Half of all PC gamers wait for a game to go on sale before buying

4.5
Sales may be killing developers’ chances of getting gamers to pay full price for new releases.

Half of all PC gamers in the US wait for a game’s price to drop before buying it.

That’s according to a report by the NPD Group, via GamesIndustry.

The report, which draws on a June survey of 6,255 individuals, said 46% of respondents who game on PC bought a title digitally in the last year, but those who download games rather than visit the shops are “far less likely” to pay full price.

“Consumers’ expectations may be the greatest barrier to maximizing spending in the PC gaming space,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said.

“Since half of PC gamers who play digital and/or physical games on the computer are expecting there to always be a sale right around the corner, publishers and retailers alike need to better manage these expectations.”

As a consumer, you may be thinking something along the lines of “half of all PC gamers are very sensible, then”, but some developers – particularly indies – have strong concerns about the effect of sales on the games industry.

Posted:
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2014/09/10/half-of-all-pc-gamers-wait-for-a-game-to-go-on-sale-before-buying-report/

Comments

"Half of all PC gamers wait for a game to go on sale before buying" :: Login/Create an Account :: 66 comments

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ZipsPosted:

I love all the PC games sales, always get a bargain

OrthoPosted:

MVPapi
Inq
Ortho
Inq
Astronauts
Ortho I don't play PC but if I did I wouldn't wait for sales; I never do


Lol same here, I'm to impatient for that :P


yeah same and on xbox there arnt really any good sales tbh but i quess on steam there is


Steam has awesome sales, but I like to support certain devs the most I can


yeah i have seen steam sales and compared to xbox they are amazing


Steam Summer Sale. Nuff said. Everything is pennies. I got Civ V + all DLC last summer, down from $70 to $15


That's good and all but you're just making me jealous since I don't have a good system to run the games atm

StonerzardPosted:

Inq
Ortho
Inq
Astronauts
Ortho I don't play PC but if I did I wouldn't wait for sales; I never do


Lol same here, I'm to impatient for that :P


yeah same and on xbox there arnt really any good sales tbh but i quess on steam there is


Steam has awesome sales, but I like to support certain devs the most I can


yeah i have seen steam sales and compared to xbox they are amazing


Steam Summer Sale. Nuff said. Everything is pennies. I got Civ V + all DLC last summer, down from $70 to $15

StonerzardPosted:

If they asked those people 'have you ever bought a game, and then within the next week it go on sale?' I'm sure 94% of gamers would say yes.

And this is a terrible story anyway. "Half of ALL PC gamers" "6,225 individuals"

Glad to know that I'm one of 6,225 PC gamers in existence!

GaryPosted:

You guys should really read more than he title. It was on a survey of 6255 PC gamers and only 47% of them said they wait for a sale to but the game.

CHPPosted:

if you dont have a really good computer i think it'd be dumb to pay full price for a game that wont even run 100%

AlexPosted:

Ortho
Alexyy Pc master race strikes again cya l8er consoles


this isn't a good thing.... nothing to be proud of lmao


I was joking but explain why it isnt? Pls

1989Posted:

Ortho
Inq
Astronauts
Ortho I don't play PC but if I did I wouldn't wait for sales; I never do


Lol same here, I'm to impatient for that :P


yeah same and on xbox there arnt really any good sales tbh but i quess on steam there is


Steam has awesome sales, but I like to support certain devs the most I can


yeah i have seen steam sales and compared to xbox they are amazing

OrthoPosted:

Alexyy Pc master race strikes again cya l8er consoles


this isn't a good thing.... nothing to be proud of lmao

Dr_ArkansasPosted:

Probably because they're too broke from the 780ti, i8 4770k processor, 900w power supply and heck even the motherboards and cooling systems are getting expensive!