Post by Dan @ 08:29am 11/05/11 | 106 Comments
To be held on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of October, EB Games EXPO will showcase the hottest new release and upcoming titles playable for the first time in Australia plus exciting live presentations from international game developers spanning across 10,000 square meters at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre (GCCEC), Gold Coast, Queensland.Purported to have been in planning for three years, the expo boasts to be the biggest such event to have been hosted in Australia and will include a host of major publishers showcasing yet-to-be-released products as well as a competition component hosted by tourney veterans World Cyber Games (WCG).
While full exhibiter lists will be released in the coming months, we’re really excited that we are able to offer a gaming event of this scale in Australia which will give the gaming community a chance to get their hands on such high caliber playable code as we did internally last October with Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, Dragon Age and Duke Nukem to name a few,” Weekes stated.Tickets go on sale Thursday 2nd June through EB Games and online at www.ebexpo.com.au.
As a major brick and mortar games retailer, EB Games have been somewhat of a lightning rod for criticism towards regional price disparities for new-release videogames between Australia and North America, particularly since the aussie dollar has gone beyond US parity. Who knows, perhaps if they make enough bank from this event, they can bring their game prices more in-line with online expectations (yeah, we can dream).
See the press release and the below video for more details.
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Posted 08:34am 11/5/11
Posted 09:14am 11/5/11
Oh burn
Posted 09:35am 11/5/11
EB games are the joke of the gaming world, why would anyone bother
Posted 10:12am 11/5/11
Posted 01:20pm 11/5/11
Firstly, RRP in Australia is consistent across the board. Specialist game stores (EB, Game, etc) must make their profit from the margin between cost price and RRP (which is very small), whilst non-specialist stores (BigW, JB) can sell at cost price as they make $ on other items. Specialist stores honor these cost price sales through price matches - despite having much higher overhead costs and offering a much better game related customer service. That being said, specialist stores put on great sales that non-specialist stores can't even come close to competing with.
Secondly, The general reason RRP is higher in Australia is accounted by a wider spread populace with a generally lower population, which means higher marketing and transit costs for lower income. This is one reason amongst many. Game Informer did a good article on this awhile ago.
Finally, you are coming down hard on specialist Australian gaming retailers when you're meant to be the 'Australian Gaming Community'. They offer something that Big W and US owned Steam can't offer you - a solid interactive gaming experience in just about every mall in Australia. Not to mention an actual Gaming Expo! And is $30 really expensive for a high production Games Expo?? I find it hard to believe these things aren't valuable to the Australian Gaming Community!
Posted 01:27pm 11/5/11
Posted 01:31pm 11/5/11
If the wholesale price hasn't shifted in AUD terms then you guys are being hosed as much as we are and need to make noise about it instead of pretending its all OK.
We do not care about the in store experience, whatever the hell that actually is. Last time I went into an EB it was a teenage kid wh oseemed vaguelly bored. We care about the price of the games we buy and will buy them where its cheapest, which is online.
Price > all. You guys must know this.
Posted 01:33pm 11/5/11
Specialist? They sell f*****g video games that half their staff don't know about and they sell them for twice their cost price.
The "High Production gaming expo" is yet to be seen and if it will be high production. They can't be doing too badly if they can afford to have an Expo each year with Vendors and their managers only.
In fact, a lot of it is sponsored by the vendors, such as handing out consoles at the door etc at the managers expo.
Posted 01:34pm 11/5/11
EB can't offer me a better experience than BigW, last time I went into an EB the chick behind the counter didn't have a f*****g clue what GT5 was, I went to JB HiFi and they were like "f*** yeah homie come right this way I'll put you on the waiting list"
also to me a better experience is HEAVILY influenced on the price I pay
no one wants to walk out of a store knowing they paid too much for any product, especially one that is likely shorter than the previous version (single player wise) and requires you to pay extra for more DLC
EB are doing it way wrong, it wont be long before the market consumes them
Posted 01:36pm 11/5/11
Posted 01:36pm 11/5/11
Posted 01:37pm 11/5/11
f*****g lol.
are you referring to having a couple of consoles set up in-store? cause that s*** is so worth paying a massive premium for.
Posted 01:42pm 11/5/11
If I could buy Petrol in the US and have it delivered to me electronically you better believe I would ;)
Posted 01:47pm 11/5/11
EA may have local warehouses, but they still get shipped in from the US....and its still a US company!
