Just wanted to post a thread about it so people don’t miss it if they’re interested. Steam went absolutely insane and offered a ridiculous, truly gratuitous sale this weekend. You can pick up the game for $5, each DLC for $1.50, or the special edition (with all 3 DLCs) for the absurd price of $6.25. If you don’t already have the game go buy it. Buy it for your friends too. Maybe even for a hall mate that you only kind of like.
I’m curious though - how does Cliff feel about this? Did Steam go too far? Is your cut so low that the volume isn’t even going to make up for it? Sales are great, but 75% off is pretty crazy. I assume you didn’t have any input about their pricing?
I think Steam asks first. Also supposedly sales remain boosted even after the discount ends so there’ll be some extra sales at full price too. At very least there are people picking GSB up that wouldn’t have done so at full price (like me).
I used the deal to buy the special edition; although now after playing it not in a demo form, I think I might have actually paid full price. It is that great, but this deal will hopefully bring more people in, allowing for maybe more mod support, and general support… This game can only get better!
This is why I buy from Steam. If I can get a game the same price elsewhere, I will consider it, but when Steam offers games at these ridiculously low prices I’m not going to go elsewhere and pay 2x the price or more.
BTW, GSB has been the top-selling game on Steam ever since this sale started.
When I bought this I gifted one of my friends a copy. And yes I used steam :3
Yeah I bought myself a copy and 4 of my friends gifts as well.
This is worth reading if you were worried about Cliff losing money from the sale: http://www.steamfriends.com/news/3911/steam-holiday-sales-are-success-valve-comics-way
Also, I agree with KDR_11k, I believe that Steam sets prices according to publishers’ wishes, but they do make recommendations.
P.S. Hello, everyone! I hope to be frequenting this community much more in the future. I remember seeing this game a long time ago and I just couldn’t resist snatching it up at that price.
Hi all. First time poster.
If it helps, I never heard of this game at all. The Steam sales are great for indie publishers to get visibility on a product since they don’t have the marketing budgets the big makers have. I’d love to know how much of a cut Steam gets out of a game (I assume half, probably larger during a sale) but with over 2M potential buyers on Steam at any given day making even $1 per sale means a good chunk of cash. Certainly enough to afford cat food. If he does well, he can open a shelter.
A good example of this is Torchlight. Never heard of the game until it started showing up on Steam. Bought it when it went on sale, now it’s one of my all time favorites. Last I heard they sold 600K copies and were purchased for $8.4M. gamasutra.com/view/news/2978 … nloads.php
Derek (currently stuck on Chaos Nebula like this guy) viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5116
Hi there!
Just bought the game! I like it a lot and it’s available for a fair price.
Thanks!
Now I just need to improve my skills 
dammit! A big sale 1 week after I bought it! lol!
I was buying Dragon Age: Origins on Steam, when I noticed the GSB sale. I could not resist the price. If Steam were offering only, say, 50% off (i.e. $12.50), it may have been different. But since I was already buying $40 of games, $6.25 was pocket change. It brought my consumer thought-processes to the micro-transaction level: That song/iPhone app is only $1… That’s nothing! [until you realize you’ve bought 35 of the buggers] I hope an Econ major will chime in at this point with an explanation based on high price elasticity of demand for entertaiment goods… or something… [insert 3-hour Wiki-trip here]
I don’t normally seek out indie games, so prices need to be quite low before I’m interested. But, when I’m buying a new AAA game for $40-$50 (or $60 !), suddenly an extra $10 isn’t being considered in a vacuum, but against the entertainment I’m already committing to at $60. So, I’m more likely to buy indie games with other, non-indie games.
My impressions of indie games are also improved when they’re on Steam (which I consider as legitimately adding value, if not the best way to buy PC games). It’s almost as good as a “Valve Stamp of Approval.”
TL, DR: gratuitous sales (& direct comparison with AAA games’ value/$) on Steam capture gamers who wouldn’t normally buy indie games.