Electronic Art’s Jason DeLong has come out and suggested that the pricing model for videogames could change, and we could actually see games becoming cheaper than they are currently.

He cites ‘œhard times’ as a reason for developers to consider charging less for games upfront but using ‘œepisodic content’ and other downloadable extras to make up the lost income. A “first one’s free” approach, you know, like drug dealers do.

Speaking to GameInformer DeLong said: “Games are getting more expensive, and times are tough, and it’s getting harder to purchase every game you want. So, how can we keep people playing and offer them more but not have to make them break the bank to do it?”

The answer it seems is to use the power of the internet to claw back sales. £40/$60 is a lot of money to shell out all at once, and I haven’t personally done that in quite a while (thank you trade-ins) so cheaper games in the store are always a good thing.

However, this also presents us with some problems: We have a good chance of only getting half a game. Assassin’s Creed 2′s upcoming DLC was originally going to be a part of the game, but was cut leaving an oh so obvious hole in the plot and some in-game maps locking players out of areas clearly visible. Removing original content and then charging for it doesn’t seem all that fair really.

We also have the potential for ‘œepisodic plots’ to become ‘œgive us a fiver and we’ll show you the ending’ downloads. Having to pay £30 instead of £40 is great, but then being asked for another chunk of change to find out who the baddie is will quickly get annoying. EA are pushing this as a way to ‘œhelp the consumers’, but the more cynical side of me guesses that this is a way to pull some more cash out of us.

There’s also the question of whether episodic content is even that effective. Microsoft’s big-money deal with Take-Two for the exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV add ons didn’t fair that well, with Take-Two saying the excitement for the content was ‘œsmaller ‘¦ than initially expected’, resulting in weak sales.

So be sure to be ready for an onslaught of DLC and more awkward calculations about how much 1500 Microsoft Points is worth in real money. More importantly, don’t be duped by lower shelf prices, it might say £10 on the box but they’ll make you pay £30 just to get past the start menu.

Via: Eurogamer