Posted 01:48pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:05pm 11/5/11
How can you expect the Australian Gaming Community to turn to you If you don't give 2 hoots about what the Australian gamer wants? We want lower prices and If you can't compete on price then money will continue to go to overseas online stores, my money included.
In fact, there are something like 62 online game stores that aussies buy their games from and despite the heavy competition i'm about to make that 63. Anything to stop gamers from getting ripped off by EB, GAME, or EB GAME (because correct me if i'm wrong you do own GAME after all).
Posted 02:22pm 11/5/11
No doubt, however that's sidestepping complaints of prices being inconsistent across the globe.
What a load of crap. If it's not profitable to put an EB Games retail outlet into Mt Isa then what the hell are they there for?
1. Where is this 'interactive gaming experience? Whenever I've gone into EB it's staffed by bored dudes babysitting shelves and shelves of empty boxes, perhaps beside a wireframe bin containing empty boxes where the customer is greeted at the door by a table full of empty boxes.
2. The gaming expo hasn't occurred yet, perhaps it'll take off, perhaps it'll flop. Who knows?
Yet the retail price of (imported!) major electronics has steadily decreased with the strengthening aussie dollar.
Hahaha, not imported. Even if they do buy from local publishers, you're getting ripped off or they're getting ripped off. Either way, in the end it's the customer getting ripped off.
Posted 01:56pm 11/5/11
Why don't you just ship in games from play-asia or whatever and then slap $20 on top? The games would still be cheaper.
And maybe don't populate your stores with douchebags who hassle out the customer for preorders, disc warranties and subscriptions to game informer?
Speaking of game informer, its kinda funny that they would step in to defend brick and mortar stores like EB, given that EB/Gamestop own game informer.
Posted 01:58pm 11/5/11
Posted 01:58pm 11/5/11
Haha really? * headdesk *
Posted 02:01pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:05pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:06pm 11/5/11
Parents, young children, the computer illiterate are who EB markets towards.
PC games would be down the bottom of the profit list for EB.
I would imagine DS, 360, Wii would be up the top.
Posted 02:08pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:10pm 11/5/11
Console games can be imported and this is going to become more common.
Posted 02:21pm 11/5/11
But is the average parent of a young child going to import a game or go to the local EB?
Don't forget the little s*** will be snapping at her heals screaming "WANT IT NAOW"
Posted 02:23pm 11/5/11
The average gamer is over 30 years old.
Posted 02:25pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:27pm 11/5/11
It was merely a commentary on the way that Australian gamers perceive EB. I am aware that they're far from the only retailer that is happy to pass on these uncompetitive prices for distribution, but as a games speciality store with the most consistently high prices, EB has become a lightning rod for the public vitriol on this issue.
My comments reflect the sentiment of our readers here, which as you can tell by the replies you've already gotten from that post, are quite accurate.
You can point to as many excuses as you like for why prices are in the state they are, but the fact of that matter is that many Australian gamers are simply fed up with paying what amounts to double the price for the same product as gamers elsewhere in the world.
This has disparity become particularly glaring with the recent strength of the Australian dollar. Many of us see antiquated brick and mortar distribution as the reason that many online stores are being forced to provide a separate regionalised price for Australian customers, despite there being ZERO difference in the distribution cost for an online purchase, no matter where the customer is in the world.
Posted 02:35pm 11/5/11
I didnt say the average gamer.
Parents who buy games for their children most likely wont buy online.
They will go to a physical store.
Posted 02:43pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:44pm 11/5/11
Posted 02:50pm 11/5/11
Ask Door, he knows all about it.
Posted 02:49pm 11/5/11
I know what you said.
My point is that most of the AU market isn't a screamig child and they are losing it to OS retailers.
Posted 02:59pm 11/5/11
"steam owns 60-70% of the gaming market"
of which market? the dying PC market that know one cares about? Cos yea, EB and Game will reduce their prices across all platforms to below cost price to cator for 3 customers a week. Get real?
"Specialist? They sell f*****g video games that half their staff don't know about and they sell them for twice their cost price."
Take 25% off the RRP of a game, there's your cost price! You try running a business on a 25% margin? you my friend, are a f*****g plonker
"The average gamer is over 30 years old."
your right, but in those particular studies they factor in casual gamers. casual gamers that walk by a game store in a mall and make an impulse purchase. 30+ year olds that buy hidden object games, who are to afraid to buy games off the internet through fear of credit card fraud, therefor will not be importing like you claim everyone will be
"EB games are the joke of the gaming world"
and hear I was thinking it was the PSN? You guys on this board are a bit of a joke too, the reason I heard about this travesty of a comments section is because a friend was laughing with me about it
bottom line, alot of you are ill-informed and need to do a little bit of research
Posted 03:03pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:06pm 11/5/11
Brad makes a very strong point here. I feel I must agree. On this one point.
