In a recent Reddit post, Tim, CEO of Hooded Horse, the publisher behind Manor Lords, discussed player concerns about the game’s pricing strategy. The post focused on explaining why the exact price has yet to be revealed and what players can expect regarding affordability. He’s got good reasoning.
Traditionally, Steam sells games at different prices in various regions to accommodate different economies. Manor Lords will do the same, adjusting prices based on currency and region. Tim says that announcing a single price, probably in USD, could mislead players in regions with adjusted pricing. For example, a high USD price could discourage players in countries with lower regional pricing.
Tim mentioned that they’re taking longer to announce the price due to some unauthorized retailers offering misleading “pre-order” deals for Manor Lords keys. He warned players against falling for these scams and pointed out the uncertainty caused by these practices. The concern is that releasing the price early could encourage these scams and their marketing efforts.
“So we don’t like to declare a price in advance of release. Because sharing the US price alone will lead to misunderstandings. People will be concluding the game is unaffordable in their region when at launch they will have pricing that will work for them. And whatever disclaimers we’d attach would probably be dropped when it is repeated elsewhere causing a bunch of people to lose hope and feel the game won’t be affordable in their country.”
Manor Lords CEO
Heading towards its launch, Tim confirms that Manor Lords will not be priced as a AAA game, which usually costs between $60 and $70 USD. Hooded Horse has a track record of offering their games at lower prices compared to AAA titles. Moreover, in line with their previous Early Access launches, Manor Lords is expected to have a discounted price of 10% to 25% during its initial weeks.
So we’re guessing maybe $30 to $40 USD.
Hooded Horse wants to offer fair pricing for Manor Lords, taking into account regional differences to make the game affordable worldwide. The price will be disclosed closer to the launch to avoid confusion and prevent unauthorized sellers from taking advantage. Players can anticipate a reasonable price at launch and a possible discount during the Early Access period without the complications of multiple editions or immediate DLC.
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