Over the last two days, we noticed some online chatter about Sony hiking up PS Store game prices in Turkey, which has spawned some misleading headlines. The “controversy” stems from a single tweet presented without context, with some bizarre claims being thrown around.
Who sets PS Store game prices?
X user @SynthPotato shared a screenshot of Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ PS Store page in Turkey, which shows that the game costs TL2,799 (approximately $85). The price was allegedly increased this month, and the game is about $25-$30 cheaper on Xbox and PC at present.
For starters, third-party game prices are set by their respective publishers, not Sony. This has been confirmed numerous times in the past, and was reiterated by a number of developers in response to SynthPotato’s tweet.
Secondly, Turkey has seen record inflation in recent years with continuous weakening of its currency, so simply converting Lira to Dollar on Google doesn’t tell the full story nor is setting global prices a task as simple as using a currency conversion calculator. Taxes and cost of doing business vary from region to region.
Last but not least, for a very long time now, players living in strong economies have been taking advantage of weaker currencies by finding workarounds to purchase games in countries like Turkey for cheap. This practice has also been heavily promoted by websites dedicated to video game deals. That said, we don’t think this is specifically the main reason behind the price hike.
While we can’t comment on Xbox’s pricing strategy in countries where its presence is almost non-existent, games tend to be cheaper on PC. We also don’t know if Microsoft and Valve have yet to update their respective storefronts or not.
Whatever the case, accusing Sony of “price abuse in a poor country” is preposterous.
