![]() But the phenomenon is not a new one - retail price increases for the local market have been a feature of the Australian video gaming scene for some time.Īccording to Ron Curry, the chief executive of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association, which represents a number of large and small games manufacturers locally, there are a number of factors in general behind higher local prices for games. Spokespeople from EB Games and JB Hi-Fi couldn’t be reached last week for comment on why local prices were so much higher than in the US - or even through Valve’s Steam platform, which is accessible to Australians. Giant US retailer GameStop, for example, was also selling the PC version of Portal 2 for just $49.99 - either digitally or via a boxed copy - while the console versions went for $59.99 each. The prices were also dramatically different from those seen in the US, where Valve is headquartered. And similar prices could be seen at other retailers. ![]() Questions like: Why was giant local retailer EB Games charging $88 for Portal 2, when the game could be bought directly from Valve’s digital download service Steam, for US$49.99 (AU$46.25)? Why was EB Games charging even more - in fact, more than twice as much ($108) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game?Įven JB Hi-Fi - the king of discounting - was charging a premium for Portal 2 $79 for the PC version, and $89 for the console versions. However, as pricing on the game started to be published by various local retailers, questions started to be asked. ![]() After all, what could be better than getting such a highly anticipated game just before the Easter long weekend kicked in, with five whole days away from work to enjoy it? When renowned video game publisher Valve announced April 21 this year as the Australian launch date for the sequel to its critically acclaimed Portal title, local fans were ecstatic.
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