I can’t remember the last game I paid full price for, but I can guarantee you it wasn’t a AAA game.
In the 2000s, before Steam or other online stores were a thing, and while I still bothered with a console, I was hitting up used game sections at various local stores. Main difference between that era and now to me is that there’s a better selection online, and prices are indeed cheaper if you don’t care about playing AAA games. I don’t understand how anybody “struggle[s] to find new games” as the article claims.
There used to be an online store called GoGamer.com that sold nothing but physical copies of games. I have sooo many games boxes on my gaming shelf from them.
Elden Ring, good gake but my least favorite from soft game. Should have got it on sale.
You should only pay full price if the release quality is great. And even then, there’s a reason why #patientgamers is a trend. You save on hardware cost, game cost & get better quality games with extra post release content
YSK https://isthereanydeal.com/ lets you create a waitlist, set a price you’re willing to pay for each game, and notifies you when its on sale for ≤ that amount.
I mean, yah… When Steam puts damn near every game in existence on sale like 4 times a year like clockwork, they know damn well they’re setting up a habit/tradition in their consumer base that they can use to control the broader industry.
They’re big enough to survive with sheer volume on smaller margins for most of their revenues, and occasionally getting full ticket price from someone impatient or using their parents money.
Any upstart competitors will have a much harder time of it.
Last thing I paid full price was Cities Skylines 2, even the first time I preordered because I loved the first game so much. 2 days before launch I read the first tests, came back to my mind, canceled my preorder and it’s probably been one of my best gaming related decisions. Invested a fraction of the money on Factorio instead and didn’t look back for a second.
