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[Ninja Scooter]

Overpricing isn't exactly a risk that we should want though. It doesn't help anyone, least of all the developer who ends up getting less money than they would have if they had picked a more optimal price (where quantity of sales x price = most money).

It's not the overpricing that is the issue though, it's that some people see an 8 bit graphics or 2d gameplay and decide the game should not cost over a certain amount (or should be given away) because of it. This game could potentially have more hours of pure gameplay than a lot of major $60 releases but it doesn't matter because people have put a price on certain graphical or gameplay styles. This mindset is basically tellig publishers that people value graphics and presentation more than they probably care to admit, and might be why publishers focus so much on it.

 

[outunderthestars]

But who are we to say it's overpriced. I can see issue with the pricing. I was also talking about people saying it's shamelessly ripping off metriod.

I do think maybe this game would be better served having some sort of PS+ sale the first week of release.

Also how is the game coming along? Can't wait for it!!

As consumers, aren't we the only people who can determine if something is overpriced? I like the idea of a week one sale.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

But who are we to say it's overpriced.

If a game would have made more money at a lower price, it's overpriced.

For me personally, I'd happily pay $40 for a high quality NES-inspired Metroidvania. But as evidenced by all the complaints over price in this thread, $20 feels steep to a lot of people.

 

[SonicKnights]

As consumers, aren't we the only people who can determine if something is overpriced? I like the idea of a week one sale.

First week sale works. $19.99 doesn't.

Shovel Knight did it right at $14.99 and sold great for a wonderful game.

 

[RadarScope1]

I'm not a massive fan of the way the game looks like it plays, thus I don't think it's worth $20. Not an old-school Metroid fan. So it's not worth $20. To me.

Thanks for calling my opinion idiotic, though.

Seems like your reservations have nothing to do with price, then. It's not your type of game. As others have said, some of us have been waiting for Nintendo to make this game for 10 or 15 years now. Ninty would charge $40 or $50 for this kind of game on 3DS if they actually had the brains to make it.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

Will buy. Don't care that it's $20

 

[Naeval]

20$ is a bit high...

 

[JPS Kai]

If a game would have made more money at a lower price, it's overpriced.

For me personally, I'd happily pay $40 for a high quality NES-inspired Metroidvania. But as evidenced by all the complaints over price in this thread, $20 feels steep to a lot of people.

It's tough to strike that balance. I loved Castle in the Darkness and that one was too low at $6. Transistor and Mercenary Kings came out at $20 and people thought that was too much. Fifteen seems to be the sweet spot for people that are on the fence, regardless of production values/quality.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

$20 is a bit high but I might check it out.

 

[lantus]

This game looks really interesting; however, there is just too much on my plate already during March. Might get it down the line on sale.

 

[krypt0nian]

Metroid is BACK, bitches.


Huge get!

 

[SaitoH]

This looks amazing. Going to be tough to pull myself away from Bloodborne, but I can't pass this up.

 

[gunstarhero]

$20!!! That's a steal - would have paid $50 for this game.

 

[Menchi]

A game's price is not set based on how much Einbroch likes that kind of thing.

If it's not worth $20 to you because you don't like that kind of thing, that's fair enough, but other people are claiming it's not worth $20 at all, which is idiotic when they know nothing at all of the final quality of the game.

Couldn't it be argued that stating it is worth $20 without knowing anything at all of the final quality of the game is "idiotic" also? Seems a bit hypocritical, and super aggressive attitude to take.

As for me, price seems a little steeper than I thought it would be, however, I've been interested since I first heard about this, so I'll be Day 1 regardless.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

It's tough to strike that balance. I loved Castle in the Darkness and that one was too low at $6. Transistor and Mercenary Kings came out at $20 and people thought that was too much. Fifteen seems to be the sweet spot for people that are on the fence, regardless of production values/quality.

