Steam sales: How deep discounts really affect your games
- Thread starter Final8y
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I guess it can affect developers in the sense that day one sales and the weeks following the release of a new game AAA game will potentially suffer lower sales than before the time when deep discounting wasn't really commonplace. Steam has most definitely instilled a sort of "wait until the seasonal sales" mentality among PC gamers. It's quite common I see people saying "I'll just wait until the sales" to pick it up, simply because there is a certainty that they can pick up the £30-40 game they want at a lower price at least 3 times (autumn, summer, winter) or more per year.
Soldato
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Fixed. Gog is successful because it cornered a market that Steam ignores mostly with retro games. I'm not sure how they can blame Steam sales if their forays into new games (like Witcher 2) have been less successful than they'd have liked. Both articles make the claim that Steam over reduce new games in price, which they don't. I've never seen a game at 80% in the first two sales that it features in after release. Some aren't even discounted when they're still new.
As the second paragraph says. The developers participating in it think it's good. They make the games I want to play. They're the people I want my money to go to.
Man of Honour
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There are plenty of older games that I have bought just to own again because they are so cheap.
The games I bought (DCS Blackshark, Trials 2, Boarderlands, Alan Wake & Payday the Heist) were all game I would never have bought at full price with the exception of Boarderlands which I got on PS3 at launch.
I personally have never held off buying a game because I was waiting for it to be discounted, normally if it's an anticipated title I've generally been looking forward to it so much I could not wait any longer to get my hands on it especially with the endless delays which seem to be par for the course in the games industry now.
I personally have never held off buying a game because I was waiting for it to be discounted, normally if it's an anticipated title I've generally been looking forward to it so much I could not wait any longer to get my hands on it especially with the endless delays which seem to be par for the course in the games industry now.
Caporegime
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I kind of agree tbh, you only have to look at some people's comments in the sale thread to see how people's perspective has changed. Some people still balk at even paying 50-60% off a game. Look at the Defense Grid 2 kickstarter, everyone was asking how with such a popular game they could not afford to make the sequel...perhaps because the majority only bought it when it was 75% off at £1.50 or something like that?
Associate
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I don't think it is an issue for the developers or publishers since ultimately they must be happy with the margin they are getting through selling via Steam. Per unit it will drop, but I guess it works out due to the increase in volume sales brining the profit back in line.
Like others the games I purchase through the Steam sale tend to be older titles that I perhaps want to play again, purchased originally for a console, or the discs have vanished to goodness knows where years ago. I wouldn't hold off buying a new game due to a possible discount on Steam, and I still purchase a lot of disc based product too.
Like others the games I purchase through the Steam sale tend to be older titles that I perhaps want to play again, purchased originally for a console, or the discs have vanished to goodness knows where years ago. I wouldn't hold off buying a new game due to a possible discount on Steam, and I still purchase a lot of disc based product too.
Soldato
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I can't be the only one who pretty much never buys games at release any more as a result of the sales.
In fact, I could probably never buy a game again and still have enough to last me a lifetime....
In fact, I could probably never buy a game again and still have enough to last me a lifetime....
Its entirely possible, but would they have ever bought it at full price or 50% off?
The DG devs admitted they probably sold it at too low a price but at the end of the day, the poor lay out of the DG2 kickstarted goals have probably put people off too.
lol of course they're are good for developers. They need to stop being so damn greedy and assuming that every single sale in the steam sale would have been a full price purchase if the game wasn't on sale.
I estimate that 80% of my steam games wouldn't have been bought if it weren't for discounts. They should be praising the lord Gaben for these sales. **** the gaming industry is so damn annoying with their assumptions, numbers, calculations etc
I estimate that 80% of my steam games wouldn't have been bought if it weren't for discounts. They should be praising the lord Gaben for these sales. **** the gaming industry is so damn annoying with their assumptions, numbers, calculations etc
Caporegime
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Well it's all just speculation but the game was hardly expensive to start with, even 50% off is just £3.50, about the price of a drink in a club.
I do agree about the kickstarter though, it's been poorly handled.
Same. There are still loads of games I'd like to pick up on Steam or otherwise, but they haven't gone past that perfect price point for me to buy them.
The reason i bought most of the games in the steam summer sale was a) I'd been looking at them for a while and b) they were now more suitable for my wallet.
