[Brazil] The huge difference between PC/XBOX/PS4 pack/points prices.

I didn't know until now but XBOX packs are cheaper than PS4 packs for brazilian accounts also.

Pack prices (BRL):

PC: 80,00 / 160,00
XBOX: 112,45 / 222,45
PS4: 159,90 / 319,90

The same game, same mtx, same amount of points. The only difference is that PS4 had more problems than PC/XBOX for the last couple months, funny right.
If you take a look in PS4 communities about POE, the second biggest is "PoE Brasil", I know many people don't join communities, my self included but still.

Sad part is that not many people check forum or even waste their time to talk about it, they just go away, silently.
GGG/Sony wont talk about it, no problem, but I'll keep bumping this shit.

This question seems to come up quite often regarding Brazil. (I've seen it in other game forums, too.) A couple of articles for reference:

https://techinbrazil.com/the-market-for-video-games-in-brazil

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/10/22/239860325/sony-explains-why-its-playstation-4-costs-1-845-in-brazil

OK, so basically "video games," at least consoles and hard-copy games, were either heavily regulated/taxed to the point where games and associated electronics, as well as most electronics, that were manufactured outside of Brazil were taxed literally to death before 1990 or outright forbidden.

On Valve's regional pricing models: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-weird-ecomomics-behind-steam-prices-around-the-world/

The above is an example of how regional pricing "could be" determined for electronic distribution by the largest e-distributor in the world.

So, the gist of all this is:

1) Game prices are determined by the market and how much it values "games" relative to a normal median working wage.

2) Taxes and tariffs have an effect on regional pricing where they are mandated to be collected. (ie: VAT, et al)

3) Historical prices, brick&mortar (hard copy) prices, etc, all "matter."


Here's my take in an effort to find an answer:

Brazil may have taxes and tariffs that currently effect video-game pricing, even with e-distribution.

Brazil's historic reticence to allow manufacturers outside of Brazil to sell electronics and associated products in Brazil means that there will be a greatly "artificially inflated" historic price structure for those products. There will be little on no data to accurately determine how a Brazilian customer would "value" a video game prior to the 1990's.

Exchange rates are a large factor, but not the only one. What "feels right" for the market, based upon average income and historic pricing helps to set a price that at least some kind of algorithm thinks is "competitive."

In brief? Since electronic games, largely an imported electronic product, are historically expensive in Brazil... that "historically expensive price" influences current pricing schedules.

IOW - The market is not mature enough in Brazil for foreign electronic products to establish a lower price due to Brazil's history of tariffs and taxes as well as outright bans on foreign electronic products.


So, how does a foreign video game developer or publisher decide what their price will be in a particular market if they don't only press the "Submit" button in Valve's Steam Marketplace submission page in order to receive what is basically an automated regional pricing schedule? They compare the prices of current electronic products in Brazil to their own and try to come up with a number that "feels reasonable."

Aside from the fact that there are surely things I don't know about e-distribution and the laws of other nations, I feel pretty confident that if Brazil had a history of "cheap video game prices" then Brazilian players would now be paying much, much, less for their video games. But, Brazil has no such market history and, thus, there are no other numbers for developers and distributors to use in order to determine a competitive valuation for their electronic products.


TLDR:

Games have been expensive in Brazil.

Therefore, games are still expensive in Brazil.


Solution - Governments matter and their practices influence the lives of their constituents. To get better pricing for imported games and related products, start there.

Note: Game developers literally don't know how to price their products without regional help. Their only possible clue, if done independently without the assistance of a regional publisher, is to literally look at the current prices of video games and go from there.

In hard-copy physical distribution, that's one reason why regional distribution contracts/deals are worked out between developers and publishers. A game could literally have several developers working on it due to regional considerations and then several publishers working out regional distribution of that product in different regions.

[Removed by Support] you've gotten the only answers you're going to get. Just let it go already FFS.

Last comment (prior to mine was on 11/28) there is no reason this needs to be on the front page.

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Matt_AsA_Hatter wrote:

[Removed by Support] you've gotten the only answers you're going to get. Just let it go already FFS.

Last comment (prior to mine was on 11/28) there is no reason this needs to be on the front page.

[Removed by Support]

I have a valid point here and I'll keep bumping this.

[Removed by Support]

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Matt_AsA_Hatter wrote:

Stop bumping this trash, you've gotten the only answers you're going to get. Just let it go already FFS.

Last comment (prior to mine was on 11/28) there is no reason this needs to be on the front page.

