NS2 price
Velve
Join Date: 2011-07-21 Member: 111569Members
Join Date: 2011-07-21 Member: 111569Members
Comments
The price on steam will likely be close to what it is currently via PayPal, as NS2 has quite a bit higher production-value than the indie-titles you mentioned.
Just because they haven't said otherwise doesn't mean it will be that way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_ignorance)
Besides, I imagine Steam might have their word to say concerning the pricing of games on its platform - they might request that it be in line within its category.
Steam holds heavy statistics on its users and games, they know what sells, at what price & how to optimize a game's price for profitability.
If Steam believes that a higher total profit will be earned for UW by selling the game at $19.90 rather than $35 then it would only be natural for UW to release it at the suggested price.
I also don't really understand you cathegory thing. By whom and how are games cathegorized?
Speculation: The game will continue to be $35 until some time (6 months?) after the 1.0 release, after which it will drop to around $20. However, UW has mentioned that they may have specials. This could mean two copies for the price of one, or something like that, around the 1.0 release date.
This game just deserves it to be full price.
In my opinion you can't compare indiegames like trine, shadowgrounds or minecraft with the high performance very complex gameplay of natural selection 2.
And I bet that NS2s developement is way more expensive then the developement of the games I mentioned above.
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->(Disclaimer: I don't mean to slander that games I mentioned in any way)<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
I think it's up to the publishers what they want to sell their games for, not steam. they just take their % or whatever the deal is.
NS2 could definitely go full price, the term "indie" have nothing to do with the complexity of the game.
Usually games are sold with a dollar-euro conversion of 1-1, which makes games in France way more expensive than in the US.
Here it costs us around 25 euros, instead of 35. So we get this awesome game for a low price ! Imho it could be a little more expensive and I'd still have bought it and be satisfied with the price.
Normally internet stores got a check on if you got an ip from europe, and if so, just exchange the $ symbol to a € symbol. I hate when they do that.
Normally internet stores got a check on if you got an ip from europe, and if so, just exchange the $ symbol to a € symbol. I hate when they do that.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You are right!
I'm thinking for a while now that I should search for a proxy in the usa, create an USA steam account with it, buy games in $ and send them to my account as a gift ;)
ATM its $1,50 = 1,-€ .. which makes it a pretty bargain.
On the other hand I would suggest uwe to do the same as feha mentioned. Check the IP if it is from europe and if so, then charge the same price in € instead of $....
Red Orchestra 2 is coming soon, for 40$ and respectively lower € and £ prices. Due to VAT it wont be a favorable 1,5$=1€, which will probably also happen to NS2 when it is officially available, so you europeans better buy now :)
This makes me wonder, after ns2 is available @steam shop - can uwe still sell it(steam keys) on their own homepage ($ => € 1:1) without a share for steam?
I think so. Afaik that's what telltale games is doing.
I would have thought ns2 will be available on any download service like most games, as well as their own purchasing area, otherwise they're just loosing potential customers, but i cant imagine any shop being much cheaper than any other.
Besides, I imagine Steam might have their word to say concerning the pricing of games on its platform - they might request that it be in line within its category.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
LOL. You just said you don't know anything and then based on your own assumptions (which you can't verify) said more in line of what you wanted. Steam gets ~30%, dev/publisher 70%, this information is NDAed but things leak from time to time.
You also suggested that if most independent games are tiny and crap then NS2 should have similar price just because it's independent. And yes, $20 can generate more sales (in dollars) than $35 but that's private matter between UWE and Valve. No one knows when NS2 will be finished, no one knows what value to avg game of it will be and no one knows if NS2 gets published traditionally in addition to being on Steam.
I don't get how Valve can enforce prices on others. If they take % of revenue then there can be two cases:
a) lowering price per unit rises total revenue (more copies sold), dev gets more, Valve gets more
b) lowering price per unit lowers total revenue, dev gets less, Valve gets less
How is it in the interest of Valve?