Matrix Games, Whatever Are You Thinking?

[tgb]

I've never been one to bitch about pricing at Matrix, since their business model is obviously working for them. Until now.

As part of the new distribution deal with Ageod, today they announced the release of Pride of Nations - for $24.99 digital, and $34.99 hard copy. Forgetting for a moment that this is a 3 year old game that can be had just about everywhere for $10, the game was only $20 at release 3 years ago.

Could this be a belated April Fools joke?

[bbmike]

I've never understood how they price some of their games. Pride of Nations is $9.99 at Gamersgate. The whole Pride of Nations collection can be had their for $19.99.

[Longdan]

I have bought almost every Matrix product...but some I just don't need to get there.

[Arctic Blast]

I've never been one to bitch about pricing at Matrix, since their business model is obviously working for them. Until now.

As part of the new distribution deal with Ageod, today they announced the release of Pride of Nations - for $24.99 digital, and $34.99 hard copy. Forgetting for a moment that this is a 3 year old game that can be had just about everywhere for $10, the game was only $20 at release 3 years ago.

Could this be a belated April Fools joke?

Yep. And the game is still available elsewhere for $9.99. Hell, you can buy the complete version with all the DLC for $19.99 on Gamersgate.

Meanwhile, Alea Iacta Est has the same higher price point everywhere to avoid bizarre price discrepancies.

Oh, and they've completely pulled out of Steam at the same time. Because they don't like their games being priced down on sales, even though most other devs find they make MORE money at those times.

Higher prices, more restricted distribution...remind me again why this merger was so fantastic?

[Swatter]

I often scratch my head, but I can see where they are coming from. Their customers have patience and will wait out more standard pricing models. At the same time, keeping the price of their premium games at the $80 level for years doesn't make sense to me. I would really like to own WitP, but I am not going to pay $80, ever. I would pay 35-40 for it, but they want $80 or nothing. They really do need to update their pricing model, it would likely produce a large number of sales for certain products.

They do need to keep an eye out for a game available at other outlets for much cheaper prices. If thats true, that is very tone deaf of the Matrix marketing person.

[Arctic Blast]

I often scratch my head, but I can see where they are coming from. Their customers have patience and will wait out more standard pricing models. At the same time, keeping the price of their premium games at the $80 level for years doesn't make sense to me. I would really like to own WitP, but I am not going to pay $80, ever. I would pay 35-40 for it, but they want $80 or nothing. They really do need to update their pricing model, it would likely produce a large number of sales for certain products.

They do need to keep an eye out for a game available at other outlets for much cheaper prices. If thats true, that is very tone deaf of the Matrix marketing person.

Yeah, the price of the back catalog is rather insane. I don't think anyone is saying they should just give games away, but when 7+ year old titles are still $50 and up...really? Is anyone still buying in at that rate? In the case of a series especially, offering the older stuff for a much lower cost gives a nice entry point for a new gamer to try out an older version of the system. Some of them are probably going to like it enough that they're willing to pony up for the newer stuff.

[Huw the Poo]

I resolved a while ago never to buy from Matrix again.  I hope they enjoy their little corner of the market.

[Tuna]

This stinks, does this mean that AGEOD's ACW 2 will be 80 bucks!!.. Actually it seems like Slitherine is more reasonable.. most of their new titles are usually around 39.. not bad for starting prices.

But yes PON was priced cheap and it was a mess when it first came out, but I don't think a lot of people minded because it was AGEOD, and they keep patching and trying to fix their games, in fact I think they just did one for ACW 1 pretty recently..

Matrix on the other side has SPWAW for around 70, and it ain't even gonna run on Windows 7 unless you do some research for the fix, which is kind of unfair to someone who is computer illiterate paying top price for such and old game with no support!

WITP (original) is still at premium price, if your gonna charge 50 dollars for a game then you need to 'support' it.. like give it the same Graphics fix that WITP AE got.. that way people who haven't bought or don't like the detail level of AE, could play WITP, but also enjoy the higher resolution.

[ArizonaTank]

I've never understood how they price some of their games. Pride of Nations is $9.99 at Gamersgate. The whole Pride of Nations collection can be had their for $19.99.

I am mostly OK with their pricing...but sometimes you do have to wonder....

Maximum Football is still listed for $39 download version.  Heck, it was built for XP. 

[Grim.Reaper]

I have often questioned their pricing as well, but they stay in business, so they must be doing something right.  But kind of strange they would make it a higher price than is available in other places.  Don't get me wrong, I like Matrix, but if I can find the same product cheaper elsewhere, I have no loyalties from that perspective:)

[Wolfe1759]

What really irritates me about the Matrix pricing is that they continually rip off us UK customers.

