During GDC Showcase 23 earlier in the summer, Game Developer publisher Alissa MacAloon and I interviewed game marketing consultant and strategist Chris Zukowski about the mechanics of the Steam marketplace, what strategies work best for smaller developers and how to deal with publishers giving teams the runaround. Welcome to episode 34 of the Game Developer podcast!
Steam changes could increase game prices in some countries
16.08.2023 - 16:29 / engadget.com
Valve has updated Steam's minimum pricing policy for some non-USD currencies, which could impact those who sell games and expansions for less than the equivalent of $5. The company warned publishers and developers that the move could lead to games and DLC using lower pricing being unavailable to purchase in some regions if they don't make adjustments, while they may not be able to offer discounts as deeply as they used to.
According to Valve, the aim of the revised policy is to align minimum pricing with recommended currency conversions the company issued last October. It updated those recommendations "to adjust for some currencies drifting significantly in value over time."
As such, the base price for a game or expansion must be at least the equivalent of 99 cents. The minimum price for a discounted game or DLC is the equivalent of 49 cents.
Developers and publishers may need to change the pricing of their products in some countries. As Game Developer notes, they'll have to be mindful of how they handle discounts too. Publishers and developers of games that usually cost $4.99 or less will need to make sure they avoid going below the threshold during sales. Valve offers price management and discount tools on Steam to help them navigate such issues.
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The move may also impact players who create Steam accounts in different countries to take advantage of regional price differences. While the new thresholds won't necessarily impact blockbuster games, they could make it somewhat less viable for players to change their virtual location to the likes of Turkey and Argentina to pick up a grab bag of indie games and other deeply discounted titles.
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