Read from tweaktown:
Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch believes $70 is too much to charge for a game, but his studio is nonetheless selling Space Marine 2 for $70 on all platforms.
"We don't have to sell a game for $70. I'd prefer not to, I think that's expensive, I don't like that. It's almost not fair. Part of the reason Helldivers 2 has had the success that it's had [is] because it comes in at a much lower price point and it's accessible," he told GI Biz.
In the same interview, Karch says he wishes he could sell Space Marine 2 for cheaper:
"Focus is the publisher and we're the developer, but this is Saber's game. I would love to sell--at least the digital edition--for less than $70 because we can, and I think we should."
"If you do games that look,feel and play as good as this... it shouldn't matter how much money you spent on the game. What should matter is how many man months were put into that game, what were the resources put into that game, right?"
But not everyone agrees with the new software MSRP. Consumers have pushed back against the pricing--in 2023, we surveyed over 25,000 gamers on the subject of $70 software and most agree that it's too much. Some industry figures like Saber Interactive's Matthew Karch have even spoken out against the price tag, saying that it's just unsustainable.
Out of the 25,291 total respondents, 68% of them, or 17,122 gamers, said that they were willing to pay a maximum of $60 for new AAA games.
23%, or 5,792 people, said that they were willing to pay $70, but only in special cases, as in marquee and higher-quality games such as PlayStation 5 exclusive titles.
About 5% of users, or 1,239 people, said they use subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus to meet their gaming needs.
Another estimated 5% of respondents, or 1,138 people, said that $70 is an acceptable price tag for new AAA titles.
In the IGN interview, Karch said he thinks the $70 price point will go extinct at some point because companies may no longer have such substantial risk vs reward profiles for their games, thus the higher $70 price tag may no longer be necessary.
Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch believes $70 is too much to charge for a game, but his studio is nonetheless selling Space Marine 2 for $70 on all platforms.
"We don't have to sell a game for $70. I'd prefer not to, I think that's expensive, I don't like that. It's almost not fair. Part of the reason Helldivers 2 has had the success that it's had [is] because it comes in at a much lower price point and it's accessible," he told GI Biz.
In the same interview, Karch says he wishes he could sell Space Marine 2 for cheaper:
"Focus is the publisher and we're the developer, but this is Saber's game. I would love to sell--at least the digital edition--for less than $70 because we can, and I think we should."
"If you do games that look,feel and play as good as this... it shouldn't matter how much money you spent on the game. What should matter is how many man months were put into that game, what were the resources put into that game, right?"
But not everyone agrees with the new software MSRP. Consumers have pushed back against the pricing--in 2023, we surveyed over 25,000 gamers on the subject of $70 software and most agree that it's too much. Some industry figures like Saber Interactive's Matthew Karch have even spoken out against the price tag, saying that it's just unsustainable.
Out of the 25,291 total respondents, 68% of them, or 17,122 gamers, said that they were willing to pay a maximum of $60 for new AAA games.
23%, or 5,792 people, said that they were willing to pay $70, but only in special cases, as in marquee and higher-quality games such as PlayStation 5 exclusive titles.
About 5% of users, or 1,239 people, said they use subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus to meet their gaming needs.
Another estimated 5% of respondents, or 1,138 people, said that $70 is an acceptable price tag for new AAA titles.
In the IGN interview, Karch said he thinks the $70 price point will go extinct at some point because companies may no longer have such substantial risk vs reward profiles for their games, thus the higher $70 price tag may no longer be necessary.
