Sony Reveals PAL PlayStation 3 First-Party Software Pricing

Officials from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have for the first time announced the pricing details for first-party software titles on the PlayStation 3 in PAL territories. Although many had expected PlayStation 3 retail games to be priced the same as Xbox 360 games in Europe at €69.99/£49.99 ($92/$98), they will instead be priced at €59.99/£39.99 ($79/$78) – the same as Wii games and some last-generation titles. PlayStation 3 titles will be priced at AU$99.95 ($79) and NZ$109.95 ($78) in Australia and New Zealand, respectively – which also correlates with Wii rather than Xbox 360 prices. However, SCEE has made it clear that the prices stated are only for the five first party launch titles, leaving the option for third party titles and subsequent third party games to be more expensive. As well as the cost of standard retail software, SCEE has also announced that the price of downloadable PlayStation Network titles such as fl0w, Super Rub a Dub and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection will be made available for an “introductory period” at prices ranging from €2.99 to €9.99 ($4 to $13). SCEE also confirmed that Gran Tursimo HD will be available for free at launch, as has been the case in Japan and North America. The price of other downloadable content is indicated to start as low as €0.99 ($1.30), although no upper limit has so far been suggested. The examples of such content given includes premium video content, new SingStar music tracks and a “premium pack” for MotorStorm, which would include a new track, additional vehicles, liveries and multiplayer modes. “Not only will it be completely free to register on the PlayStation Network with no subscription fees and access to many free demos, but with these competitive prices for additional content we are able to offer the consumer both top quality games on Blu-ray discs and a whole range of downloadable content from the PlayStation Network. With over 30 first and third party disc and network games available at launch, we are confident that this will be one of the most successful launches of all time,” said David Reeves, president and CEO of SCEE.