Jason Schreier urged publishers to lower game prices rather than raise them

Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier has made a surprising proposal that could change the approach to pricing in the gaming industry. In his article, he argues that many commercial failures in recent years are not due to underpricing games, but rather to their inflated prices, which scare off potential buyers.

Schreier cites the fate of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a compelling example. The French role-playing game launched with a price tag of $50, below the standard $70, and ultimately sold six million copies. This allowed Sandfall Interactive not only to fully recoup its production costs but also to begin developing a new project. According to the journalist, this case clearly demonstrates that reasonable pricing can yield greater returns than inflated expectations.

The journalist draws attention to the changing market realities. Digital sales currently dominate, freeing publishers from the costs of disc production and logistics, meaning these savings should be reflected in the final price for consumers. Furthermore, today's gamers have access to thousands of games, including many high-quality free titles, and in such an environment, few are willing to pay $70 for a dubious new release.

The statistics provided support his assertion: of the 25 most successful releases of 2025, only nine were sold at the maximum price. Projects like Hollow Knight: Silksong, priced at $30, achieved success thanks to a combination of the developers' reputation and affordability. Meanwhile, Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, according to Schreier, failed precisely because of their inflated price tags. However, not all experts share this optimism: analyst Matthew Ball, on the contrary, believes that price increases, such as those for Grand Theft Auto VI, will benefit the industry and spur development.