Using PoN as an example the US price is $24.99 (I only know this because of the OP, $ prices are not shown on the Matrix site accessed from here in the UK) the UK price is £21.59 which equates to $33.08. However if I go over to the AGEOD site (which is now the same company) I can buy it for £15.99.

The argument that the older Matrix games are over priced is a good one, even more so when you are being charged an additional 30% for no other apparent reason than being this side of the Atlantic.

[gocrows]

I generrally wait for their November-January sale, where most games are 30-33% off. Even then, would not pay $60 or more for a game. In the 1990s, all new games in Australia were 80-90 each, now this is unnacceptable. Slitherine has slightly lower prices.

Wouild really like the decisive campaign games, but will not pay $40 for DD. Come Chrsitmas, should get them for $25 each.

[spelk]

I have often questioned their pricing as well, but they stay in business, so they must be doing something right.  But kind of strange they would make it a higher price than is available in other places.  Don't get me wrong, I like Matrix, but if I can find the same product cheaper elsewhere, I have no loyalties from that perspective:)

I was once a staunch Matrix loyalist. And would often spend a few more quid, just to know I had Matrix's level of support behind my wargames collection. But nowadays, they take on titles to fill their stock list, but they don't really provide the same level of support in terms of updates and competitive pricing, and platform diversity.

Take Unity of Command as an example, it's best to source this off the devs direct, they provide instant support, updates that happen as they are released, and not two months later, plus they'll even hand out Steam keys if you want to attach the product to Steam - and go Linux.

Matrix has a place, I have more or less their entire collection up to a about a year ago. But now, I'm reluctant to shell for titles, especially when they seem to be collection fillers, that they want to charge high prices for. Most of the stuff that lands in Matrix's bucket recently has been available elsewhere long before, and is often not as expensive, nor limited to Matrix's serial coded exe install files mechanism.

I'm always strapped for cash to pay expensive for loyalty, and life's too short to wait for Matrix to release updates/patches/DLC expansions when developers are releasing them two months earlier (yes, Unity of Command: Red Turn again).

[Zulu1966]

What really irritates me about the Matrix pricing is that they continually rip off us UK customers.

Using PoN as an example the US price is $24.99 (I only know this because of the OP, $ prices are not shown on the Matrix site accessed from here in the UK) the UK price is £21.59 which equates to $33.08. However if I go over to the AGEOD site (which is now the same company) I can buy it for £15.99.

The argument that the older Matrix games are over priced is a good one, even more so when you are being charged an additional 30% for no other apparent reason than being this side of the Atlantic.

Well - the interesting thing is also the fact that at gamers gate the game is £7.99 for a uk buyer. Gamersgate also dont seem to feel the need to add the 20% tax that matrix do. I have always wondered about this as its not something that steam do. Of course it could be that they are not adding it explicitly - but then that just makes it 20 % cheaper again. It seems an oddly inconsistent way of charging when apparently sellers seem to make up their own mind as to whether they need to charge it.

In any case this is the answer to what seems to be at play here...

Hi guys,

nobody has the right to sell the games any more except us. We own them exclusively now. We are the only place it can be legitimately bought. All other sellers have been contacted and asked to remove the games from sale. If we allow others to sell it will be at the same price as us. However it takes time for the hundreds of stores that Paradox licensed it to to be contacted, respond and remove the games. Going forwards you wont be able to get Ageod games anywhere except direct from us so there will be no price discrepancy, but it is not something that we can fix overnight.

It is true that Paradox sold these games at ridiculous prices on Steam and Gamer's gate but that's a thing of the past that will never happen again. These are massive games and justify a sensible price point. We can;t fix the mistakes from the past but we can make sure going forwards it all works.

I pretty much agree with the logic of that and it seems to me that was essentially the cause of the break up. Seems to me paradox's business model seems to consist soley of a flog em cheap and they will buy whether they want them or not mentalilty. Which may work for them on a larger scale but not for the developers concerned. Second niche wargame company to get burned by a collaboration with paradox.

I simply think a lot of people are unrealistic about the price that can be charged for games like these and make it actually possible to continue to produce them. I doubt Matrix ever sell more than 10,000 total for any of their games - when you look at something like PON which takes at least a year to produce even if they hit that peak sales number at 15 $ a go that only nets them 150,000 $ for the game - take away production costs and the need to support three guys doing it (think thats correct) and they are on the line as to whether its worthwile going do something completely different. When you throw in that under paradox likely half those sales were made at a price a fraction of the original cost of even $15 then its even worse.

[Huw the Poo]

Take Unity of Command as an example, it's best to source this off the devs direct, they provide instant support, updates that happen as they are released, and not two months later, plus they'll even hand out Steam keys if you want to attach the product to Steam - and go Linux.

What?  Let me get this straight - there is a Linux version available if you buy from the devs or Steam, but not if you buy from Matrix?