Looks like i'll be sticking with Guitar Hero III, theres no way i'm paying for that.

Tiberian

EA are evil!! pure evil

Viper

I'm glad I got tired of guitar heroesque games after GH3, you can go fuck yourself EA.

(I was kind of expecting a stupidly high price but it's the delay that pisses me off the most)

hamandcheeseUK

Heh. I've got the PS3 Rock Band, paid £110 for it last month. Looks like we did the right thing. :P (PS Imported to Scotland! :D )

Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer

EA hypes this thing by releasing it here, and then out come the gouging prongs. They shouldn't even bother trying to justify it.

TitillatedOcelot

YIKES! I know a few folks over in Europe, and I'm sure they're gunna be none too pleased about this development. Do you think that the US could send relief supplies of American guitars, drums, and mics to Europe, to help ease their pain and suffering?

"For just 1 Dollars a Day, you too can help a European play Rock Band."

Salen

Well fuck you EA I wont be buying any of your games.

£180, Thats a the Price of:
Nintendo Wii
Xbox Arcade,
2 Nintendo DS
2 Sony PSP
½ PS3
a basic laptop
Apple iPod Classic 80GB & 1gig iPod Shuffle
Apple 8GB iPod Touch
Cinema Tickets for you and 35 Friends

Thermopylae

Why are you even surprised? Everything is half the price in the us compared to europe.

4Degrees

WOW, There may be riots in the streets. I know a lot of folks have been itching to get this game

Good job EA, you just shot yourself in the foot.

SAKY

So they want to charge us £180 for a 6 month old game, and then get us to buy DLC for more money on top? Don't EA understand that Rock Bands price was always going to be a stumbling block, the average joe will see this next to a £50 copy of GH3 and i doubt it'll take long for them to decide which to get. The least they could have done was price it reasonably for the more enthusiastic gamers (say £100?), but all they've done now is piss off their target market.

The greatest shame of all this is that Rock Band will now likely not get a sequel (well not in europe anyway) due to poor sales.

OtakuPunk

That's completely pathetic, EA's crossed the line with this one.

They've left the realm of being comically misguided, and are now up there with the likes of Darth Vader and Hitler. PURE UNADULTERATED EVIL.

QualityJeverage

I think EA just lost a ton of customers, including me. This isn't just an unfair price, it's insulting.

Kyoujin

Oh get fucked EA.. I was really looking forward to this as well. Wish the damn 360 version was region free.. it'd be cheaper to import from the US.

And this instrument edition bullshit? Who WOULDN'T want the game with the instruments?! *sigh*

Definitely no Guitar Hero killer now.

Passa

@GusTavToo: It's usually a € per $, not a £. The £ is 26% more than the € and is usually somewhat reflected by being below the $/€ price. This is at least £50/€70 over standard Europe pricing.

The Whaleman

@Louie: Thank you for introducing me to entropay, I will reward you handsomely in the future.

Libo

@Horseflesh: Possible, but we also have Import Tax in the UK. Hit and miss on whether Customs catch you for it, but if they do... well, you cann add 17.5% onto the price of the import. Do you have something similar in the US?

duckmouth

@cheeses: My first one. Its deserved.

RobTheBuilder

380 euros???!!!

Go to fucking hell EA !!!

Iberianpower

This is why I've always told those Americans who claim we pay exactly what we should due to currency differences to shut up. We always get ripped off and it's never fair. I always choose to side against companies that do this so they've lost me as a customer for any rock band/guitar hero crap for the rest of my life. I won't buy there sports titles out of spite too XD But I need the bioware stuff >.<

Llost

Kotaku sure does love that one MGS4 screen shot...

But yeah, this is awful news for us Euros. Nobody is going to buy all the equipment if there isn't a game with it.

Kung

To aid you Americans in a comparison. The wii in the Uk costs £179. Yes that's right Rock Band is more expensive than a wii. You can get a CONSOLE for less than a single game.

So it would be like if in America Rock band had cost $251 or something. Basically a joke.

Zim

There's no way even the casual gamer is gonna shell out this much cash.

I don't even want to know how much Australian stores will inflate the price.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

Oh well. Its EA so I'm not gonna buy it anyway.

TheSmiterer

Well I have been enjoying rockband from day 1 and now i find out i payed alot less than i would have if i had waited.

Thank you region free ps3!

Also thank you entropay for allowing me to buy as much dlc as i want.

Louie

Ah... Europe is different...
Damn EA should get a hurricane in their damn offices with a note telling them to F'Off.

DoggStyle

Would it be cheaper to import the instruments and just buy the game local? This makes me sad for our Eurofriends.

Next thing you know EA is gonna buy the company that provides Europe with sticky-backed felt and charge 50 bucks a sheet. Have fun modding that drum kit now! MWAA HAA HAA!

Horseflesh

@Northernsky:

Oh wait, I underestimated the price of the Arcade in the US.

Damn :(

Northernsky

HAHA looks like me ordering rock band off ebay 10 mins after the release date was announced was just in the nick of time :D

nolifedopestar (PSN: noliferuin)

@RobTheBuilder: Facebook protests, oh dear...

cheeses

Well I wouldn't be getting one anytime soon anyway because I simply don't have the space to set up the whole kit. But if and when I do decide to buy it, I'll be importing this...no way am I paying so much! I though £70 for GH3 was bad enough...yes folks, that's $140 just for GH3!!!

