Indie game pricing is absurd

[Sentinel 08295]

I'm not sure if many devs carefully consider what their EA launch price should be. I am noticing a plethora of launches with games asking twice or more what they should be priced at. It's no wonder these games stay at less than 20 or sometimes even less than 10 reviews. When considering a starting price, you have to decide what price will generate the most sales. It has nothing to do with how much you can get on each individual sale. It's all about the gross sales numbers. All indie devs should be looking at the best and top selling indie games on steam and basing their launch prices on a comparison to that game. You don't even have to consider the genre, just a straight up value comparison. Here are two examples indie devs can use at two very common price points:

1) Stardew Valley @ $15
2) Risk of Rain 2 @ $20

All you have to do is ask yourself if your game will provide the same value if launched at that price. If not than don't be afraid to launch it at $10 or even $5. You will make up the revenue and more with higher units sold.

TLDR: There are a TON of indie games on Steam. Price your game correctly (not what you think it's worth) and make the most money possible so you can continue to make more and better games in the future.

[Rens Agatha ⁧【レンス】]

Meh... your life is absurd now i can see why lot of developer trying to move into other platform like epic store cuz lots of stupid people on steam giving negative review for price because its too EXpEnsIvE ...

If you cant afford it dont buy the game its EASY... also youre 12 year on steam and complain about price what a shame dude

If you want to complain about price open your eyes more i know why indie game started making stupid price but do you know telltale game dev ??? Do you know why they want to close their dev because in steam theres too many stupid people like you... discount by steam doesnt make big profits to them so just stfu

[WolfEisberg]

This developer talks about pricing at GDC, he does some research check it out here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WycVOCbeKqQ&feature=youtu.be&t=774

Go to 12:54.

In short, games that are $15+ sell more copies than the games sold at $14 or less.

[RedLightning]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Rens Agatha:

Meh... your life is absurd now i can see why lot of developer trying to move into other platform like epic store cuz lots of stupid people on steam giving negative review for price because its too EXpEnsIvE ...

If you cant afford it dont buy the game its EASY... also youre 12 year on steam and complain about price what a shame dude

If you want to complain about price open your eyes more i know why indie game started making stupid price but do you know telltale game dev ??? Do you know why they want to close their dev because in steam theres too many stupid people like you... discount by steam doesnt make profits to them so just stfu

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/4/17934166/telltale-games-studio-closed-layoffs-end-the-walking-dead

This page does not mention what you speak of. Seems the 'stupidity' was formed on the inside.

Developers are moving to Epic cause they smell money.. I don't think it is going to work out how they hope.

[Trundle]

Even an overwhelming positive game still get rejected by epic. https://www.gamewatcher.com/news/epic-denies-an-overwhelmingly-positive-steam-game

[Cathulhu]

Wait, they rejected Assault Android Cactus? Not popular enough for them or what?

[Rens Agatha ⁧【レンス】]

Opprinnelig skrevet av RedLightning:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Rens Agatha:

Meh... your life is absurd now i can see why lot of developer trying to move into other platform like epic store cuz lots of stupid people on steam giving negative review for price because its too EXpEnsIvE ...

If you cant afford it dont buy the game its EASY... also youre 12 year on steam and complain about price what a shame dude

If you want to complain about price open your eyes more i know why indie game started making stupid price but do you know telltale game dev ??? Do you know why they want to close their dev because in steam theres too many stupid people like you... discount by steam doesnt make profits to them so just stfu

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/4/17934166/telltale-games-studio-closed-layoffs-end-the-walking-dead

This page does not mention what you speak of. Seems the 'stupidity' was formed on the inside.

Developers are moving to Epic cause they smell money.. I don't think it is going to work out how they hope.

Whats the diffrend thats why if more stupid people complain abiut price on steam they will go to epic store becayse they get more money no review no discussion no one can complain in there

[Ganger]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Rens Agatha:

Meh... your life is absurd now i can see why lot of developer trying to move into other platform like epic store cuz lots of stupid people on steam giving negative review for price because its too EXpEnsIvE ...

