We see it all the time, sadly. Games that release with overinflated prices. It’s painfully obvious publishers price the games from dreamland instead of reality. They set the price based on what they want it to make to maximize profit versus what the game will be worth in gamer’s minds.
Shocker, but gamers like deals! We want to pay less than what publishers believe the game is worth — always. So, if you, as publisher, want to get $20 for your game, here’s a golden rule to selling more:
Cut the price at least in half! Sell it for $10, $5 maybe even $2.99!
If you sell 100 copies at $5, that’s $500. If you sell 10 copies at $20, you make $200 or sell 25 at $10, is only $250. Which way did you actually make more money? Selling more of your game at a less price. More games, more potential reviews, more buzz = more sales from other gamers. You snag friends of gamers, because they see their friends buying the games and become interested in it.
Also, if you look at the gray market key seller sites. There won’t be as much profit in cutting your game price to a more reasonable market price. A $5 game selling for $2 or $3 is not that big of a savings as a $20 game selling for $5. Think about it, game publishers, you’re just not using common business sense.
Time and again, good games these days are ruined by their pricing being too high. I buy a lot of games and I see this comment repeated among gamers in reviews again and again: the game is too short for the price.
A few recent examples.
Raw Thrills makes great games. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a very good port of the arcade game.
But.
I was really excited for this game (see: Launching April 23, 2024 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants – Steam Listing Live) and didn’t refund it, but it’s overpriced.
Badly overpriced.
Those that have played and enjoyed the arcade game know this, but its problem is the pricing, thus comparing it to the much superior TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1361510/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_Shredders_Revenge/) They could have gotten $10-15 if they had included native online play, added more extras and bonuses than simply two levels. Two levels do not make this port worth $30. This pizza needs to get sent back at this price.
PGM member MCAP Corner Arcade (check out his gaming Discord here) rightly puts Contra: Operation Galuga (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2235020/Contra_Operation_Galuga/) at $40 in this discussion.
What do you think of current game prices? Generally priced too high? It seems like some indies have their prices in order, but virtually all bigger studios overprice most, if not all in some cases, of their games.