Soul Calibur For iOS: Bargain, Or Blunder?Smartphone games don’t have a set price per se. Many debut at $0.99, but publishers and developers routinely sell titles at $1.99, $2.99 and even $6.99 with little resistance from consumers.
Going above seven dollars, though, could be disastrous. You must prove to a community used to spending $0.99 a pop that this new and more expensive app outshines the rest.
“Getting above the $10 mark is risky business,” said Joseph M. Trinagli, general manager at 5TH Cell. “You really need to deliver something special at that price, which may be difficult based strictly on the limitations of the platform itself.”
With this in mind, Namco Bandai released Soul Calibur, a 1999 Dreamcast launch title, on iOS for $11.99, and that’s the sale price.
Suffice it to say, some gamers suffered sticker shock.
Consider a headline from popular video game blog, Joystiq:
“PSA: Soul Calibur now on iOS, is twelve freaking dollars”
This launched a debate among the website’s community members on whether the game was worth the price. As one reader put it, “I hope they sell zero copies.”
With this in mind, did Namco Bandai commit a cardinal sin of mobile games?
No, according to Corey Redlien, studio director at Wandake Games.
"...I would be happy to have more iOS titles priced around $15. This would allow us to create better and deeper games."
“The game is a classic with fantastic visuals and gameplay. I think they're asking a fair price for a good product. I do think they took a risk that's paying off for them though, and I'm personally happy they did.”
“Ultimately,” he continued, “high-quality ‘long-form’ games that have a lot of content and provide a rich experience require a lot of money to produce. For companies like Namco Bandai to even consider bringing high quality content to the iOS platform, they obviously needed to test the waters with a premium price to see if the market would accept it. I don't know how much Namco Bandai eventually made from Soul Calibur, but I can only hope it was enough to warrant further and expanded investment in the space. I hope this type of price point for high-quality games will allow game development as a whole to reset consumer price expectations. Once that price expectation has moved more in-line with quality/costs, then we'll really start to see an explosion of content-rich gaming on iOS and mobile in general.”
Emeric Thoa, The Game Bakers’ creative director, agrees.
“Soul Calibur is a great game, and although it's a bit dated, there aren't many games that can be compared to it on the App Store.”
Stuart Poole, head of publishing at YoYo Games, suggested we consider the cost of bringing this 3D brawler to the platform.
“Porting the game would have cost them a reasonable amount, so Namco Bandai most likely had to charge a higher price to recoup what it spent.”
Poole also feels this is a result of what happens as technology advances at such a fast rate.
“As smartphones become more sophisticated, developers will be able to make games with higher production qualities and produce more content for them. This costs more money and carries a higher risk, so if the market wants this type of product, it has to expect an increase in price.”
Meanwhile, Paul O’Connor, brand director at Appy Entertainment feels there’s room for games at various price points.
“I'd never tell any developer how to price their work. If someone can sell their game for $11.99, more power to them. For our part, we've found the best way to reach our audience is with free games that players can (optionally) pay for at a later date. We think this is the sea change of the hour and the wave of the future. But I'm sure there will always be room for pay-first/premium titles, particularly if they are aimed at those gamers formerly making up the core of the console market.”
“This isn't about Namco Bandai being right or wrong in setting its price at $11.99. The market judged Namco's price and markets are never wrong.”
Taking that into account, we looked up customer reviews of Soul Calibur on the App Store, and it appears the early adopters have nothing but positive things to say. Consider these quotes:
“Fun to play and worth the money!”
“There is nothing I can complain about in this absolutely beautiful fighter game.”
“Dropped $12 without hesitation.”
But what of the naysayers? The ones condemning Namco Bandai for daring to price its game outside this assumed norm?
“Dissent usually comes from the vocal minority,” said Ed Del Castillo, President of Liquid Entertainment. “It may sound like consensus, but more often than not these demands fail to reflect the bulk of the market.”
“There is no such thing as ‘too much’ right now,” he said. “In traditional retail channels, pricing is very rigid, slow to move and usually only moves in one direction... down. On the App Store, you can change your prices in either direction in an instant. This allows a clever vendor to find all of its markets. It can start with high prices to sell to those who must have it, and slowly move down the ladder, capturing more buyers. If [Namco Bandai] had started at $0.99, consumers who would have paid more may have bought it for $0.99. Starting from a higher price point allows vendors to capture more revenue.”
“A console title is much more expensive than a mobile one,” he continued, “so $11.99 seems like a deal. Some may balk at a mobile game priced that way, but others will see it as a steal.”
Conversely, not everyone is happy or willing to spend the cash.
“I would say anything beyond the $5.99 mark is too much for an iOS title at the moment for an upfront purchase price,” said Paul Croft, co-founder and director of games at Mediatonic. “Soul Calibur is a fantastic game and a great brand, but the price is way above what a normal consumer would expect to pay for content on the platform, particularly with competing titles such as Street Fighter coming in around the $5 mark. Personally, I would have kept the initial purchase price much lower and allowed players to unlock features like multiplayer via in-app purchase.”
Jamie Ottilie, CEO of Galaxy Pest Control also had doubts about this old game.
“I wouldn’t pay $11.99 since I played the game on Dreamcast in 1999. What is the point in replaying console games on the iPad? Infinity Blade and its sequel were well worth their price. Epic could justify it because of the company’s name recognition and advance buzz for both games.”
Regardless of how you feel about Soul Calibur for iOS, its existence could spark a flood of higher quality and more expensive games on the App Store, depending on its performance. It may also usher in more console ports.
Ultimately, we expect higher prices to mean a significant advance in quality, something Emeric Thoa hopes to see.
“As a developer, I would be happy to have more iOS titles priced around $15. This would allow us to create better and deeper games. It would allow developers to reach a Nintendo DS quality and scope.”
Considering Namco Bandai managed to bring a Dreamcast game to iPhone and iPad, that sets the bar even higher.