Right, it's a very tough decision to make and on our own game (Cosmic Star Heroine), we've been debating back and forth over what our price should be. The way I see it, $10-$15 is pretty standard non-mobile indie game pricing. When you go up to $20, you start to compete with non-indie games too (because let's be real, it doesn't take very long for that $60 AAA game to find its way to the $20 bin).

There's really only two successful approaches IMO. You either price the game for mainstream audience (a low price that many people will be happy to pay) or you price the game for hardcore niche audiences (a high price that diehard fans will be willing to pay). High quantity x low price or low quantity x high price are approaches that can work depending on the game. Trying to do a compromise between the two extremes usually just results in low quantity x medium price which isn't a good result.

 

[RyanPierre]

Look at Transistor. That game came and went and was barely talked about. Maybe if they didn't launch at $20.

Yeah, it's a shame that they went with the $20 price point. It was doomed to fail, especially compared to their $15 launch price of Bastion years earlier.

Oh wait, it sold faster than Bastion at that higher price point.

 

[Tadpole]

It seemed the indie price point was 14.99 but I will still pick this up. What's 5 more.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I'm keeping an eye on this. I'm not worried about the price. I pay for things that interest me.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I'm not a massive fan of the way the game looks like it plays, thus I don't think it's worth $20. Not an old-school Metroid fan. So it's not worth $20. To me.

Thanks for calling my opinion idiotic, though.

So you're not a fan of the genre anyway but you still think this game - which we don't know how big it will be - is overpriced?

 

[SerTapTap]

It seemed the indie price point was 14.99 but I will still pick this up. What's 5 more.

There's a lot of variance these days. $20 is usually the ceiling but some go higher, especially PC exclusives in certain niche genres. $15 is probably the most common but $20 is fine too IMO. And I like seeing some unabashedly short games being $10 or less too like Forward to the Sky.

Yeah, it's a shame that they went with the $20 price point. It was doomed to fail, especially compared to their $15 launch price of Bastion years earlier.

Oh wait, it sold faster than Bastion at that higher price point.

As it should because it's friggin amazing. Bastion is great but Transistor...dear god. Platinumed within 48 hours, only stopped playing to sleep after I bought it.

 

[family_guy]

Are you advocating that games should be priced based on their production values?

On an unrelated note; the price works for me, but it will kill this game. They're going to need a flash sale or something to help bolster the sales of this game. Launching in a very crowded March, at $20 (because of the perceived LOL INDIE THIS SHOULD COST LIKE IPHONE APP PRICES stuff), is going to be very difficult to overcome.

I'm advocating being market conscious. I like the style of the game but if the developer thinks $20 for 8 bit retro graphics is going to fly with the larger market, they are dreaming. It will end up being a niche title that's forgotten about quickly. People will impulse buy at $10-15. Even though $20 is not that much more, I expect the majority will end up waiting until the price drops or won't ever get it because it will get lost in the shuffle when newer games come out. At that point it will have to be a PS+ title.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Yeah, it's a shame that they went with the $20 price point. It was doomed to fail, especially compared to their $15 launch price of Bastion years earlier.

Oh wait, it sold faster than Bastion at that higher price point.

Transistor is a special case. Bastion was an award winning game that sold millions of copies. When you have that kind of reputation, you can get away with pricing your follow-up game higher than the norm.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I'm advocating being market conscious. I like the style of the game but if the developer thinks $20 for 8 bit retro graphics is going to fly with the larger market, they are dreaming. It will end up being a niche title that's forgotten about quickly. People will impulse buy at $10-15. Even though $20 is not that much more, I expect the majority will end up waiting until the price drops or won't ever get it because it will get lost in the shuffle when newer games come out. At that point it will have to be a PS+ title.

A game can be successful by targeting a smaller niche audience. Even at $15 I doubt this would have had much mainstream appeal to Joe Sixpack.

 

[The Illiterati]

Right, it's a very tough decision to make and on our own game (Cosmic Star Heroine), we've been debating back and forth over what our price should be. The way I see it, $10-$15 is pretty standard non-mobile indie game pricing. When you go up to $20, you start to compete with non-indie games too (because let's be real, it doesn't take very long for that $60 AAA game to find its way to the $20 bin).