The rest? Not so much.
It's nice that you have a friend Brad. Say high to RJ fo us.
I remember when someone who worked at GameDude started posting on this board, in defence of GameDude after quite the number of customer complaints. Lets hope that doesn't happen again.
Posted 03:08pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:14pm 11/5/11
nah see i'd call someone a f*****g plonker if they couldn't distinguish between here/hear and know/no like you dont seem to be able to, brad; not if they refused to be ripped off by a s***** bricks and mortar retailer when importing or digital distribution is far superior.
Posted 03:13pm 11/5/11
Brink on 360 from EB Games - $108.
Exactly twice as much. That's the bottom line.
Posted 03:14pm 11/5/11
its not my loyalty to my employer that spurred me to make those points, its that fact that SO many of you (even the publisher of the article for that matter) are incredibly out of touch with most things to do with the industry. another reason i make those points is because every shift I work I get personally blamed by Idiots like yourselves for the prices on the shelves. Since i'm personally ridiculed for it, I have every right to tell you that your wrong
Oh, care to enlighten me on how putting on a huge gaming expo is the 'beginning of the end' for EB? your a donkey
Posted 03:15pm 11/5/11
Also, you're wrong. YOU'RE.
Posted 03:18pm 11/5/11
That's the thing - the PC gaming marketplace isn't dying, its moved online. PC always goes first. Tell Blizzard or Valve or those guys who made a bazillion dollars on that stupid farm game that the PC market is dying, lolfase.
The writing is on the wall - this generation of consoles tested the waters, offering DLC and marketplaces for mini-games. The next lot will very likely have a Steam equivalent, and you'll be working at BigW or Coles. PSN may have set this process back for the playstation crew though.
You are in the business of selling digital data by shipping it across the planet on little plastic disks in the era of near-ubiquitous broadband. Does this seem like a good plan to you? Fortunately Coles will still need checkout chicks.
Posted 03:18pm 11/5/11
The fact that most of you will harp on about supporting the australian games industry, yet you purchase games from an online shop which have been imported from overseas speaks volumes of your convictions
Posted 03:19pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:19pm 11/5/11
irony overload.
f*****g reckon.
Posted 03:20pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:20pm 11/5/11
The developer gets the same cut wherever we buy it from.
We don't care about the bottom line of retailers very much.
Posted 03:26pm 11/5/11
You have completely lost it. Take my personal situation for example, I have an ugly dish on my roof pulling an incredibly unstable and slow wireless connection from a WiMax tower.
which era are you in? Your head is in another reality, Like your internet connection apparently
Posted 03:26pm 11/5/11
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-03-01-pc-games-market-has-grown-20-percent-to-usd16bn
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-03-09-ea-its-totally-conceivable-pc-will-become-our-biggest-platform
EB are gouging prices, and your a moron if you don't see that. You go into a store, and the products are being sold at a 50% increase or more. And now with our parity, and even higher dollar, prices should be different. How come I can import one product for cheaper then what EB sell? And I'm sure when they import, they get a massive discount or what have you.
You need to do more research. You clearly have s*** all taste, and are probably one of those 14 year olds that screams at his mother because he can't have his game now, so your mother has to go and spend money on a product she could simply buy from Ozgameshop or GAME UK, for much cheaper.
Posted 03:28pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:28pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:32pm 11/5/11
How the f*** can you type with your head in the sand?
As I mentioned about 30 posts ago, if that's the case then your company is being f***ed right up the bum by Nintendo/Ubi/Sony/etc.
We don't give a s*** who is doing the arse f*****g, we refuse to take it and will import directly from OS. Your company needs to start wailing about it because it is costing you bazillions of dollars and it will get worse. The AUD isn't coming down anytime soon.
You've got to wonder about your argument mate when you start sounding like Gerry Harvey!
Posted 03:31pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:32pm 11/5/11
Ask Gerry Harvey how his campaign against 'importing' went...
Posted 03:33pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:33pm 11/5/11
Are you mental, your saying that what a COMPETITOR OF YOURS charges is besides the point?
