Bruno Bonnell – Gamers’ Hero Of The Week

In the interest of digging up some good news for gamers we’re starting a new weekly staple titled “Gamers’ Hero Of The Week,” wherein we scour the net for a lone individual who has said or done something during the week that’s likely to have a positive impact on gamers. Without further ado, I present the very first recipient of this QJ award, Bruno Bonnell.

With Atari‘s announcement yesterday that it would be moving to price its next generation racer, Test Drive Unlimited at $39.95, media and gamers alike did a double take and then sighed in relief, it’s not everyday the industry makes a move that will actually benefit the end consumer.

For a while now gamers have been squirming uncomfortably about the high cost of next generation gaming (for good reason) and with rumors running rampant that PS3 games could possibly cost somewhere in the $75 range, it came as a pleasant surprise when Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari said the following concerning the announced pricepoint:

“Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford high price tags. Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited – a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media – for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users’ experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download.”

One has to wonder whether this aggressive price point will translate to big sales for Atari, I certainly hope so, because it would give the publisher the confidence to release subsequent next generation games, such as Alone in the Dark and Stuntman 2 at equally competitive price points. If this trend catches on, it’s possible we’ll see other big publishers such as EA, Ubisoft and 2K games rethink their next-generation pricing models.

In the interest of digging up some good news for gamers we’re starting a new weekly staple titled “Gamers’ Hero Of The Week,” wherein we scour the net for a lone individual who has said or done something during the week that’s likely to have a positive impact on gamers. Without further ado, I present the very first recipient of this QJ award, Bruno Bonnell.

With Atari‘s announcement yesterday that it would be moving to price its next generation racer, Test Drive Unlimited at $39.95, media and gamers alike did a double take and then sighed in relief, it’s not everyday the industry makes a move that will actually benefit the end consumer.

For a while now gamers have been squirming uncomfortably about the high cost of next generation gaming (for good reason) and with rumors running rampant that PS3 games could possibly cost somewhere in the $75 range, it came as a pleasant surprise when Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari said the following concerning the announced pricepoint:

“Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford high price tags. Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited – a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media – for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users’ experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download.”

One has to wonder whether this aggressive price point will translate to big sales for Atari, I certainly hope so, because it would give the publisher the confidence to release subsequent next generation games, such as Alone in the Dark and Stuntman 2 at equally competitive price points. If this trend catches on, it’s possible we’ll see other big publishers such as EA, Ubisoft and 2K games rethink their next-generation pricing models.