Improbable Insights

Meaning We're witnessing a sea change in PC games pricing. Steam sales utterly crushing retail pricing or sites like Green Man Gaming offering steep discounts on pre-release AAA titles seeminlgy reverse the historical trend towards higher pricing. As the cost of making big titles rises, publishers look for ways to eke out more dollars out of buyers through DLC, episodic releases, and "season passes". Gamers now have options instead of needing to give in to the classic, full-price pre-sale. While discount sites are great, waiting has its merits -- all three Mass Effect games can now be bought for just $30. Steam sales are legendary, bringing gamers to a veritable feeding trough of low-cost, excellent games. Can publishers survive -- and even thrive -- in today's highly variable pricing world? Eric and I discuss the changing face of game pricing, selling games, and what the future holds in store. And, as is almost always true these days, Microsoft is late to the party. [caption id="attachment_674" align="al