Indie games becoming more expensive. Will it backfire?

[Rzep]

I have noticed that indie games are becoming more expensive. There seem to be more releases around the 20 euro price, 18.99 euro being very popular. Maybe I am just imagining things I don't know but if this continues and indie games get closer and closer to the price of the so called AAA games do you think the whole indie boom will grind to a halt? Are indie games percieved as good enough to be priced like "premium" games?

[Ineffable Anathema]

Silv3r9 eredeti hozzászólása:

The way I see it, in their attempt to bring more attention to indie developers, the PWYW bundles have also created a very particular kind of customer who will only pay a dollar [or less if possible] for a pack of games and go as far as furiously demand that <XYZ> game be featured on a bundle otherwise they won't even buy it.

This particular kind of bundle customer also gets very angry [as in full gorilla angry] when they don't get any extra games for their dollar or cannot trade their keys for a game of "equal value". The whole thing has taken "cheap gamers" to a whole new level of crazy. <_<

1) You make a good point
2) I really have GOT to remember this phrase "full gorilla angry" for future use. I loled.

[intok]

Nah, it just means you wait for the 75-80% off sale or for it to hit the Humble Bundle.

The indie games are still by far and away the better value for your gaming dollar then what passes for a "AAA" game these days.

[intok]

Rzep eredeti hozzászólása:

Yes, it does not mean inexpensive, but while gamers have been made to accept the 50 or 60 dollar game over the years, the same cannot be said about indie games. Just because we buy indie games at full price, not only in bundles, does not mean that the general perception is indie game pricing can/should equal the AAA price model.

Well the problem is also the demand for $1 games from the mobile market. the $60 price point got pushback from consumers and the $1 price point is getting pushback from devs, the middle ground has to be found and for most indie games that is going to max out around $20 unless they are of exceptional quality like the stuff Frictional puts out that can stand toe to toe with the AAA games of the same genre and still come out on top, or games like Legend Of Grimrock, Dungeon Defenders or Trine 2 that easily look like something made by a professional company.

Then theres stuff like Braid, Dungeons Of Dredmor or Bastion that are great games, but don't look so much like they'd be something that any "AAA" game company would put out these days unless it was a JRPG.

[Ineffable Anathema]

intok eredeti hozzászólása:

Legend Of Grimrock, Dungeon Defenders or Trine 2 that easily look like something made by a professional company.

Well, if you remember back when this digital distribution thing was just putting out its taproots, the companies all assured everyone that digital distribution would make all games *lower* in price because of the lack of the need for packaging, shipping and handling. Now it's all the rage and ... guess what, they lied, the big companies are still charging more than ever for their games (whether they are good or not). The $40 and $50 games have gone to $50 and $60 (and up) now. Much of that is paying for advertising. I think some of the reason indie games are able to price as low as they do is largely because they're not paying a fortune for advertising. They're less known than the AAA companies, but it doesn't mean the games are any better or worse quality (assuming it's a good dev and not like the "War Z" thing just trying to scam money from people.)

Also, I preordered Legend of Grimrock from the developer's website as soon as I found it, it is awesome. I watched the trailers and knew it was going to be another epic grid dungeon game like the old Dungeon Master and EOB series were. It's pretty rare these days for me to preorder anything.

[intok]

Good points, and yeah, it's usually the smallest companies that put out the best games. IIRC Frictional made Penumbra: Black Plague was made by 3 guys that decided to lock themselves in a room for a year and hammer out the best damn horror game they could possibly make. Frictional is an indy dev that is easily a "AAA" class company, with only one misstep thus far being letting an outside company make the second Amnesia title.

These indie companies don't run the traditional advertising crap and don't deal with publishers. They also seem to get a far better bang for their buck in the art assets department compared to the big guys and their multi-million dollar budgets.

The indie companies are still small enough to still be in touch with reality unlike the big companies that have a set script from which they can released a a new version of their canned game like all of the CallOfHaloField and same old you've played one you've played them all sports games that are an inexplicable cash cow for them.

Exceedingly few games from the "AAA" class companies on any platform have appealed to me over the last 10 years, to the point it was basically just one or 2 games a year that where worth buying. While in the last few years I've found literally dozens of indie titles that where absolutely amazing must buys.