Thank god the PS3 is region free! ;)

Laxe

@Agentp3t3: NeoGeo games, surely? :o

PenguinJim

"KE" you are even more win in my books on the fact alone that you own Steel Batallion - Tekki also :D

Witzbold

This is ridiculous! I really truly hope that people still don't buy it and validate EA's pricing policy...

This has totally blown it out of my price range for sure anyway.

Mr Brolly

Wow...

just... wow...

it's ALMOST cheaper to import a US Xbox360 Arcade and a copy of Rock Band...

I'd much rather do that...

Northernsky

@Agentp3t3:

*Hugs her giant, blinking controller...*

"KE"

Join the facebook group I started, and boycott EA games until they change this insulting rip off.

[www.facebook.com]

RobTheBuilder

@KE: Heheh, I knew as soon as I typed that that someone would mention 'Steel Battalion' ;)

Agentp3t3

Thats just awful!. I am sure this will make headlines for weeks to come T.T

Fyren

Oh well, I'll stick with Guitar Hero then!

in5ane

rentals ftw?

popadophalis

Every European with any pride/sense/respect for money, PLEASE BOYCOTT THIS!! Fucking disgraceful.

@Luke Plunkett, is there any way that you can contact them to see how they attempt to justify this?

duckmouth

@Agentp3t3:

Did you ever own a german copy of "Steel Battalion" for the Xbox (limited to 500 units)?

"KE"

anyone got an email so i can send my lengthy, abusive disgust to ea? we must find a way to sue them for extortion too!

Finstern

[www.facebook.com]

RobTheBuilder

@Agentp3t3:

Shit buddy, thats a good call!

Raikkenon

Someone should point out that the xbox arcade is now actually cheaper than this. This must be the first time in history a game will have been more expensive than the console required to play it.

Agentp3t3

Its a good job us Europeans come with 2 kidneys because we need to sell one to afford this.

*goes to book appointment with organ doners

Raikkenon

Yay my tip got on kotaku! Or at least, I was one of the people to send in in. What a great day. Or rather it would be if not for the INSANE ROCK BAND PRICING! :(

I suppose I have something Rock Band related to complain about instead of the release date :D

Zsinj

Not far off my guess. I was kinda expecting it to be honest. I'm kinda conditioned to bend over and take it hard on game prices, then ask for more. No one gives a crap about us in Europe anyway. EA - " If you starve them of a game release for long enough they'll pay anything, dont believe me, then watch this!" *puts out Rock Band at €240*

What i expect to happen: I buy the game, instruments break just like in the US at launch because they dont bother fixing them, they dont release any DLC the US has and EA announces Rock Band 2 for Christmas in the US the day after.

Verge

Did anyone notice the Guitar Hero III ad right beside the Eurogamer article?
Irony FTW!

Garo

@Juganawt: Just don't buy the game.
Buy another guitar and play GHIII multiplayer.

This isn't just a rip-off, it's frankly an insult to the millions of European gamers who keep EA in business by buying FIFA and NFS every year.

I am actually offended by this, after SUCH a long wait, to be greeted with this middle finger to the face.

RobTheBuilder

Oh yeah, and if Army of Two is anything to go by, chances are if we DO shell out the price of AN ENTIRE FUCKING NINTENDO WII to play the game properly, we won't be able to play with anyone in the USA or Japan, or anywhere else.

Juganawt

Hmm I'm not particulary interested in Rock Band or Guitar Hero but I've always found the prices pretty disgusting.

I always find it upsetting when I see the Americans on the site complaining about $60 for a game. I'd love to be paying that, instead we pay near to double. :( We're pretty much screwed over in that respect anyway.

holytramp

The more I read that the more I think its a fucking joke.
Rock Band may, I heard, be more fun and less frustrating than GH3. But is it £120 more fun? HELL NO.

CanaryWundaboy

That's pretty standard. Not that I'm happy.

It's not unusual that you see a pretty clear $ to £ conversion on pricing. Going from $170 to £180 follows that pricing structure. The fact the $ is so week at the moment just makes it look a lot worse than usual.

GusTavToo

And people wonder why Europe is rampant with piracy, we are just fighting back.

Rip Off war anyone?

Finstern

Jesus Horatio Christ, that is expensive. That's over twice the price of the US version. I wonder if you get a free kick in the nuts if you pre-order?

WalkOnWater

After 7 months of waiting for a European 360 version, we get ass-raped like this. I'm walking away and importing the US 360 version for half the price for the accessories alone, then I'll acquire the standalone UK version of the game, and send the USA disc, covered in excrement, to EA with a nice "Fuck you" letter.

I hope accessory sales TANK in Europe on a monumental level.

Juganawt

Holyshit, man thats so not cool for you guys on the other side of the pond. D:

Do they really think folks have that much free cash lying around?

Witzbold

That does suck for you guys. :(

eastx

This is unbelievable.

Vistrix

screw that no way am I paying as much as a console for a set of plastic instruments howerer cool they are

wellsie_eng

*Strokes his £50 GH3 bundle*

CanaryWundaboy

That is probably the most expensive attachment set you can get on the market.

ThatsMrOffDutyNinja

Tis a bloody appaling price thats been set.

