PlayStation 4 PSN game prices will be adjusted ahead of EU launch

UPDATE: The market has spoken: EA and Ubisoft's PlayStation 4 and Xbox One games now cost the same across both consoles' digital stores.

This morning Eurogamer exclusively brought you the news that Sony had negotiated a price reduction for FIFA 14, Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed 4 after it emerged the PlayStation Store versions of these games were £8 more expensive than the Xbox One Games Store versions.

Now, this price reduction has kicked in, and there is price parity across both PS4 and Xbox One - just in time for the PS4's UK launch tomorrow at midnight.

Assassin's Creed 4 is now £54.99 on PSN - the same as on Xbox One. FIFA 14, Battlefield 4, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14 and Need for Speed: Rivals are all £54.99 on PSN. Just Dance 2014 is £39.99.

While the price drop will be seen as a victory for prospective UK PS4 owners, many are still upset at the high cost of the digital versions of these games compared to their physical high street costs. FIFA 14 is £47 on Amazon, for example.

So, what caused the price discrepancy in the first place?

Ubisoft told Eurogamer this was down to Sony and Microsoft offering different "pricing matrices" for games sold on their digital stores. Basically, it's to do with different methods used for converting things like currency, with Microsoft using one method and Sony another.

Ubisoft's statement is as follows:

“Both Microsoft and Sony provide pricing matrices for games sold digitally via their respective services, similar to the way tiered wholesale pricing works on Apple's iTunes. Developers, including Ubisoft, then select a wholesale price within those tiers that best corresponds to our expectations of the games' overall value and market potential.

"However, the final retail prices are determined by the vendor. Also, because those two matrices are not identical the resulting prices on the two online services don't always align. We're aware this is potentially confusing for customers and are looking into what can be done.”

ORIGINAL STORY: The prices of games on the PlayStation 4 Store will be adjusted ahead of the console's European launch, Sony has told Eurogamer.

Sony and third-party publishers EA and Ubisoft were criticised this week after it emerged that games such as FIFA 14, Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed 4 were more expensive on the PlayStation Store than they were on the Xbox One Games Store.

EA PS4 games were an incredible £63 earlier this week. Then, they were reduced to £60 - still five pounds more expensive than on Xbox One.

Now these games look set to drop further to fall in-line with the Xbox One store prices.

"Although PS4 launches in Europe on the 29th November, we have switched on the European PSN early to test and make sure that features and functionality are fully operational for launch," Sony told Eurogamer.

"However, as PS4 and PSN have not yet officially launched in this region, nothing on the PSN is final, including pricing on the store. You will continue to see some prices adjusted over the next few days in preparation for launch on Friday."

So, what happens if you've already forked out your hard-earned cash for a PS4 game on PSN and it drops in price? The difference will be refunded, Sony told Eurogamer.