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While EA is raising its PC game prices to anywhere from Rs 2,499 to Rs 3,499, E-xpress Interactive is keen to keep prices for PC games it distributes as close to Rs 999 as possible.
E-xpress distributes games from publishers such as Ubisoft, Warner Bros, 2K, Rockstar, Bethesda, Sega and Square Enix, and company CEO Anand Khemani says most publishers are still supportive of the Rs 999 price point.
Rs 999 is acceptable, but the recent rupee devaluation will push the SRP (suggested retail price) a little,” Khemani said.
The publishers we represent still believe in the local SRPs and are supporting it. There may be some corrections in prices due to falling Indian Rupee, but it is not due to publishers pushing the SRPs up,” he added.
The exception to the Rs 999 price policy in E-xpress’ PC catalog is for Bethesda games, which are priced around Rs 2,499 since they are full imported rather than being manufactured or packaged in India.
It is likely that EA too could fully import its PC games in India rather than locally packaging them, which was the case so far.
Khemani spoke with MCV on the larger subject of regional pricing for countries like India, and whether there is room for such a strategy as PC gaming moves rapidly towards digital distribution.
Check back on Tuesday for that feature, which also includes insights from Milestone Interactive chairman and CEO Jayont R Sharma, and former SCEE vice-president and India market expert Chris Stanton-Jones.
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