We get the priveledge of paying more than double for a 6 month old game.

ciabb64

QFT "but...damn. EA, you can take that price, and you can stick it up your arse."

Enyeez

That is some mighty photo shopping skills Luke. Or is it MS Paint?

ThatsMrOffDutyNinja

"EA, you can take that price, and you can stick it up your arse." Exactly..

Tyheam

EA just helped me decide to buy Guitar Hero III.

Its ludicrous pricing, ripping Europeans off AGAIN.

Ea. Screw, you.

RobTheBuilder

I'm not that suprised really, its been up to as much as £200+ for an import "buy it now" copy.

It just would of been nice to get it for a decent price.

mnky

Anyone even slightly tempted to buy Rock Band should consider that you can buy an entry level guitar, or even an electric + combo amp for that money. It might not have the pick up and play charm that Rock Band has, but give it time and you will find it's money much better spent if you percevere.

IronsUK

I wanted to get this, but now I want. Im not cheap, but Im not spending that kinda money for 1 game experience. It costs more in total than a Nintendo Wii or Xbox Premium!

It's not 'spontaneous' purchase, its not even a 'considered' purchase, at that price it is a 'rich dad' only purchase.

Andronix

Hahah...Europeans are fucked...no kidding. At that price, you can probably buy a set of real instruments and hire someone to teach you how to play it. EA...wow...I'm speechless. Yet, there will be crazy europeans buying that shit. I'm glad I never got into this guitar hero thing...I don't even know what it is....thank god. Oh and forget about sing star too...I'm not getting into the wallet sucking games.

nxp3

The address of the UK branch of EA is:

Onslow House,
Onslow Street,
Guildford,
Surrey,
GU1 4TN,
UK.

However, after scouring their site, I cannot find a single email address for complaints.

This is ridiculous, and if anyone could provide an email address to send complaints to, I would be much obliged.

Krondonian

Cough cough choke choke. I hope we get some npd sales figures on this when it comes out.

@topbanana:

No thats ridiculous. For example my friends mother earns around $45,000 for a job she would get paid about £22-25,000 here in the UK. Another example is the minimum wage which is around $8 in the states and around £5 here. Americans generally dont earn wages on 1:1 currency ratio with the equivalent jobs here in the UK, its generally around 1.5-2:1.

ali_g_84uk

240 freaking Euros... Another 30 and you get the 360 Pro & Halo 3. Or a Wii. Or 3/5 of a PS3 + GT5P lol
Well, I couldn't care less for music/rhythm games anyway.

dionion

£180?
I'd rather get a new 360 with GTA4.

Or feed my family for a month.

Or pay 2 months worth of council tax.

Or cloth myself in a few new outfits.

Or buy six other games.

Hell for that many $ you could probably have a night of hookers... somewhere.

edhe (xbl)

You know what really grinds my gears? You, EA. FUCK YOU!

Malidictus

@TheCheese33: At least with the extra money we pony up for this it comes with a soothing cream just for that.

Oh wait, no it doesn't...

holytramp

You can get a decent real guitar for that money

Raikkenon

Over here, you can get a 360 Arcade for less!

That means that the game costs more than the console to play it on

brooza

Jesus... are they insane? Who is supposed to pay 240 friggin' Euros for this game??? Somehow seems as if EA urgently needs money for the Take-Two takeover...

I sincerely hope that NOBODY will support this ripoff here in Europe! Let those bastard see what to do when the boxes are collecting dust in the shelves!

Starsky

Lets use the money to buy shares in Take Two!

Mr Brolly

I was planning to get Rock Band...
Not any more! Hell, I could get another Wii or 360 for that price!
Talked with some friends about this, and they agree, this is just stupid. Especially since the total price will probably go to about 2300-2500sek here (about $350-410).

So, fuck you EA, in the ear, with a cactus.

Tieowbeijas

Shameless gougers. Games are expensive as it is. There is know way I could justify paying that amount of money on a game with some plastic peripherals, especially when I am fully aware of what a rip off it is. At least it has helped my make my mind up. No Rock Band for me.

Crack

Well this definetly decides things for me. I'm importing it for the PS3.
I found out one of my credit cards works on the US store so no need to wait anymore, I can get all the DLC.

Rock Band ~$150
extra guitar ~$60
Shipping to Sweden ~$90

That adds up to around $300.
Converted into swedish currency that's 1800 SEK.
1800 SEK is roughly €190, and remember that's with an extra guitar.

So yeah.. take that €240 price and shove it.

TetsuBo

Again... this is said time and time again the only way to compare us dollars to pounds£ is a direct conversion.Therefore we are paying 180 while you pay 169. This is so as if I, FROM THE UK, WERE TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE US 1 DOLLAR WOULD BE COME THE EQUIVALENT OF £1 ( NOT CONSIDERING THE EXCHANGE RATE). THIS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT TIME AND TIME AGAIN!!!!

topbanana

I feel sorry for you guys. Y'all are getting bum-raped over this.

TheCheese33

There are minimum warranty requirements on all electronics sold in europe. This added cost between US and Europe is multiplied since Rock Band has multiple points of failure due to multiple pieces of low-quality hardware.

kelbear

Message from EA to consumer: DO NOT BUY OUR GAME!

