ORIGINAL: GreenDestiny
I'll say it's most likely [*]Matrix can't/won't undercut their retail channel for obvious reasons.
Now I wonder how much the game would cost If it didn't go to retail 29.99 or 34.99 ?
Ok, let me throw gasoline on this fire. It would be $49.99 or more if it wasn't going to retail. Why? Because the considerably fewer copies we would be able to sell would have to be made up for with a higher price, even factoring in the higher margin per sale. The price is as low as it is because it's going to retail and the hope is we will get more than just serious wargamers as customers. We hope this is the right strategy for this game. There are very few wargames that we would consider candidates for this strategy. Here's some historical info (all games sold at retail in the nineties):
Panzer General - over 250,000 units at full price (many more at lower prices)
Steel Panthers - over 130,000 units at full price
Most other SSI wargames (like Pac War, War in Russia, etc.) - 10,000 to 20,000 units at full price
Yes, the retail/internet environment is different now, and GGWaW is not Panzer General or Steel Panthers, but there has always been a bigger world out there than just the world of hardcore wargamers. Some of it is interested in an occasional wargame.
All understanding comes after the fact.
-- Soren Kierkegaard