Bruh it's the console forum on poe it's a graveyard period chill

You are wrong and can't deal with it. Just let it go already. There was an essay response to you that you ignored that explained the issue better than GGG is ever going to. Read it, take it all in, and let this die.

"

Matt_AsA_Hatter wrote:

You are wrong and can't deal with it. Just let it go already. There was an essay response to you that you ignored that explained the issue better than GGG is ever going to. Read it, take it all in, and let this die.

Tell me where I'm wrong then.

You're annoying as hell dude, but I'm sure yu already know it.

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kzl_91 wrote:

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Matt_AsA_Hatter wrote:

You are wrong and can't deal with it. Just let it go already. There was an essay response to you that you ignored that explained the issue better than GGG is ever going to. Read it, take it all in, and let this die.

Tell me where I'm wrong then.

You're annoying as hell dude, but I'm sure yu already know it.

Read my post.

I provided references to support my conclusions.

I feel they are accurate.

To sum: It's not entirely up to GGG what prices you experience. You must blame Brazil, itself, for many of the pricing issues you experience. Current pricing metrics are also not designed to result in preferential pricing for citizens in countries where restrictive historical tariff issues have resulted in prohibitive pricing metrics... The developers/distributors/producers can only use data currently available for base pricing schemes and must also comply with any tariffs or taxes resulting from import duties if they are a foreign provider.

That may not make you happy, but the world does not rely on you being happy. I feel bad for you, but you will have to both act to ensure your government reduces its restrictions and tariffs on the import of electronic products as well as act to encourage your local distributors, that includes electronic distributors acting on historical data for Brazil, to not continue to take advantage of increased pricing schemes once Brazil relaxes its import restriction if and when it does that.

TLDR: You'll have to act to change these conditions within your own country and its laws and will likely have to wait for some time after such a change for any prices of imported electronic products to stabilize.

PS: You can continue to press this issue if you wish. That's fully within your right as a human being as far as I'm concerned. But, you can't blame GGG for this problem. It's not their fault.

"

Morkonan wrote:

"

kzl_91 wrote:

"

Matt_AsA_Hatter wrote:

You are wrong and can't deal with it. Just let it go already. There was an essay response to you that you ignored that explained the issue better than GGG is ever going to. Read it, take it all in, and let this die.

Tell me where I'm wrong then.

You're annoying as hell dude, but I'm sure yu already know it.

Read my post.

I provided references to support my conclusions.

I feel they are accurate.

To sum: It's not entirely up to GGG what prices you experience. You must blame Brazil, itself, for many of the pricing issues you experience. Current pricing metrics are also not designed to result in preferential pricing for citizens in countries where restrictive historical tariff issues have resulted in prohibitive pricing metrics... The developers/distributors/producers can only use data currently available for base pricing schemes and must also comply with any tariffs or taxes resulting from import duties if they are a foreign provider.

That may not make you happy, but the world does not rely on you being happy. I feel bad for you, but you will have to both act to ensure your government reduces its restrictions and tariffs on the import of electronic products as well as act to encourage your local distributors, that includes electronic distributors acting on historical data for Brazil, to not continue to take advantage of increased pricing schemes once Brazil relaxes its import restriction if and when it does that.

TLDR: You'll have to act to change these conditions within your own country and its laws and will likely have to wait for some time after such a change for any prices of imported electronic products to stabilize.

PS: You can continue to press this issue if you wish. That's fully within your right as a human being as far as I'm concerned. But, you can't blame GGG for this problem. It's not their fault.

Oh my god.

Tell me where I'm wrong with this:

Pack prices (BRL):

PC: 80,00 / 160,00
XBOX: 112,45 / 222,45
PS4: 159,90 / 319,90

The only question here is WHY are there 3 DIFFERENT prices for each plataform, they are all for BRAZILIAN, the dollar and taxes for XBOX players are the same for PS4.

I'm not talking about how expensive is a console or a game here, dollar is around 5BRL for us and we pay around 100% taxes, so game industry sell for less, otherwise they wouldn't make as much money as they do here or in other shitty country, I know all that, you don't need to make a long ass post about this, I live this.

Now answer my question and tell me where the prices I quoted is wrong and I'll ask to GGG delete this thread, otherwise keep bumping this, thank you.

You asked me to report your post, I did at your request. GGG came, removed what they wanted to and gave you no reply.

Read between the lines bro... Please, just let it go or soon they will remove it themselves is my guess.

I really hope you heed my advice as this doesn't seem like it is going to end is a positive result at the current direction this is headed.