I am not even angry at EA no more. I am just laughing at so much stupidity. In a very pessimistic mood I predicted a price that would be a 1:1 conversion of the American price (ergo: 170 Euro's) but I guess there's even bigger narcissists at EA HQ.

Beano

Glad I bought GHIII now... although I was looking forward to drumming it up.

Infradead

@Luke Plunkett

Can you email EA? or give us the email addy so we can ask exactly what the fuck is going on with these money grabbing bastards

Raikkenon

@4Degrees: Because unlike the regular date rape we usually pay in Europe, this is a prison style anal penetration.

Usually we pay one Euro per Dollar, which is 60% more than the US. In this case it's €1.40 per Dollar, which is 120% more than the US, or twice the usual difference.

The Whaleman

@Salen:

Lmfao

"For just 1 Dollars a Day, you too can help a European play Rock Band."

hahaha, brilliant mate

Raikkenon

Fuck. you. Games Industry. Happens every time.

syl1985

uuu, smells like petition online need.

FUCK YOU EA, i'm going to USA this year and buying rock band full bundle for fucking 100€ (yes, that's 150$) i don't give a damm about tax, it will not be as expensive as europe rock band.
FUCK YOU EA

Angusslo

@eakolb: VAT is 17.5% not 1750%

Thermopylae

Christ, I could buy a couple of really nice SKK saucepans for that, to pluck a completely random item out of the air (my saute pan is on it's last legs).

You would have to be mad to buy plastic toys for that price when there are so many better ways of spending the money.

drivenstorm

EA stands for Extremely Avaricious

IronsUK

The sad thing is that it's actually slightly cheaper to have the US version shipped via one of the online retailers that accept international orders, despite the $100+ in shipping fees.

It wouldn't be a smart idea, but it is cheaper.

Marlor

well, definitely not getting it now. And i refuse to import it as that's still a sale to ea

wizardofoz85

Well... the CRM-Managers here will probably have A LOT of work in the next weeks covering up this PR-desaster which pisses off the whole european gaming community and not only those originally interested in Rock Band.

I also honestly wonder what Microsoft thinks about this if they really spent a seven-digit amount of cash to EA for the timed exclusive...

Starsky

@eakolb: VAT in Ireland is 21% (higher than many other European countries). That means it should only cost €129.50, so it's hardly that.

Crack

Fuck. You. EA.

Jnas

One word my European friends: "Import".

LosMerengues

I thought EA were learning too.

I boycotted EA after MOHAA and this doesn't make me any happier

arkhamster

@eakolb: VAT isn't 120%... not even in Scandinavia. ;) Usually european prices are 60% higher than US due to VAT and other factors (including lacking conversion rates)... but this is 120%. Not even Sony charges that much extra for the PS3 in Scandinavia... which used to be one of the biggest ripoffs in Europe. There's a new king on that throne now though.

The Whaleman

Wow, they are really going for the authentic experience. Just like being in a real rock band you get screwed over by the Big Companies.

Crack

If there ever was a need for a site connecting trustworthy people to privately send copies of games from the U.S to Europe, then this is the time.

Buying Rock Band in the U.S effectively now has a 83% discount.

Asbestos_Underwear

EA's marketing department has gone bat shit crazy.

Any PS3 owner disappointed at not only the summer delay, but also the ridiculous price, should just import it. Would probably be cheaper and you'd get to play it now.

I urge everyone here to take a dump in a box and send it to EA with a note saying "Thanks for Rock Band at last! Here's a little something for all your effort."

TeaBean

I am beginning to believe that the information is incorrect. Not even EA are this crazy.

Are there any other independent sources for this story except for Eurogamer?

Beano

I'd suspect this has more to do with the Value Added Tax than EA.

eakolb

I was holding out for Rock Band, but this just sold me GH3.

GuiltyDragon

Everyone digg this, try and get as many people aware of the massive rip off before its released.

Malidictus

I wanted to try the drums on RB but for that price I can find a real used drum set. Really, EA, fuck you.

ElPadre

*sigh*
I agree. That's absurd, how exactly do they expect their market to flourish here? I feel sorry for parents here, since Rock Band release date is going to set them all £200 poorer.

Seyasb

Well, that's what i call "proper fucked".

dstg_ll

WTF !!
We waited like forever for this, and now we get over-screwed.
This is my gaming budget for the whole year here, not counting the DLC.
I am not paying this kind of money for it, no matter how good the game is.
I am also thinking about boycotting other EA games like BF:BC with the shitty weapon DLC thing.
Enough.

The_monk

@topbanana:

Huh?

What do you mean by "direct conversion". If you mean that £180 is equal to $378, then I agree (as should everyone).

If you mean that £1 should be equated with $1, then that's just plain wrong.

Marlor

What really strikes me is that rock band + guitar only is already 150€, which is absolutely no match against Guitar Hero (80€ ~ 90€).

So event if we assume that EA indeed realizes that the whole kit is too expensive and provides standalone instruments to let the buyer make his choice between "RB Guitar Hero", "RB Drums Hero" and "RB Singstar", they got it wrong already.

icecrime

Look! IT'S THE IMPORT PLANE!! All aboard!

Mearns

Forgot to say great work with the pic Luke, also funny because MGS4 is getting a worldwide release unlike Rock Band.

el_rezzo

@AntiHiro:

Xbox Arcade US from Amazon.com $280 ~= £140

Xbox Arcade UK from Amazon.co.uk = £150

ratio is actually pretty favourable considering the taxes.

