[quote name='Maklershed']I'm confused about something .. why don't the price of PS3 games drop over time like they do for the 360? Does SCEA tell retailers they want these games to stay close to retail or is it just a matter of supply/demand? The only exceptions to this rule so far seems to be LBP and MGS4. They're currently cheaper than Heavenly Sword or Ratchet and Clank or Folklore. Actually, now that I think of it, it seems to be a trend that the closer a game was released to the launch of the PS3, the more expensive it will be.[/QUOTE]I explained it in a post once. SCEA does NOT drop prices of their first party games.
A lot of it is because SCEA is losing money on every PS3 console they sell, so they are trying to make that money up by not dropping prices in games to get as much back as they can. That's just what SCEA does (SCEA also sees their console having slow growth due to a higher pricetag, so they really see no reason doing pricecuts because they don't expect a big spike). The only time they will drop is when it goes GH (for the more popular games), and that won't be until 1-2 years down the line. So basically, SCEA is a lot like Nintendo. If you want their games bad, you will have to pay a premium price unless you come across a sale. It's like if they sell a game for $20-$30 (when you factor in all the costs), they are not making back all that much money when you factor in retail loyalty, certain percentage that goes to the developer, etc. The only time a game drops usually is because the retailer decides to take a hit and clear it off their selves (like Target does when they clearance some games and Meijer has done that to some stuff).
MS just drops the price quickly because they have the money and would rather get a particular game into as many homes as possible, even if they don't make much (while SCEA's main goal is to profit).
If people have a Meijer in their area, they can find some SCEA games discounted. I've bought some for CAGs and people at other forums and sent the stuff to them (like they had Hot Shots Golf: OoB for $35, R&C Future: ToD for $25, Buzz! Quiz TV for $35, etc.).