Ubisoft Australia boss cites need to keep local pricing competitive

Ubisoft Australia is re-evaluating its pricing policies to reflect changing pressures in the market - namely, cheaper imports.

Speaking at Game-Tech in Sydney yesterday, as reported by Kotaku, managing director Ed Fong said Ubisoft is taking steps to keep prices more closely aligned with international tiers.

“I can only comment on Ubisoft here, but we’ve already readjusted our recommended retail price recently for Ghost Recon [Future Soldier]," the executive noted.

The shooter is currently USD$49.99 on the Australian Steam storefront, the same price as US consumers pay and a good $30 below usual local triple-A pricing.

"We’ve also just announced our pricing for Assassin’s Creed III, and we really want to put a message out there. Whether the consumers will think that’s good enough, or not good enough, time will tell. Every business person has decisions to make with pricing. We need to compete," Fong added.

Although he didn't go into details, Fong made it pretty clear that growing awareness of and access to overseas pricing is a major motivator in Ubisoft's pricing shake up.

“All I will say today is that it’s about market forces. If the consumer has a choice to buy overseas for half the price, they will vote with their wallets - and local businesses, including publishers, distributors and retailers will be forced to re-evaluate," he warned.

"Every company has to make a choice when it comes to their pricing policies."

The discrepancy between Australian and international pricing on software and technology is the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into the "Australia Tax".