Work out the RB ratio yourself - it doesn't hold well.

IronsUK

Things like this make me wonder why fans keep suckling on the Rock Band teet. I bought Rock Band, but the best songs are DLC which obviously you have to pay extra for.

It's EA for crying out loud.

I for one am looking forward to Rock Band '09 with no upgrades to gameplay but a new roster for the season.

Activision may be a big monster as well, and aside from the Wii/mono deal, they're always released an affordable and solid product with new innovations each time around.

WordMan

Wait till the Australian price and then you'll see that the Europe got a good deal.

JleeLink

@Demaar: I'm glad that I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole. I remember being so excited about Rock Band 12 months ago but the complete lack of a release date or price for so long just felt like they didn't care about PAL territories. Obviously now we can see they don't. I held off on GH3 all this time because Rock Band had the better songs, but now it doesn't matter anymore, If I want my music fix I will have to buy GH3. Looks like skate. was a one in a million game for EA.

el_rezzo

haha that picture sums it up perfectly. Wasnt totally sold on rock band, but now im going to stay away, well away. Good ol EA

mbeck

I'm tempted to go out and buy GHIII purely out of sheer disgust.

gaggle64

@AntiHiro: Maybe you should take an economics course a realise that taxes aren't actually 100% in Europe.

conzer16

Fuck That!

That is all.

cakeordeath

@Odie20XX: I have started a facebook group - [www.facebook.com]

RobTheBuilder

lol...really...they were probably high when they decided to do this.

Krumm

Actually just noticed, Rockband actually costs more than an Xbox 360 Arcade here. WTF?!

Crome

For those blaming EA take an economics course and start blaming your government taxes (Which is included in this price where the USA pays a tax on top of the listed price based on their local government tax), rising cost of exporting (rising fuel cost), and retailers in Europe who have higher price margins than in the USA retailers. I'm sure you'll just keep blaming EA though since it adds to your e-cred on da interweb you rebel gangsta you!

AntiHiro

Well ain't this a piece of shit.

Crome

@Thermopylae: The most important question out of all this is what cinema is only £5?

I'd only be able to take 29 friends

brooza

That is utter bollocks. If i ever do get RB now, i'll be importing. It's the price of a console for Christ's sake!

Nereos

You can't do that!That must be against some kind of law.

Cchrist

@TRT-X: I quite like the idea of selling everything separately and letting people build their own bundle.... if everything was priced reasonably of course!

One of the biggest rip-offs is the cost of the game on it's own. You can't tell me it's cutting edge complicated software with associated development costs - they should be selling it at budget rate.

IronsUK

Do EA even realise that

* You can import a perfectly working copy from the states, pay for postage, taxes and paypal fees, and still come under half of this ridiculous price; and that
* You can actually buy a 360 Console for around the same price...?

CivilD

All of a sudden $350 Australian dollars seems reasonable. Glad I'm importing :)

Demaar

@MrLister: Yep, so the full experience will cost even more. Especially for PS3 owners who can't use Guitar Hero guitars.

Malidictus

What are the chances that the US Drums, Guitars, Mic won't work on the PAL X360???

You'd import the US version over to find out that the PAL copy of the game won't recognise the instruments!

Now that'd suck, but I wouldn't put it past EA!

I'd wait until it's confirmed the PAL version works with the US Controllers!!

Screw you EA!!

freemonk

Interesting, sell the instruments without the game. Can't wait to see that model work it's way to consoles. Get the system, but no power cord.

Or the case, but no disc.

TRT-X

They do it because they can. We silly euros will still buy it anyway because we always take it.

Or maybe, just maybe we could tell them where to stick it this time and teach them a lesson?

I know what i'll be doing!

gmanisme

@MrLister:
Sure, the second guitar is sold for the bargain of Euro 89,99. That makes it EUR 330 in total.

Starsky

Rock Band European sales = Rock Band European sales - 1

CheekyLee - dislikes the long screen names!

Don't you also need another guitar on top of this?

MrLister

they just shoot themselves in the foot.
EA , do the fuck bundle at 169€ or burn in hell.

SaintEmpire

Wow, even with shipping, importing games from the US seems like a good deal now.

FredQC

Overpriced peripherals? Whoever heard of such a thing?

ZhouYu

When Rock Band was released in the US, it cost $169, and came with the game, guitar, microphone and drums. Not a bad deal.

Now wait a minute. Just because Europe is getting a worse deal doesn't suddenly make the US deal good. I still think that's obscenely overpriced for a game.

The only thing worse is the cost of an extra guitar for GH3.

sxp151, the happy-headed nose

jesus, even my mid-class yamaha e-guitar did just cost 200 euros...

ark

Holy smokes, EA??!! Next thing you know, the European version will be region locked a la Army of Two!! (Just kidding .... I think/hope)

SumDum_Guy

The one-millionth example of Europe getting f*cked. Anyone wanna start a petitioning site or something to boycot the entire gaming industry against this? I'm not buying any games for a while anyway cuz I'm saving up for a holiday :P

Odie20XX

I'd already prepared myself for the worst, so this has left me unperturbed. Also, I don't actually mind the bundle situation, as it means I can just buy two wireless guitars, drums and a mic instead of having a third wired one to add to the pile. Was worried preordering would be difficult, but probably not any more.

