"The publisher of the indie novelty Static Dread shared insights on how to price your game,"
Spoiler: you can't do without market analysis.
Static Dread
Yaroslav Shalashov, co-owner of Polden Publishing, shared his thoughts on his LinkedIn page in light of the recent release of Static Dread.
When talking about indie games, he highlights five common price points:
- up to $5 — could be an impulse buy;
- up to $10 — inexpensive;
- up to $15 — average price;
- up to $20 — approaching a premium game cost;
- over $20 — high cost, leading to inevitable comparisons with AAA products.
Choosing a price point is not only about a product's market position and the potential to attract impulse buyers but also about visibility.
For example, Static Dread was priced at $10 because it "opened an additional pricing segment and an extra block on Steam's main page."
Accordingly, there are those who specifically buy games priced under $10. There are more of them compared to those who are willing to spend more on a new release.
More initial players—whom Shalashov refers to as pioneers according to the new product adoption curve theory—mean more early reviews, videos, and streams.
However, Yaroslav's main advice still boils down to analysis: take the top 5 or top 10 in the genre, gather references, and review the price and discount history. Choose something in the middle. According to him: "That's how it's mostly done."