Don't price your game lower ever again - Indie Game Developer Rant

No, don't charge lower prices like $0.99 for your game, here is why. I used to be a developer who launched platform and horror games for $0.99 in the past. From 2018- 2022, this price tag used to work for me and I sold 100s of copies of the games thereby, making me a lot of money in just a week.

In 2023, due to changes in Steam algorithm and increase in new releases, things have started to fall. The first time I have realized it when I launched Ayako's Mission on Steam in June, 2023. It sold around 70 copies in the first week. When I launched a shoot'em up title in 2019, it sold around 180 in the first week. So, there is a deficiency of 110 units. That was the wake up call.

I thought genre might be the problem. Because I used to sell 100s of copies of horror games at launch at this price point. So, I tried with my latest release, Charles Haunted Mansion. It sold like crap, not even 50 copies in the first week.

There are two possibilities of this outcome. Either the quality of the game wasn't good enough or people are avoiding $0.99 games as most crappy asset flip games cost this much.

I have failed this time as well. So, judging by the sales numbers I have decided to charge higher from now on. I will no longer bet on $1 price tag as it is not working anymore.

If you are developing a game and you think your game is worth $2 and not more than that then keep it at $2. Again, if your game is worth $5, keep it at $5. Sure, your launch week might suck. You might sell a few units at higher price but you will make more in the long run given that your game is good. Make sure you use a launch discount when launching on Steam because the players are already conditioned to buy games with discounts.

I will say that again, go for the higher price! I am not saying to rip people off and charge a ridiculous price. Charge what you think your game is really worth. That's your price tag. But stay away from $0.99. People avoid this price tag altogether.

Another thing I would like to add here is that you need to find a sweet spot in correlation with the quality of your product. Nobody knows your game well than you do. So, be honest about what value it provides to customers and charge whatever works the best for you in the long run. Ask yourself, will you pay $X.XX for the game you are selling? Pricing a game can be challenging sometimes.  

Note: If $1 price tag is working for you, then it's all good if you are seeing good results.

Now, the question is, will I be able to make Charles Haunted Mansion profitable at $1 price point? Only time will tell.

That's all for today!