Toothball

Comparison of MSRPs for different electronics in Europe and US (converted to dollars):

Xbox 360 20GB: US $349.99 - EU $425 (€269,99) = +21.5%
PS3 40GB: US$399.99 - EU $630 (€399) = +58%
Standard PS3/360 game: US $69 - EU $109 (€69) = +58%
Apple iPod Touch 16GB: US $399 - EU $582.9 (€369) = +46%
Dell Inspiron (base model): US $499 - EU $709 (€449) = +42%
Panasonic PT-AX200U projector: US $1999 - EU $2367.8 (€1499) = +18%

And so on... this is all list prices (MSRP) taken on random but it holds true for most electronic companies. If it's not 1 Euro per Dollar, it's usually less. However, for Rock band it goes:

US $169 - EU $377,5 (€239) = + 123,4%

And just for kicks, the previous king of ripoffs:
PS3 40GB: US $399.99 - Scandinavia $757,76 (SEK4495) = +90%

The Whaleman

@AntiHiro: Oh, I get it. Retailers are used to raping us blind with high margins, so we should just accept it?

It's as much EA's fault for relenting to retail (i.e. exactly what happened with the PS3 launch fiasco) instead of forcing a reasonable RRP for their product.

CivilD

@AntiHiro: EA in defense of their Europe rape-age: "They were asking for it". >.>

Shinryoma

So I'm moving out of the University accommadation next year into a house with two other people from my course. We were thinking of all pitching in and getting Rock Band, since it was something fun we could all play together (and it features other instruments for those of us that suck at the Guitar, ie me). So yeah this announcement has totally blown that plan out of the water. While I could justify putting in £30-35 for it no way would I put in £60.

Good job EA, good job screwing Europe over like everyone else.

Odin

Totally fucked just sums it up, nobody is going to buy this. Hopefully the retail shops will punch some sense into EA/MTV.

exprohound

I'd buy the instrument bundle if it had the GAME with it. But as it stands, I'm just going to buy the game and use my GH3 guitar to play.

Why the ass fuckery, EA?

akwinters

@The Whaleman: Is it rape yes, but is EA the rapist? I doubt it and that is my point. If we want fair pricing we need to know the right source(s) to make that happen and it isn't by telling EA to go fuck themselves.

AntiHiro

Hahaha and to think i was giving Activision shit for their DLC prices, well, it turns out they are the knights in shining armour!

Raikkenon

"Fuck you EA! Fuck you up your stupid asses if you think I'm paying that much! Time to import the drums and mod my console so I can play your game without paying for it! You wankers!"

Is my message to them :-)

NunianVonFuch

Can Rock Band be imported without problems, aside from the PAL version of the came of course?

ViewtifulJason

@AntiHiro: "Your not looking..." ?? that doesn't make any sense.

coolest_dood

well, europe allways paid premium prices . rockband is just the pick of the iceberg ^-^

examples:
-other games
-peripherals

they all calculate €=$

i think they have the money growing trees image in their heads ^-^

i would accept thinks like "hey tranportation is much more expensive" or "we have to pay extra customs" but does this all justify 2o% or more? why do we have to wait AND pay an extra?

but most interessting about it all........people still buy this all.
its right that most of the people here earn more money then in the US but the living expenses are much higher too, and i belive overall most have less at months end ^-^ or why would so many german migrate to the US? not because they love "bigger is better"

ibunkun

Incredibly annoying, but not unexpected to be honest.

Dragonzigg

@Passa: More importantly; who'd want a bunch of plastic instruments without the game?

Thinker

question to europeans who have imported rock band...
how long did delivery take? i ordered mine today and can't contain the excitement.

nolifedopestar (PSN: noliferuin)

@IronsUK: Your not looking at the whole picture and picking an item that has way less demand as an example is a weak argument. Fact is retailers know most people will pay this price for it and have always set a higher margin for their goods over the USA. I doubt EA is making much if any more profit from the Europe version since I doubt retailers in Europe would let that happen.

AntiHiro

Late AND really expensive. EA, with your Gold Edition Bad Company and online region locked Army of Two I didn't think you could do it. But you have outdone yourselves. Give yourselves a pat on the back. You deserve it. You fuckers!

Shinryoma

I wonder by how much the Europeans will get screwed on the DLC prices now. At this rate they might be screwed even worse than the Canadians (up to 200% price of what a U.S. resident pays).

Hackangel

I've seen this 100 times before. You'll bitch and moan and bitch to high heavens, BUT, eventually, you'll be the ones who take it up the ass when (at least some of) you break down and buy it. You know it's true.

Maybe if you guys acutally... I dunno... didn't buy it this time, stuff like this would stop happening. The only reason companies charge outrageous amounts over there in PAL-land is because they know they can, and that they will make money. I'm not a European, so I don't know what's really a fair price for a videogame over there, but I know if you really want to send a message, ALL OF YOU will have to WORK TOGETHER to make Rock Band a massive failure. Even if it is one of the most totally awesome game in a long time. Sacrifice!!!!

cash

Also where is Microsoft selling the most consoles? America. Where do they need a bit of a boost to hold off the PS3? Europe, where their 'timed exclusive' system seller is being sold at an obviously retarded price. Even Joe Blow walking in off the street will look at that price and do a 180 out the door. Microsoft has to step in and ask for a price change, otherwise they will continue to lose ground and status outside America.

el_rezzo

Do bundles feature vaseline too ?

