14 DAY TRIAL // Shadowrun is closing down to its May release date by the passing of each hour, giving PC and Xbox 360 gamers an extra life, so to speak. But what will happen when Xboxers find out that their acquiring of Shadowrun will set them back $10 more than PC gamers? Newsweek's N'Gai Croal immediately shot some questions at Microsoft's head of Game Studios, Shane Kim, 1UP reports.
Kim's answer to the difference in pricing... "The $59.99 for Xbox 360 and $49.99 for Windows Vista price points are our standard pricing for each platform. This pricing structure is not uncommon in the multiplayer-only first-person shooter genre, as numerous titles have seen success at this price point and gaming model. I think it's premature to speak to pricing for all future projects, but as of now this is our pricing structure for our marquee titles like Shadowrun. Additionally, MGS has the same development costs as other developers and publishers out there. One advantage other publishers have that we do not is that they can leverage their marketing and development costs over all platforms, while we are focused on Windows and Xbox 360 as a first party publisher."
Of course the question remains 80% unanswered, but if we think about it a little, we can find the answer ourselves. Think of it this way: how many Xbox 360 games cost less than $60? That's right. Not many.
So, don't be fooled for a second when you hear that development on some game drained more time and resources for the Xbox 360 version. If Shadowrun had been stamped with the same price as the PC version, the game would have set different standards for Xbox 360 titles. And Microsoft likes their standards the way they are.