In case you hadn't noticed (we're imagining Rich Uncle Pennybags types who just keep handing cashiers wads of cash until they look satisfied), game prices have been moving upward in this console generation. $59.99 is the new base price for console games, and limited editions drive the prices up further -- except on the Wii.EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich made statements in the group's February "Expose" document that support the conclusions of Signal Hill's Todd Greenwald -- that the "average MSRP could flatten or fall in 2009." According to his estimates, the median MSRP for Wii games at release has already fallen: from $49.99 in 2007 to $39.99 in 2008.
The proliferation of budget shovelware certainly has a lot to do with this trend, but cheap shovelware is a lot less obnoxious than expensive shovelware. Plus, the widespread lowering of initial prices should lead to a similar trend among non-shovelware publishers, as well.
[Via GoNintendo]