Its exactly the point, people dont give a single flying f*** WHY you charge prices that are in some cases DOUBLE what we can buy it for elsewhere.
All the consumer cares about is the price and availability.
We dont care that your business model doesnt work anymore, its up to YOU to figure out why it doesn't.
Why can a product be purchased online and delivered for HALF (not always half but always significantly cheaper) the price of a retail store?
Ill give you a clue, The Australian Distibutors/Publishers are shafting you, plain and simple.
I'd like to know what a game that sell's at retail for $108 actually costs someone like EB.
If its more than $54, why not just order it from someone online and re-sell it?
If its more than $54, why arent you going to your australian distributors and saying, "what the f*** is going on here guys, we are getting shafted, im going to take away all my business and direct import if you dont stop shafting me"
Posted 03:36pm 11/5/11
The thing is, that as long as this situation stays the same, the vitriol is always going to be projected at the people with the storefronts, because as customers we don't have contact with the distributor.
Although I don't believe for a second that EB or GAME always have the consumers best interest at heart (they are a business after all), I don't personally blame them for this situation, it's just as I said, by pure circumstance, they are the lightning rod for this anger.
If Australian retailers don't like that, then they need to be lobbying the distributors for more competitive wholesale prices -- and not doing a Gerry Harvey and whining to the papers. They need to be making more noise about how more and more of their customers are now importing and buying online and that their businesses are not sustainable unless the wholesale prices are brought in to line with international markets.
Posted 03:35pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:36pm 11/5/11
It's not neccesary but it is like a kid in a candy shop metaphor for gamers so it's probably neccecary for the mum's and dad's who take thier kids there for a good spot of newegg spoiling.
Do EB do their part in passing back their profits to the studio's and developers that are the creation engines behind their profiteering? I think you'll find this is why EB continue to be the lightning rod for riducule and will continue to be so.
I suppose you could say the same for Game, JBHifi, the big retailers and the etc online's, but EB just seem to be milking the cow, whacking the pinyada, pinning the tail on the donkey, insert(you pick a metaphor you're happy with) for much longer and with much higher margins in setting their retail price point raping.
Posted 03:39pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:40pm 11/5/11
Posted 03:40pm 11/5/11
also, another satisfied ozgameshop customer here, half the price and delivered to my door. golden
Posted 03:52pm 11/5/11
Nice work dude, spit the dummy and leave.
Here's what you could/should have said, something along the lines of
"As an Australian Retailer, we are well aware of the pricing disparity between Australian Retail stores and online stores, especially given the strong Australian Dollar. We are always looking to provide value for money for our customers and we are doing everything we can to provide our products at competitive prices, including negotiations with Australia Software Distributors to provide better pricing that can be passed on to consumers"
I should work in PR or something.
Posted 03:59pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:00pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:14pm 11/5/11
Now, anyone want to car pool to the EB game expo?
Posted 04:18pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:20pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:25pm 11/5/11
:s
Posted 04:28pm 11/5/11
Tix on sale 2nd of June.
This is awesome, due to the fact I think Fixah was being sarcastic. =D
Posted 04:33pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:34pm 11/5/11
Posted 04:46pm 11/5/11
Seriously tell me you guys were joking cause I sure as hell was. LOL!
Posted 04:46pm 11/5/11
Srsly that is all that needs to be said on the issue.
It is not our problem Australian wholesalers (AU Sony/Nintendo/whatever) are cumming in EB's a*******s. Like anything (clothes, electronics etc) people are going online because it is far cheaper.
Posted 04:49pm 11/5/11
Don't confuse the "Australian Games Industry" with "Australian Retail Industry" as they have nothing to do with each other.
Posted 04:51pm 11/5/11
Before I start, where am I drawing my experience from: Years of Experience owning/running a games cafe that also sold games here in Australia.
To be able to sell physical games (new games) like EB. It's not as simple as importing games directly from overseas as there's import duties, Australian Ratings etc etc which must be passed before they hit the shelves of Australian Stores.
This forces shops like EB, Target, Average Specialty Games store to enter into an Enterprise Barganing agreement with Publishers. The publishers provide the cost price and give a suggested RRP on the games. Most companies are lucky to get a 20% markup from selling a new game. Note that's markup not profit, actual profit is more like 5% after taking in cost of stock sitting on the shelf, rent electricity, interest repayments for business loans etc.
