Schappert. "We were happy with the Kinect reveal; I think it's going to be a good thing for the industry."
Activision COO Thomas Tippl said he'd like to see it priced on the low-end as well. And when asked if the estimated $149 price point was too high, he said he'll like to see it a bit lower.
"I would definitely like $99 better and so will the gamer community," laughed Tippl. "I'm sure Microsoft has done a lot more research around the price, so I wouldn't speculate."
"One thing that's a no brainier, of course, is that at $99 they're going to sell a lot more," he added.
EA Sports president Peter Moore wouldn't speculate about the price either, only suggesting that Microsoft needs it to be priced lower to penetrate the casual market.
"As soon as the price is made clear to us, I think we'll have a better idea then about how serious Microsoft is going to be at making this a true and very immediate mass-market device," Moore said.
Meanwhile, THQ - which plans to ship UFC Trainer, its first Kinect title, early next year - said it isn't too worried about the price. Creative Director Luis Gigliotti is confident that Microsoft knows what to do.
"One thing that Microsoft knows how to do is sell their products. They're going to price it at a range that it makes sense for everybody," he said.
Despite pre-order price listings of $149 for Kinect, Microsoft has continuously denied it has been finalized. The company said it hopes to have those details for us, and the publishers, very soon.
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