Castle Crashers and Braid XBLA Price Storm!

LATEST: Shacknews is reporting the pricing as an error, however the debate is still very relevant as XBLA prices are definitely on the increase and I expect Castle Crashers to be 1200 or perhaps 1600 points personally.

A storm is brewing over indie games Castle Crashers and Braid. A Japanese website has published the proposed price points for these much anticipated titles, 1800 points and 1200 points resepectively. Meanwhile the blogs at Behemoth and Destructoid (amongst others) are filling up with riled users unsure what to make of it all, as you can see by the Destructoid image below:

The first thing to say is that I expect the Western price point of Castle Crashers to be 1600 points rather than 1800, but I can’t confirm that with any insider knowledge right now. I’m sure the matter will be cleared up ASAP, possibly even today.

So what’s the problem? Assuming 1600 points, that’s $19.99 for a top quality game. Here are some of the issues along with my take on them.

If I’m paying more than $10, I want a boxed copy and no DRM rubbish

There are two issues here. Firstly, it looks like it will take some time for console game buyers to get used to the idea of buying games without a box attached. PC users have been doing this for years, and at a standard price point of $19.99 (casual games and bigger indie games), so there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this model. Secondly, there is distrust of Microsoft’s DRM model. Console gamers are used to take/loaning discs to mates, and Microsoft currently provide no adequate method to deal with this, or to transfer ownership (for a fee perhaps). Also, if Microsoft stop supporting the system, you may not be able to play the game in future.

It’s too expensive for a download game

Not really. Castle Crashers is competing time-wise with the big games out there. Sure, it isn’t Halo, but so what? I’ll play Castle Crashers more than Halo, so what does it matter?

Developers are money grabbing because they know we want Braid and Castle Crashers

Indie developers struggle to get their games made, and are unlikely to get rich off them. In fact, they are just trying to make enough to develop their next game, with Microsoft et al wanting ever bigger, flashier titles.

Game development, particularly console game development, is extremely expensive. While a Flash game may take 2-6 weeks for 1-2 people, a console game – even on XBLA – may take 1-2 years and 4-8 people, as well as a lot of additional QA/localisation/hardware/rating/marketing related costs. You don’t have to be an accountant to see the difference. It’s very high risk and profits are hard to come by, especially for an understaffed, overworked indie with no corporate investors to pay for production.

Microsoft are charging me more than 1600 points = US$19.99 because I’m in Canada, UK, etc

Now this I am sympathetic with. As a developer, we base everything on the US rates because that’s what affects us. Microsoft charge more elsewhere because of sales tax and their own reasons. I suggest people write to MS to discuss that particular issue, but don’t blame the poor indie for a console pricing policy.

It’s only a simple brawler / platformer. I’m not paying more than $10 for that!

You know what? Give the games a go and if you think they are worth the money then buy them. If not, then leave them alone. Anyone who thinks a game should be priced by genre is rather foolish in my opinion. You don’t do this with film or music or television! Tetris and Dr Mario were super simple yet have taken more of my gaming hours than most FPS titles. It’s all about value for money, about entertainment.

In summary, console users are still very new to the whole download thing and the lack of a boxed copy still resonates as a problem. I think Microsoft (and Sony and Nintendo) should look at their DRM systems as I think there are ways to mitigate some of people’s concerns. Also, perhaps a boxed copy could be part of the deal with a little extra $$$?

However, give the games a go and treat them as with any other game you’ll buy. It doesn’t matter how much they cost, what the license is, who made them (indie or otherwise), retail or digital – if you like them enough then they are good enough.

For the record, I’m a huge fan of both games – although I’ve played Braid more than Castle Crashers as I have access to it – and I’m a fan of the talented and friendly people behind them.

EDIT: Great opinion piece on Gamasutra where 2D Boy (World of Goo) explains issues with XBox Live Arcade for indies.