http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/29/comm...ming/index.htm

Publishers have quietly been testing how consumers might react to higher priced games for a while now, bumping the price of sure-bet titles above the $50 line. Sales of "collector's edition" titles, which offer small perks for anywhere from $10 to $25 more, are also being watched closely.

Consumers haven't exactly cheered the price increases, but sales haven't been affected. "Doom 3," for example, has topped the charts since its release in August. And 2002's "Warcraft III" sold over 1 million copies within three weeks of its release.

Robert Kotick said Activision would raise wholesale prices on all titles released for next generation systems by $3 to $5. [...] In an August analyst note, Cooper called on publishers to raise prices on top-line games to $54.99 or higher by as early as this fall.