Fabrice

I'm struggling to see any justification in this when I am able to buy Brawl, Mario Kart, GTA4 Special Edition and Wii Fit for less than this. Hell, it's even possible to get a 360 bundle for less than this and I really doubt it costs them more to make the instruments than it costs MS to make their 360s.

EA wonders why they have such a bad reputation yet all they do is show utter contempt for their customers.

LokusT

Import! Shipping charges would still be ton cheaper and you can import and enjoy the game... at least the PS3 version, not sure if 360 one is region free

Kyle81

Stupid price and a collective fuck you will come from the market at that price. You can buy an xbox 360 or a wii at that price.

dsmx

@AntiHiro: Like many said before: This is beyond the limits of standard economics and into the lands of blatant lies. We seldom pay more than 60% than the US for any electronics yet Rock Band will now cost 120% more. No economic model besides "let's rape them blind" fits that pricing.

The Whaleman

@conzer16: Maybe you should read my entire post before commenting!

AntiHiro

Kudos on the picture.

If the tables were turned and that were the pricing in the US, I will shamefully say I'd still buy it without hesitation. But I'm crazy, and nobody should build their business model around me.

PositivelyGreg

@AntiHiro: What are you talking about? Fuel costs? This comes from China my friend, it is not manufactured in the US.

duckmouth

Hello, imported instruments.

LoopyChew

@AntiHiro:

Take the Xbox 360 prices on release then. My argument still holds.

But you are changing your argument - you said that it was because of taxes and the rising cost of fuel (WTF - they are not rising THAT much!) and now you claim the price is set because they know people will pay it.

Your new argument is probably right but that's kinda why we are all angry with EA.

IronsUK

@this_will_be_fun:

Australia has no taxes on imports (unless they are resold). If the price ends up being similar there, then importing will almost be sensible.

As long as the hardware doesn't break. A trans-continental warranty repair would be a nightmare.

Marlor

1) Why the HELL is the game ALONE (which is completely useless) TEN EUROS (that's around $16 brothers) MORE THAN ANYO THER RETAIL GAME.

2) The 2 bundles make absolutely no sense. Why the hell do we have to pay DOUBLE the price of the americans?

I hope no one in europe buys this crap, EA can stick the whole kit where the sun doesn't shine.

Why is it that every game company think's it's ok to f*** Europe in the ass?

CiciColino

@this_will_be_fun:

I take it you didn't read the posts of people who said that this is WAY above the usual increase, like The Whaleman a few posts back...

Tieowbeijas

ah, taxes on imports in the EU. fun times.

thank your local anti-free trade governments for that.

this_will_be_fun

Oh and for those of you talking (out of your ass) about how this is more due to tax than anything to do with EA. As many people have pointed out we don't pay 120% tax on stuff, I'd be worried if we did. VAT is roughly 20% factoring in that and other costs we normally expect anywhere from that to a 60% increase over the US prices. What Rock Band SHOULD cost is anywhere from £100-£135 tops, instead it's £180 which is just ridiculous.

Odin

Well I understand the frustration gamers have with the price, I'm actually seeing people saying they'll buy GH3 instead.

GH3 is shit. If anything, don't buy either. Come on, the price sucks, but let's not get too crazy here.

KaneRobot

@AntiHiro: EA have announced the price. They have made the decision not to offer a game/peripheral bundle, so there is no discount on the software when you buy the perihperals (as there is with Guitar Hero), leaving that to the discretion of the retailers. Separate wireless guitars will work out at an additiona $140 equivalent at current rates. Did you read the article? Who else do you want to blame for this? If telling EA to go fuck themselves comes down to people not buying the game because of the blatant profiteering, then perhaps it is the way to make something happen.

Crack

I'm sending this to the BBC.

f0cus

@Beano:

by all means import then.

you really think american products are priced the same over here? look at Nike shoes and how much they cost here compared to the USA. while they all come from indonesia or china or korea or whatever country they can get produced the cheapest.

they are higher in price over here because we can, and will, pay that price.

Skaffa

Wow....our European brothers and sisters are getting screwed.

You don't even get to cuddle afterward too?

Seriously, that is just wrong. If say it was $200 for everything I could understand that since things tend to be more expensive out there. Though, over 350 is freaking ridiculous. What a freaking gouge. You guys just buy guitar hero, and protest this B.S.

Figcoinc

@Skaffa: your story makes no sense. The higher Euro and falling Dollar should make any American product less expensive over here in Europe. Examples on how cheap it is to import the US-edition of RB have been posted a couple of times before during this discussion, so you may want to have a look at those. We are going to pay 240 euro's for a package that Americans pay only a 110 euro's for: no form on inflation, tax or drop in value of a currency explains that difference.

Beano

@wizardofoz85:

i'm not sure what you mean by that. and average cost of living depends on a shitload of factors, even in my tiny ass country it makes a big difference per city.

now don't get me wrong, i'm no economist, however comparing prices like this always makes it look like we are getting fucked over.

do it the other way around and we're winners, import rockband from the USA and it only costs 107 Euro.