There's really only two successful approaches IMO. You either price the game for mainstream audience (a low price that many people will be happy to pay) or you price the game for hardcore niche audiences (a high price that diehard fans will be willing to pay). High quantity x low price or low quantity x high price are approaches that can work depending on the game. Trying to do a compromise between the two extremes usually just results in low quantity x medium price which isn't a good result.

For what its worth, I think you are completely correct. Beyond that, if I see a game like this that is extremely well thought of at 15 dollars, its an instabuy for me. For some reason, 20 requires some thought. I think this is the case for most people.

 

[RadarScope1]

Transistor is a special case. Bastion was an award winning game that sold millions of copies. When you have that kind of reputation, you can get away with pricing your follow-up game higher than the norm.

This is true. Gamers in the know follow devs and build word of mouth. Press hype follows as well. This dev is unknown, but the product shown so far has me hoping that will change soon.

Speaking of which, since this is a one-man team, we need to get this guy on GAF! If you're reading this, Tom: join us!

 

[joe2187]

Everyones worried about the price.


But man, this game feels sooooo good to play.

Go to a gamestop and play the demo, it's really really fun.

 

[Dan]

Bought, day one!

 

[jtar86]

All over this day one, I can't believe people are willing to skip this because they think its overpriced by 5 bucks. One dude spent years making this. I'll toss him $20 for what appears to be and based on impressions from cons, a solid game.

 

[Draft]

Great looking game, but maybe not the right look for a $20 price tag. Weird title, too!

 

[Berserker976]

Could people that are put off by an extra $5 please explain what they would expect to get for a $20 game that they don't think this game will offer?

What about this game makes you immediately think that $20 is too high of an asking price?

 

[Give War A Chance]

I'm advocating being market conscious. I like the style of the game but if the developer thinks $20 for 8 bit retro graphics is going to fly with the larger market, they are dreaming. It will end up being a niche title that's forgotten about quickly. People will impulse buy at $10-15. Even though $20 is not that much more, I expect the majority will end up waiting until the price drops or won't ever get it because it will get lost in the shuffle when newer games come out. At that point it will have to be a PS+ title.

Completely agree with the bolded. I think $15 is the right spot for a game like this to rope in a bigger market, but the niche market they've made the game for is okay with paying $20 for it. I think $15 is the right spot, and it's really not that far off from $20, but it feels like it is.

I don't know about it being forgotten about quickly though. I guess it depends on what you're talking about. Sales-wise? Critically? Chatter about the game by gamers?

 

[jwk94]

Could people that are put off by an extra $5 please explain what they would expect to get for a $20 game that they don't think this game will offer?

What about this game makes you immediately think that $20 is too high of an asking price?

Being so used to paying $15 last gen could be it.

 

[RyanPierre]

Transistor is a special case. Bastion was an award winning game that sold millions of copies. When you have that kind of reputation, you can get away with pricing your follow-up game higher than the norm.

I don't really see why it's "getting away" with something by pricing it at $20. A game can't just be worth $20? This isn't like retail where base games all go for $60 max as a consumer expectation and someone just decided to price theirs at $70. The digital indie market has many different price points, and I think this notion that $20 is overpriced is kind of absurd. There are already plenty of indie games out there that launched at $20.

It's funny because I've read so many opinions on how The Order should have been $30 or $40 because of its length. Now $20 is apparently overpriced for a game that lasts 10+ hours. I guess games need to have a certain mysterious combination of visual quality and length to be worth a certain price. I wish I could figure out this equation so many people seem to be using to figure this all out.

 

[GloriousBagel]

20 dollars? Yikes, day one for sure but I hope it arrives on Vita next month.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Day one for potential GotY.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

I don't really see why it's "getting away" with something by pricing it at $20. A game can't just be worth $20?