Given the low profit margin in Brick and Mortar games here in Australia, it's the publishers who set the Price, Ubisoft, EA Games, etc are behind the regional price fixing. Those same publishers also set the regional prices on Digital Distribution networks such as STEAM.
EB Games is an innocent bystander.
I personally will continue to support GOG.com who refuses to implement regional pricing.
Posted 04:52pm 11/5/11
Bahahaha, yeah man, you're now roped into driving down there, sorry dude.
Posted 04:53pm 11/5/11
Rampage at Boondall/Deagon?
Posted 04:55pm 11/5/11
the fact that the price is 100% more expensive in EB is beside the point is it?
s***, what is the point then exactly?
Posted 05:04pm 11/5/11
It is not our problem who causes the markup. If JB and BigW can compete with online on some releases and EB can't who gives a f***en f***.
Posted 05:13pm 11/5/11
Posted 05:17pm 11/5/11
This pleases the Ivonin. Shall we get ready now, or wait until October?
Actually, f*** that, let's get drunk and create our own EBExpo, ideas anyone?
Posted 05:28pm 11/5/11
Posted 05:30pm 11/5/11
But ... what if the drunk midgets get hungry?
Posted 05:32pm 11/5/11
Posted 05:33pm 11/5/11
First off, its more than 25% on the markup. But wait, im just some guy on a gaming forum! Yes, a guy who worked for a developer for almost 4 years, a year of that was for EA! So yeah, I kinda understand how the industry works and I know the prices EA sell their games for.
EA Australia distribute the games yes, they do an internal transfer of stock from the US which ships to their warehouse in Sydney (at least it was) and sell to the stores for around $40 - $50 per game.
EB is a rip off, look at the second hand games! I mean, you are harping on about not supporting australian business, technically you are not supporting developers by reselling their games instead of selling new......
Posted 05:36pm 11/5/11
Lol'd harder then I probably should've at that.
Should we have primarily funny looking midgets or just normal ones? Male/Female? If female, do we whore them out for profit?
What games should we present and what developers? I think the guys from Valve would have an awesome enough sense of humour to have them on board, at least the TF2 guys. Definitely Gearbox Software, I believe them to be my kind of people.
Posted 06:00pm 11/5/11
Posted 06:05pm 11/5/11
Posted 06:23pm 11/5/11
Some people would quickly jump to conclusions that you could be Brad Harker. And that's not cool. Lets assume you weren't though. It was a very bad idea to use that name and poorly defend the company, the way you did.
Or it could have been a deliberate ploy to incriminate poor Brad (sup homie, love the singing).
And lay off Trent, he's a mad kid.
Posted 06:52pm 11/5/11
OK, now fast forward 5 years where our national fiber optic rollout is in full swing and the next console generation with seamless online purchasing integration has had time to settle in.
Is selling little plastic discs shipped from overseas still looking rosy?
Big studios started selling entire TV seasons through major dept stores and Netflix & iTunes came along and killed Blockbuster.
The smart ones would be looking for the exits...
Posted 07:09pm 11/5/11
Not the brad harker that did a mba at qut?? (You looked real good on the youtube video dude, hows that MBA look on your wall?) hehe google is funny..
Posted 07:14pm 11/5/11
Posted 07:16pm 11/5/11
No sane above 18yr old would even consider wasting time going to a "rip off central expo"
f*** eb games and f*** anything they sponsor/ put on.
Posted 07:56pm 11/5/11
Posted 09:00pm 11/5/11
Posted 09:36pm 11/5/11
Posted 09:42pm 11/5/11
Totally boycott the stores though, if you enjoy money that is. I you like getting bent over and raped in the arse... you could still get that cheaper somewhere else anyway.
Posted 10:56pm 11/5/11
Posted 11:04pm 11/5/11
Posted 11:05pm 11/5/11
Posted 06:41am 12/5/11
So no, unfortunately not.
Posted 03:34pm 29/10/11
Yes they suck at selling video games, maybe it's because despite massive buying power they still are taking it in the butt from distribuitors, or maybe they are buying it for cheaper than chips from a fish and chip shop but that's besides the point.
When you complain about them doing one thing, and then use it as justification for never doing anything to do with EB ever, you've lost the plot. If EB are doing something right, like putting on an entertaining australian first games expo, why not support that, but still buy nothing from the part of the business that sucks?
THe only thing you'll do is say to the rest of australia is "We don't want game expo's either". Which would be a shame.
Posted 05:26pm 29/10/11
Posted 05:27pm 29/10/11