Soldato
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Games are consumed commodities, just like shoes and baked beans. Steam has become the Tesco of gaming, and while there are dangers with that kind of thing (eg the decay of game availability on the high street, just like butchers and fishmongers) there are big advantages.
In truth there are simply too many games now. We cannot hope to play them all, so we look for value. And where customers are looking for value there is room for clever marketing and pricing. I would never have bought games like Duke Nukem or Bulletstorm (which are disposable experiences), or even Civ5 (because I don't need another time sink!) unless they were reduced to silly money.
I may well never play them even though I have access to them now. But the games industry gains a little money from me, supporting developers, and I gain a big pile of games to suit every mood and inclination.
I think it's inevitable that the Steam approach will be rolled out -- reluctantly -- to all digital media everywhere. It's either that or go under, because the internet has democratised quality control. Poor products cannot survive for long, especially at full price, in an age where word of mouth can kill something dead in a matter of hours.
PS The Defence Grid example is -- for me -- an example of a project which was never worth much money. It was good fun, but they seem to have invested a lot of money tarting it up which ignored the fact that the gameplay was very, very basic but satisfying.
The core game was only ever worth a relatively small amount of money. The bling on top was a largely unnecessary distraction. Nobody played it for the plot, and the only levels I remember are the tiny number which were tough -- and therefore satisfying -- to crack. So I don't think it's a good example of anything other than poor project management decisions.
In truth there are simply too many games now. We cannot hope to play them all, so we look for value. And where customers are looking for value there is room for clever marketing and pricing. I would never have bought games like Duke Nukem or Bulletstorm (which are disposable experiences), or even Civ5 (because I don't need another time sink!) unless they were reduced to silly money.
I may well never play them even though I have access to them now. But the games industry gains a little money from me, supporting developers, and I gain a big pile of games to suit every mood and inclination.
I think it's inevitable that the Steam approach will be rolled out -- reluctantly -- to all digital media everywhere. It's either that or go under, because the internet has democratised quality control. Poor products cannot survive for long, especially at full price, in an age where word of mouth can kill something dead in a matter of hours.
PS The Defence Grid example is -- for me -- an example of a project which was never worth much money. It was good fun, but they seem to have invested a lot of money tarting it up which ignored the fact that the gameplay was very, very basic but satisfying.
The core game was only ever worth a relatively small amount of money. The bling on top was a largely unnecessary distraction. Nobody played it for the plot, and the only levels I remember are the tiny number which were tough -- and therefore satisfying -- to crack. So I don't think it's a good example of anything other than poor project management decisions.
I don't think the sales work that way, most people who buy games in the sales are buying games they probably wouldn't unless they were heavily discounted and it opens them up to the developers products. For example, Vessel in the sales was a punt for me. I hadn't heard of it but the game mechanic sounded intriguing, now that I've played it I'd probably snap up a sequel/follow-on whereas if the original hadn't been discounted I probably wouldn't have got it.
I'll still buy games that I want at release, for example Borderlands 2 will be a day one purchase for me so the sales for me allow to pick up older games that I want to replay (like Rome TW) and games that I wouldn't normally buy.
I'll still buy games that I want at release, for example Borderlands 2 will be a day one purchase for me so the sales for me allow to pick up older games that I want to replay (like Rome TW) and games that I wouldn't normally buy.
If it weren't for steam sales, I'd still be pirating most major single player titles. Sad but true 
Now, because I can get games at a reasonable price I not only buy games I really want to play, but I buy games that I'll probably NEVER play, just because it's a deal!
Furthermore, I've bought pretty much all the games I've pirated in the past!... it's a win for the developers in my circumstance.
Take note record labels/movie producers: steam is an example of how you add value to a product. I've spent hundreds of pounds simply because of steam and their sales
Now, because I can get games at a reasonable price I not only buy games I really want to play, but I buy games that I'll probably NEVER play, just because it's a deal!
Furthermore, I've bought pretty much all the games I've pirated in the past!... it's a win for the developers in my circumstance.Take note record labels/movie producers: steam is an example of how you add value to a product. I've spent hundreds of pounds simply because of steam and their sales
The first game I ever bought on Steam was because it was on sale (I had owned HL2 for a good 2-3 years before that). Like most have said, it if it wasn't for the sales I wouldn't have bought most of the games I have done.