In case anyone wasn't aware, Bethesda as reportedly inflated the cost of Skyrim and all its DLC by removing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition from the Steam Store and replacing it with the "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim + Add-Ons" bundle. The Legendary Edition is no longer available on Steam, and may remain that way permanently. It is therefore no longer possible to purchase the Legendary Edition, which costed less than the base game and all the DLC. If you want to have the DLC, you must either purchase them individually or through the aforementioned bundle, and you must own both the base game and all the DLC in order to "upgrade" to the Special Edition for free.

Source: http://www.pcinvasion.com/bethesda-inflated-price-skyrim-legendary-edition-prior-steam-sale

Isn't capitalism great?


EDIT: Apparently, the article mistook the $43.71 price of all the games individually as the discounted price, which is incorrect. According to SteamPrices.com, the Legendary Edition costed $39.99 in the United States before it was removed. Now, it costs $64.96, but has a bundle discount of -39%, rendering the bundle cost when not during a sale at approximately $39.63. Therefore, this new bundle arrangement technically costs less, saving the customer approximately $0.36 (assuming the game is being purchased at its non-discounted price). Nonetheless, it is true that Bethesda inflating the price to give the new arrangement the illusion of being a better deal since it's discounted.

I suspect that as a result, it's now very unlikely for Bethesda to sell this "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim + Add-Ons" bundle at a -75% discount, like the Legendary Edition used to have been, due to that bundle discount. Even if it does, however, the -75% discount would (unless I'm mistaken) replace likely already count the -39% bundle discount, thereby rendering the -75% discounted bundle's cost being $16.24 rather than the $9.99 that the Legendary Edition would have costed at -75%. In that sense, Bethesda definitely did inflate its price. By turning the Legendary Edition into a bundle arrangement, Bethesda is probably less likely to put the Skyrim base game and all the DLC on sale at -75% or higher, and doing so makes the game cost more if it ever is discounted due to the mechanics of discounting bundles. Regardless what discounts it may put in the future, it has already ensured that the price of the bundle this sale will cost more than the Legendary Edition in previous sales because its base price as been inflated.

8 years ago*

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Happy cake day!

Good thing they are giving the remastered for free to everyone who owns the legendary edition, otherwise this is dummy.

8 years ago
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Thank you! I agree, but I think they may have just made this change in order to generate a higher profit using the "Special Edition" promotion. Alternatively, Bethesda may just be using the "Special Edition" promotion as a cover for these pricing and bundle shenanigans.

8 years ago
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View attached image.
8 years ago
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So the problem is capitalism and not bethesda... right!

8 years ago
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Specifically, Bethesda's actions are merely a manifestation of the conditions capitalism as a system produces. Bethesda is still accountable for its actions, I suppose, but the foundation upon which this entire event even occurred is firmly rooted in capitalism.

8 years ago
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What's the best current price for Legendary and where?

8 years ago
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The British GamesPlanet one, but that is more expensive than this new Steam package.

8 years ago
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Number 1 Rule never buy Bethesda Games on Summersale. As a pro you wait on Quakeconsale

8 years ago
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And if you are even more of a pro, you don't buy them at Steam but all those official resellers who can sell them for cheaper as they don't charge as much as Valve.

8 years ago
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OP, I really want to know what is your idea of fair priced product under capitalism and what other economic system that you prefer would enable creation of products such as Skyrim?

8 years ago
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I don't think there is such a thing as a "fair price" under capitalism because products are, with few exceptions, generally overpriced as a consequence of the laws and rules of capitalism and market economics. Although I think markets and prices shouldn't exist at all, I suppose an ideally "fair" price would be one which which is proportional to the product's estimated value. This could be achieved in a number of ways, though the only reliable means of achieving it would be to transcend the conditions which cause product overpricing by changing from the capitalist mode of production to the socialist mode of production, which entails production for use rather than for profit.

The socioeconomic system I promote is communism, which is beyond socialism (lower-stage communism), though I also support socialism as a transition between capitalism and communism. If people in a communist society want products like Skyrim, they would produce it in whatever way they please.

8 years ago*
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