Skaffa

I am thourougly disgusted by this. I actually expected this thing to cost 170€ and would have gone with it. But charging 170€ for the instruments alone and then wanting another 70€ for the game... this is not pricing, this is extortion!

Baltech

@fank:

listen to this man

Skaffa

No fucking way in hell I am buying that for the price mentioned. If this is true they just lost a customer.

Billqvist

@Skaffa: Let's also compare the average cost of living of the two then.
Don't be stupid, we're definitely getting screwed. Just because the pound/euro do better than dollars that doesn't mean that all is well with us being charged double.

wizardofoz85

The instruments are made of rare metals only used on the ISS, and Queen Elizabeth blessed them all(on a date beyond yesterday)!
True Story.

fank

Speaking just from a UK perspective, this is going to sell.
Yes we all know it's a total rip-off, but look at the British sales charts, the general british gaming public are total morons! Our cries are going to fall on deaf ears. Everyone who gives a damn should go the import route or just boycott altogether, but I guarantee that come this summer, Rock Band will be sitting pretty at that number 1 sales spot.

Scioptic

@IronsUK: Read my first post as it includes retailers and their margins which you left out of your example (I hope not on purpose), I just added more detail to why the retailers might set an even higher margin than normally.

As for using the Hardware (console) as an example is still a weak argument since the maker (Microsoft) will often sell it below their cost to break into the market or secure a stronger market share. They do this because the greater market share they have the higher fees they can change for licensing to make games and accessories for their console.

In addition taking an example from over a year ago in void since the markets have greatly changed, especially with the USD dropping like it has.

So, I still don't see how blaming EA is justified, are they the good school boy here, most likely not, but they aren't the ringleader or the correct source to blame.

I do however support importing and love my region free PS3! :-D

AntiHiro

You're all overreacting, I imagine the guitar controller is filled with cocaine or something like that, thus justifying the higher price.

phicaluk

7 month delay

+

DLC costing twice as much

+

"Exclusive UK" content available to the US for next to nothing

+

The ridiculous price tag

+

£90 for the guitar only edition

= Fuck Rock Band. I'm not paying that much.

Speshul_K

everybody should stop crying.

the comparison Europe vs. America does not really hold up. we all got a different economy going on. Euro > Dollar at the moment, which means stuff is indeed more expensive over here in Europe, and pay attention now, here it comes: our paycheck is worth more too.

if an economy is doing good / currency has more worth, prices tend to rise, if it goes bad prices tend to drop.

Same goes within Europe too, people still complain about the Euro and how it made everything more expensive compared with the currency before (in my case the Gilder). what they tend to forget, or just do not want to see, is that those products would have gone up in price either way.

it's like my grandpa babbling about how he remembers fries used to cost 2 cents back in the day.

we are not getting fucked over, it just seems that way by comparing Dollars to Euros. If you want to compare, compare paychecks /average income too.

TL;DR: stop crying about nothing, or just import.

Skaffa

Rock Band is an even bigger joke than Guitar Hero. You could buy a real electic guitar, digital drum pads and microphone for less than this pack. There is no excuse that some glorified controllers in the shape of musical instruments should cost as much as they do.

DrXym

That is really, really bad. People just aren't gonna buy it, simple as that.

Jamie_W

Well. The dollar is so insanely low right now, so the price difference is even higher.

Normally, to get the price in Norwegian kroner (NOK), you could just add a zero to the dollar. A general thumb rule...

For example:
Playstation 3. $399 = 3990 NOK. Thats how it works here.
Random game. $59 = 599 NOK.

No surprises. Been like this for ever.

So one would have thought that Rock Band would cost something like:
Rock Band. $169 = 1690 NOK.

But after reading this article.. are they planning on charging us... 3780 NOK? One can get a PS3 for 3500 NOK with GT5 Prologue for that price.

INSANE.

fresky

Oh Europe, yes. This is the reason I currently don't own or can afford a PS3.

McKack

@seasponge: you make a good point. It wouldn't surprise me if EA is making a loss on every set of RB instruments that they sell in the States. They are paying Chinese manufacturers for the production, and because the Dollar has been dropping quite a bit against the Chinese currency the last few months those manufacturing prices should have risen considerably. Maybe they are trying to make up for it by making Europeans pay more? Who knows.

Beano

Wow...the ebay prices are basically the same as this pricing. For fucks sake.

PaddyStardust

@Skaffa:

That's not entirely true.

Inflation is sometimes a by-product of economic growth, but this is not always the case. The job of central banks is to control inflation during times of growth by regulating interest rates. They often do a good job at this, leading to decent growth and low inflation.

Indeed, you can also have a stagnant economy and still have high inflation. It's called stagflation. Some people are predicting that the US might end up in this situation in the near future.

This all has very little to do with exchange rates. In a free market, a strong currency should lead to cheaper imported goods. Not more expensive ones.

Basically, the only reason why Rock Band is so expensive is that EA think that European consumers will pay this price. They are probably basing that assumption on the traditional high prices for games in Europe. I hope that this decision comes back to bite them in the arse.

Marlor

@seasponge: Fair enough, maybe, but $300 is about €190, not €240, which is nearly another $80.

Crack

Ridiculous! Someone write to EA and MTV europe that this is not fair.

wildrabbit