It's a mistake to think that price should directly correspond to quality. A successful price is based on perceived value, not actual quality.

 

[Occam]

I'd gladly pay $20 for a physical release. I paid $20 last year for a physical copy of Child of Light (Vita). I played Super Metroid this week, which is now almost 21 years old. My cartridge is in excellent condition and will play on any Super NES. Physical games are awesome that way.

 

[Dr Stabbingworth]

It's going to sell a lot more copies once it hits 50% or 75% off, so why not $10 instead of $7.50 or $5 instead of $3.75. Seems like a reasonably legit strategy.

 

[Dan]

All over this day one, I can't believe people are willing to skip this because they think its overpriced by 5 bucks. One dude spent years making this. I'll toss him $20 for what appears to be and based on impressions from cons, a solid game.

Meanwhile millions of people throw out $60+ for bug-riddled annualized titles again and again. The mind boggles.

It's a mistake to think that price should directly correspond to quality. A successful price is based on perceived value, not actual quality.

Certainly true, but there's something to be said for many gamers having a real twisted view of "perceived value."

 

[hawk2025]

I don't really see why it's "getting away" with something by pricing it at $20. A game can't just be worth $20? This isn't like retail where base games all go for $60 max as a consumer expectation and someone just decided to price theirs at $70. The digital indie market has many different price points, and I think this notion that $20 is overpriced is kind of absurd. There are already plenty of indie games out there that launched at $20.

It's funny because I've read so many opinions on how The Order should have been $30 or $40 because of its length. Now $20 is apparently overpriced for a game that lasts 10+ hours. I guess games need to have a certain mysterious combination of visual quality and length to be worth a certain price. I wish I could figure out this equation so many people seem to be using to figure this all out.

I don't think he means "getting away" in a sense that the game is not worth it, just that their demand curve is shifted enough to the right that a $20 price may maximize profits.

The notion that $20 is overpriced is not absurd. "overpiced" is, by overwhelming empirical evidence, a completely subjective assessment as far as consumer valuation goes. Values are heterogeneous. There is no way to claim something is overpriced or underpriced by ANY metric other than "would it have generated greater profits at a different price?".

 

[OrbitalBeard]

People complaining about the price....you're breaking my heart and making me scared for the future of this industry.

 

[korona15]

For those worried about the price, Tom Happ had this to say on today's Sony blog:

"Let’s just say they’ll (Sony) be giving everyone a good reason to buy Axiom Verge when it comes out on the 31st

Sounds like he's hinting at a discount at the time of release.

 

[Einbroch]

So you're not a fan of the genre anyway but you still think this game - which we don't know how big it will be - is overpriced?

I would buy the game if it were $10. That's my price. Therefore, it's overpriced to me.

I play a lot of games in genres I'm not a big fan of. I'd play more if they were cheaper or there were less of a barrier to entry. I don't actively dislike old school Metroid-inspired games, they're just not my favorite, hence I'm not a big fan.

 

[outunderthestars]

Meanwhile millions of people throw out $60+ for bug-riddled annualized titles again and again. The mind boggles.

Certainly true, but there's something to be said for many gamers having a real twisted view of "perceived value."

By "twisted" do you really mean "doesn't conform to my"?

 

[Steroyd]

Ooof right after Bloodborne and Final Fantasy Type-0, going to be hard justifying a day one purchase. :|

 

[kpaadet]

People complaining about the price....you're breaking my heart and making me scared for the future of this industry.

- $20 for a game! What an outrage.
- Why is every game f2p shit?

 

[Slixshot]

Will likely pick it up, but I don't know when.

 

[Doomshroom]

im in after when im done with bloodborne.

 

[BPoole]

I now feel bad about calling Ori and the Blind Forest pricey at $20. The production values of that game are faaaar beyond Axiom Verge's. I'll buy it when it is appropriately priced at $10

 

[Lord Error]

This looks absolutely awesome to me. Day 1.