Pre-ordering has been a bane on gaming forever, it's only gotten much much worse since Gamestop has taken over the brick and mortar game shop market where if you pay full price on a game that is sight unseen you'll get a n00b canon for the online mode...

[Ineffable Anathema]

intok eredeti hozzászólása:

Pre-ordering has been a bane on gaming forever, it's only gotten much much worse since Gamestop has taken over the brick and mortar game shop market where if you pay full price on a game that is sight unseen you'll get a n00b canon for the online mode...

... and a TF2 hat. ;)

[TTV SporeRose]

i agree, indie games are getting overpriced, this new indie game that came out 17 minutes ago costs £30! with a £45 "special" edition which has a digital artbook, a soundtrack, a map, wallpapers and dev interviews, something that should not be worth the £45 mark!

[Rzep]

sporeboy100 eredeti hozzászólása:

i agree, indie games are getting overpriced, this new indie game that came out 17 minutes ago costs £30! with a £45 "special" edition which has a digital artbook, a soundtrack, a map, wallpapers and dev interviews, something that should not be worth the £45 mark!

Soundtracks are expensive most of the time so I don't see how it is not worth it.

[TTV SporeRose]

anyway, blackguard or any indie game for that matter should not be charging us FULL PRICE for a indie game! and people moan about AAA games costing too much, this is borderline hypocrisy! before you start calling me a hypocrite, i dont mind the price when it is a AAA game that wasn't crowdfunded, its the crowdfunded indie games that tick me off

[Τhe Rolling Cheese Wheel]

Rzep eredeti hozzászólása:

sporeboy100 eredeti hozzászólása:

i agree, indie games are getting overpriced, this new indie game that came out 17 minutes ago costs £30! with a £45 "special" edition which has a digital artbook, a soundtrack, a map, wallpapers and dev interviews, something that should not be worth the £45 mark!

Soundtracks are expensive most of the time so I don't see how it is not worth it.

Not true at all, a soundtrack is absurdly easy and cheap to make once the game is finished. The devs already have the sound files all they had to do was put it in to a folder, rename it to more conventional naming standards, done.

[Rzep]

Τhe Rolling Ham Cheese eredeti hozzászólása:

Rzep eredeti hozzászólása:

Soundtracks are expensive most of the time so I don't see how it is not worth it.

Not true at all, a soundtrack is absurdly easy and cheap to make once the game is finished. The devs already have the sound files all they had to do was put it in to a folder, rename it to more conventional naming standards, done.

I did not say whether they are easy or hard to make. I said that the standard is that soundtracks cost alot of money.

[Rzep]

sporeboy100 eredeti hozzászólása:

anyway, blackguard or any indie game for that matter should not be charging us FULL PRICE for a indie game! and people moan about AAA games costing too much, this is borderline hypocrisy! before you start calling me a hypocrite, i dont mind the price when it is a AAA game that wasn't crowdfunded, its the crowdfunded indie games that tick me off

Except that it costs a bit more than half of a AAA game.

[TTV SporeRose]

and another thing, if we moan at AAA games for copying gameplay mechanics like it aint no thing (im looking at you RYSE! you and your overly Batman Arkham-esque fighting mechanic) yet, with indie games, we seem to think they are all unique, there are so many indie platformers, rouge likes and even dungeon crawlers up the wazoo! what makes it even worse, indie games are even starting to copy the biggest trope we have beef against with AAA games: DLC (amazon princess) and even SEASON PASSES! a la Talisman, infact, Talisman is still in EARLY ACCESS and is still cutting content for us to pay for later, and people still pony up the money for it

[Τhe Rolling Cheese Wheel]

Rzep eredeti hozzászólása:

Τhe Rolling Ham Cheese eredeti hozzászólása:

Not true at all, a soundtrack is absurdly easy and cheap to make once the game is finished. The devs already have the sound files all they had to do was put it in to a folder, rename it to more conventional naming standards, done.

I did not say whether they are easy or hard to make. I said that the standard is that soundtracks cost alot of money.

A soundtrack does not cost a lot of money /o\. Once the game is made all the cost of music and licensing is already acquired and added in to the game. The soundtrack requires a tiny bit more work to grab the sound files and put them in to a folder. 15 pounds for a soundtrack is quite frankly absurd, as studio produced albums for musical artist not riding on game revenue doesn't even cost that much

[TTV SporeRose]

what the heck happened?