Yesterday observant forum users over on MyBroadband noticed that local retailer BTGames had listed an unusually high retail price for StarCraft II.

The regular edition of the game was pegged at R665, an unprecedented price for a PC game in South Africa.

Kalahari.net also had the game listed, but their price was a far more sensible R431.

A similar fuss was made over the last big Activision Blizzard game, Modern Warfare 2, which ended up retailing slightly higher than other PC games, although BT’s  R665 StarCraft II price tag was viewed by many as borderline extortion.

We subsequently got in touch with local Activision Blizzard distributor Megarom. Megarom had since gotten in touch with BTGames to alert them to the mistake. BTGames’ price is now a more sensible R439, although it is still a bit higher than what PC gamers are used to paying for most AAA titles.

Megarom confirmed to MyGaming that the local recommended retail price (RRP) for StarCraft II at launch is currently R499. The reality however is that many dedicated gaming retailers will sell the game below this. Kalahari still lists the game for R431, while Zaps will be selling it for R435.

We can expect the likes of Look&Listen and Incredible Connection to charge around R500, but it looks as though the more dedicated game resellers will be selling it for around the R430 mark.

Megarom also added that although the current RRP is R499, it remains subject to change.

Discuss StarCraft II pricing in the forums