If you cant afford it dont buy the game its EASY... also youre 12 year on steam and complain about price what a shame dude

If you want to complain about price open your eyes more i know why indie game started making stupid price but do you know telltale game dev ??? Do you know why they want to close their dev because in steam theres too many stupid people like you... discount by steam doesnt make big profits to them so just stfu

Bit of a harsh comment on the lad here but hey...... Indy devs really get the bottom end of the barrel on steam. A $20 indy game after steams cut, taxes and the like, the dev is lucky to recieve $8.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Cathulhu:

Wait, they rejected Assault Android Cactus? Not popular enough for them or what?

I read about this, looks like epic are trying to get mainstream games only at the moment to their store. I believe that dev could of made alot of money if it sold on epic store, if we believe what epic said about 40% of it's users have never used steam.

[Start_Running]

Opprinnelig skrevet av USA_TRUMP:

I'm not sure if many devs carefully consider what their EA launch price should be. I am noticing a plethora of launches with games asking twice or more what they should be priced at. It's no wonder these games stay at less than 20 or sometimes even less than 10 reviews. When considering a starting price, you have to decide what price will generate the most sales. It has nothing to do with how much you can get on each individual sale. It's all about the gross sales numbers. All indie devs should be looking at the best and top selling indie games on steam and basing their launch prices on a comparison to that game. You don't even have to consider the genre, just a straight up value comparison. Here are two examples indie devs can use at two very common price points:

1) Stardew Valley @ $15
2) Risk of Rain 2 @ $20

All you have to do is ask yourself if your game will provide the same value if launched at that price. If not than don't be afraid to launch it at $10 or even $5. You will make up the revenue and more with higher units sold.

TLDR: There are a TON of indie games on Steam. Price your game correctly (not what you think it's worth) and make the most money possible so you can continue to make more and better games in the future.

What you think the game is worth, and what the devs think the game is worth differs. Thiung is the dev knows the man hours and resources that go into the thing... you don't. Just wait for a sale. And just an FYI Witcher 3 is an Indie Game.

[僕の名前 (仮)]

Creators have the right to set any price, and you have right to buy, wait for sale, or skip.

Amount of reviews is irrelevant, because it does not reflect amount of players.

[Mikasa Ackerman]

if you ask me , its just like a fleemarket , price things the way you think it will sell and then see if you sell them or not

[Paratech2008]

Stardew is a great game and very popular. Just because its an Indie game doesn't make it valueless. Heck, I enjoy a lot of Indie games better than AAA games.

[Sleepy Yoshi]

Opprinnelig skrevet av T♥r♥u♥n♥d♥l♥e:

Even an overwhelming positive game still get rejected by epic. https://www.gamewatcher.com/news/epic-denies-an-overwhelmingly-positive-steam-game

Well at the very least I hope it drives up traffic to their Steam store page as it is a very good game.

[nullable]

Opprinnelig skrevet av USA_TRUMP:

TLDR: There are a TON of indie games on Steam. Price your game correctly (not what you think it's worth) and make the most money possible so you can continue to make more and better games in the future.

Sounds like you need to take your armchair accounting shtick on the road and start an indie game consulting company to show them how it's done...

IE maybe some people know what they're doing, even if you don't agree with it.

[Count_Dandyman]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Riedy:

A cheap price doesn't actually mean more sales. People start questioning the quality at that point.

You can't really put the same mentality you put on something like food on video games. Video games are a luxury good, we do not need them and you also don't get the same product from different providers. No two games are the same, so you can't say this doesn't deserve its price because another game is priced differently. It doesn't matter, they are two seperate entities.

When people pick up Stardew Valley and Risk of Rain 2, they expect good games. They are promised good games. And both of those games are absolutely way too cheap for what they are.

We often like to judge games because we don't need them, but that shouldn't affect their pricing. We don't need any games, they are luxury goods. They are forms of entertainment and a little arcade game is still justified in being priced like seeing a movie once in theaters because it's the same. You don't know whether it'll be okay or whether it'll blow your mind, and you got to choose exactly what you wanted. If I want to play a dumb simulation game right now I'll happily pay $10.

Very true after all for the main market where games can get the most sales money isn't the thing causing most people to buy or pass on a game time is.

[AdahnGorion]

Nobody force you to buy anything.