The creator of the joke game This Game Costs 200 Dollars "earned" $1.3 million, but almost all of it was returned through refunds
At the beginning of the year, 18-year-old American Michael Major jokingly released a simple adventure game on Steam titled This Game Costs 200 Dollars. Despite its hefty $200 price tag, the game gained unexpected attention from gamers.
This Game Costs 200 Dollars
In an interview with WMUR-TV, the developer shared that he did not expect the title to sell at all. His aim was simply to have fun and create a sort of ideological competitor to his previous joke game — This Game Costs 10 Dollars. Major intentionally set the exorbitant price, thinking it would deter everyone.
Nevertheless, Major succeeded in selling 6,717 copies of This Game Costs 200 Dollars. According to the developer, the vast majority of sales came from China — 6,705 copies. An additional four copies were sold in the U.S., three in Hong Kong, two in Spain, and one each in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Singapore. This resulted in a gross revenue of an impressive $1.34 million.
However, almost all buyers eventually refunded the game, leaving Major with just over $2,000 in hand.
Interestingly, most gamers did not even start This Game Costs 200 Dollars. Those who did try to play it spent an average of 10 minutes in-game. The peak online presence was only one person.
According to the creator of This Game Costs 200 Dollars, gamers specifically bought the game just to refund it immediately. Major believes they might have been farming Steam points — Valve gives 100 points for every dollar spent, which can then be used in the store. The developer also does not rule out that some gamers may have attempted to launder money. In any case, he holds no grudges.