SEGA permanently drops price on iPhone games

SEGA has cut the prices on all its Sonic the Hedgehog iOS games, along with many others, and intends to keep them cut. Rather than try another temporary deal, Sonic will now remain at prices that almost approach reasonable for an iPhone title. 

Here’s the full list of SEGA’s offerings:

ChuChu Rocket: $4.99 $2.99
ChuChu Rocket HD: $6.99 $4.99
Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99 $0.99
Golden Axe: $2.99 $0.99
Gunstar Heroes: $4.99 $2.99
Phantasy Star II: $4.99 $2.99
Shining Force: $2.99 $0.99
Super Monkey Ball 2: $5.99 $2.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 Sakura Edition: $7.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 1: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 2: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1: $9.99 $6.99
Streets of Rage: $2.99 $0.99

Some of these prices are still unreasonable for what they are (an inferior Sonic 2 port should not cost more than a buck) but this does demonstrate how big publishers are going to need to compromise in order to succeed on iTunes. Major publishers like SEGA and Electronic Arts believe they can get away with charging a premium for their games, just because they’re publishing them. The humiliating success of smaller, cheaper indie games disproves this. 

Major publishers are getting their arses handed to them by small developers, and it’s pretty great to see.