Quoted from snaroff:I don't have access to Stern/distributor sales data, so who knows?
I think it's wrong to assume hardcore Beatles fans wouldn't consider an 8k Gold a "collectible". Collectors come in all shapes and sizes and it's wrong to assume only the rarest examples are worthy of collecting. If you are a collector and typically keep stuff "forever", it's not like you care about price appreciation or fluctuations. I bought what I thought looked best (the "Gold" Edition). Considering the number of Beatles fans worldwide, the "Gold" could be gobbled up if Stern & their distributors are successful selling to an outside-the-Stern-box crowd.
From my perspective, this deviation from the normal Stern formula was about going outside the box (retro design, software outsourced, etc.) and throwing the distributors a holiday "bone". Not merely about pushing the price envelope.
Without knowing the "margins", it's impossible to know how much of a "money grab" this is. To be honest, I could care less, but you and many others seem focused on pricing.
snaroff
Clearly mechs cost a good chunk of cash; otherwise, stern wouldn’t be so skimpy with them. If JJP can produce games with as many mechs as potc at a similar price point, we can logically conclude that stern is bending the customer over. This doesn’t even include r&d expenses that JJP had to incur. Beatlewitch, while clearly fun, is flat-out over-priced. Just because something is fun, does not mean it’s automatically good value for the dollar market wise. Hey, my Jeep is fun to drive. Please pay my humv pricing.
- see name to the left