Fighting game fans were taken by surprise when Arc System Works announced a sudden and unexpected price increase for their acclaimed fighting game, Guilty Gear Strive, on Steam.
Starting last August 24, older editions of the game disappeared from the Steam storefront, with the base game costing anywhere from 25% to a whopping 90% more, depending on the region.
Notably, as flagged by Twitter influencer FGC_Daily, the Steam stores in Argentina and Turkey bore the brunt of this price surge. The question on every gamer’s mind: Why would the developers gamble with such a bold move, especially for a title that’s over two years old?
⚠ALERT: Guilty Gear -STRIVE- has been repackaged in Steam, resulting in previous deals being removed and the price of the base game increasing from 25% to 90%!
Argentinian and Turkish brothers have it the worst.https://t.co/k3byscdUuo pic.twitter.com/EXFzaY0LUa
— Fighting-Games Daily (@FGC_Daily) August 24, 2023
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Guilty Gear Strive isn’t just another fighting game. The seventh primary edition in the Guilty Gear series (and the 25th overall), it came into existence as a ground-up reinvention of the series, retaining its core DNA but innovating with new mechanics such as the Wall Break feature. The narrative, set against the backdrop of Washington, D.C., draws the concluding lines to Sol Badguy’s enthralling journey, known among fans as Gear Hunters Saga.
With fifteen fighters, including a healthy mix of fan-favorites and fresh faces like the vampire samurai Nagoriyuki and the spirited Giovanna, the game has made its mark since its 2021 debut.
Despite its strong lineage and comprehensive redesign, the sudden price alteration remains questionable. Is this a mere prelude to an upcoming sale, where prices are expected to plummet? It wouldn’t be the first to try and create the illusion of a massive discount in an attempt to drive more sales.
Curiously enough, this practice appears to be common among Japanese game developers like SEGA and CAPCOM, who are moving away from regional pricing on Steam. It’s unclear why this is the case but it could be linked to Valve’s recent pricing changes.
This, coupled with Arc System Works’ decision to equalize prices in regions such as the CIS and South Asia to match the North American USD price, points towards a broader industry trend.
However, the primary bone of contention isn’t just the price hike. It’s the rationale behind it. A core tenet of the gaming market, especially with niche genres like fighting games, is the player base’s size. In essence, the larger the community, the more alluring the game becomes for newcomers. Thus, the decision to boost the game’s cost, particularly in regions with burgeoning gaming communities, seems counterintuitive. If the objective is to maximize player base and, by extension, revenue, a price drop might be a more effective strategy.
Is this a pricing strategy headed towards the wrong direction? There’s no substantial free content to justify such a price increase, especially when the game’s season passes are already commanding such high prices. Not to mention, there’s a growing list of other more mainstream and more popular fighting games, led by Street Fighter 6 with Mortal Kombat 1 and Tekken 8 all coming out soon.
With a myriad of factors influencing pricing decisions – from regional dynamics and market trends to player base size and perceived game value – there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, the Guilty Gear Strive situation underscores the importance of player-centric strategies. While a AAA open-world game might command a higher price due to its expansive content and scale, fighting games like Guilty Gear Strive thrive on community engagement.
Only time will unveil whether this price adjustment was a masterstroke or a misstep. As the dust settles and sales data trickles in, Arc System Works’ strategy will be under the microscope, serving as a case study for other game developers.
