RE: "Upgrade" options between Dominion series.

[SlipperyJim]

Gooles said:
Because of this, I would wish you'd consider an "upgrade" option. As in, if you can provide a valid serial key (only can be used once of course), you would be charged a reduced rate of only $20 to $30 since a good portion of the game is reused.

I'm not sure if there's any precedent for this in the gaming world. I own a licensed copy of Civ3, and I didn't get any discount on Civ4. I own both the original Pirates! and the remade Pirates! Gold, but that didn't get me a discount on the new(ish) Pirates! game....

Okay, so Microsoft offers upgrade pricing on their Windows and Office software (and perhaps a few others). But I don't think that any game company offers upgrade pricing. I'm not saying that they can't do it. Obviously, they can. However, I can't think of any game companies who do offer it.

And I think I know why. An operating system costs hundreds of dollars. Microsoft Office also costs hundreds of dollars. Most games (including Dom3) cost about $50. To me, that says the gaming industry runs on lower overhead than Microsoft. If the overhead is lower, then there's less flexibility on pricing. After all, JK & KO have to eat, right?

IANAMBA (I Am Not An MBA), so my analysis could be wrong. In which case, I'll refer you back to MaxWilson's excellent point: $50 is quite a bargain for a game that has as much staying power as Dom3. I have spent a good bit more than that on Civ4 (including buying the expansion), and Dom3 has given me a lot more entertainment for my money.