While newer, big budget, $60+ games like Suicide Squad And Immortals of Aveum don’t seem to be successful, many smaller and stranger titles are exploding on Steam and developing large communities around them. Games like Helldivers 2Palworld, Lethal Company, And Sons of the forest are all important highlights of this year. And what do these games have in common? A cheaper price.
I recently took a look at some of the most popular games released in the last year or so to see what more I could play as part of my ongoing, never-ending journey of creating content for the internet. And that’s when I noticed that so many of today’s biggest games – the ones with thousands of players and tons of online chatter – are selling for much less than that Industry standard $60 or the new normal price of $70, and many of them aren’t huge, content-laden AAA titles either. These cheaper games are often smaller and focus on getting to the heart of something specific. It turns out that a lot of gamers right now want more than a huge, bloated $70 AAA game that tries (and fails) to be everything for everyone.
The success of Helldivers 2 and other cheaper games
One of the biggest blockbusters in 2024 is Helldivers 2. And although the game was published by Sony and has a lot of resources, this is not the case feel like the usual AAA games we get these days. It’s harder, messier and not as accessible. But it’s also ruining it at the moment. And a big part of that success, in my opinion, is due to the $40 price tag. It’s simply a cheaper option, and when you combine that with positive word of mouth and strong reviews, it’s easy to see how many people have been convinced to donate through friends or the internet Helldivers 2 a shot. I mean, it’s only $40.
That lower price really seems to help these days. At a time when many people feel this way struggling to make ends meetTo keep a roof over your heador to even find a job, Money is more important than ever. And if you’re looking for a game to buy on that limited budget, things under $60 or even $50 are a far more tempting option, especially when those games… Palword– often allows you to play with friends, receive new content updates and offer unique experiences. (Like shooting Pokémon with weapons when building castles.)
I know a lot of people who have bought Deadly company– a first-person low-fi co-op horror game – and have a lot of fun with it. These are people who normally don’t like scary games either. And the main reason they tried it, besides the positive reviews, was the price. It’s only $10. It’s hard to feel guilty when you spend so little on something.
In the last few months Landlords, Warfare in the gray zone, And Content warning all saw huge volumes on Steam shortly after release. All of these games offer specific and/or strange experiences at a lower price than the latest, somewhat predictable AAA open-world action game.
There are now big games starting at $60 like Suicide Squad and Ubisoft’s long-awaited pirate title Skull and bones seem to have taken off and immediately disappeared into the ether. I don’t know anyone who plays these games, talks about them online, or successfully convinces others to buy them and get involved. That’s partly because they’re not great, but I also think it’s because they suddenly cost so much when a dollar doesn’t go as far as it did before, and when cheaper, better options – like Balatro And Pacific Drive– are available instead.
Hopefully we’ll get more smaller, cheaper games in the future
I understand that game development is expensive and publishers can’t afford to charge less than $60. But I would suggest that if this method continues to fail or produce poor results, perhaps the better option is to charge less and invest no more than six years into developing a game.
The next main part Stand out The game probably won’t be released until 2030 or later at this point, but Bethesda’s game director Todd Howard I know it’s too long of a wait and promised that the team wants to get things out quicker.
I would suggest – and Bethesda seems open to this– Instead, let other developers take a shot at the series and make it smaller and weirder Stand out Games that sell for far less than $60. People get more games, developers don’t have to work on the same thing for more than a decade, and entire studios don’t have to roll the dice to hopefully make a game a hit Baldur’s Gate III. That seems like a better future for everyone, except for the rich executives who are responsible for “growing the numbers” no matter the cost.
As we watch, the gaming industry continues to struggle Studios close And Developers are being laid off en masseIt’s worth it for publishers to see what works. It’s useful to assess which games people like, which ones interest them, and which ones they’re willing to buy and play for months, perhaps even years, after release.
And the more I look around, the more I’m convinced that in 2024 (and probably even 2025) the best chance of success lies at a lower price. And if you can give players something strange, different, or hyper-specific for that amount of money, you’ll probably be the next game I write about My city with a headline like “The Latest Steam Blockbuster Is This Unexpected Card Game” instead of bad news, or worse… nothing at all.
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