Indie game devs caught by surprise by new game pricing scheme

In a move that nobody saw coming, Microsoft is suddenly restructuring the pricing scheme for independently-developed games, prompting some concern from the indie devs. In an interview with Eurogamer, two of the more successful indie devs in the scene voiced their thoughts into the matter, which according to them “came from nowhere.”

In a move that nobody saw coming, Microsoft is suddenly restructuring the pricing scheme for independently-developed games, prompting some comment from the indie devs. In an interview with Eurogamer, two of the more successful indie devs in the scene voiced their thoughts into the matter, which according to them “came from nowhere.”

“The new pricing structure is an interesting move because it came out of nowhere and no one really expected it or was prepared for it,” said Matt Davis, developer of Easy Golf: Course Architect. “It seems a little out of left field as they’ve never mentioned it before, but perhaps they’ve been reading some of the complaints on forums that some developers are charging too much,” added fellow indie dev Nathan Fouts.

Under the new system, independent game developers may choose from the following price points in charging for their games:

• 400 MSP: £3.40/€4.60 (about US$ 5.60)
• 200 MSP: £2.04/€2.40 (about US$ 3.30)
• 80 MSP: £0.68/€0.96 (about US$ 1.50)

The loss of the 800 MSP bracket, though it seems like it would net more money than the other price points, won’t be too much of a problem, according to both Davis and Fouts. “I don’t think the price change will hurt developers at all,” said Davis. “Based on my experience with the system I would argue selling at 400 Points would bring in more money than selling at 800 Points.”

For more on the interview, check out the source link below.

• Sony courting indie devs with faster quality assurance, lower price points for new PSP game
• Indie game devs losing slots in XBLA?
  

Via Eurogamer