Popular seven-year-old Steam game gets price increase due to inflation
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A hot potato: Imagine a game that came out seven years ago, has never taken part in a Steam sale, and is now getting a price increase. One might imagine such a scenario causing universal outcry among fans, but not when said game is Factorio.
Like most products today, Factorio's price is increasing—from $30 to $35—due to inflation. Game prices are going up as more titles adopt the new $70 base price, but it's strange to see one released in 2016 get a hike, especially as it has never been reduced in one of Steam's many annual sales events.
Factorio had a $20 base price during its time in early access, which went up to $30 in 2020 when version 1.0 was released. Developers previously explained why the game would never be part of a Steam sale, and it's something many people can relate to: the devs don't want to reward those who hold off from buying Factorio at full price so they can get it cheaper later on; most of us know the annoyance of buying a game at full price only for it to be discounted a few weeks or months later.
"If you think it [Factorio] is priced too high, then it is your choice to not purchase, and we hope that with enough time, and extra development, we will be able to convince you of its value," wrote the developers.
Factorio's $5 price increase was announced on Twitter on January 20, six days before being implemented. Reaction from most of the community has been very positive, with many commentators asking for more ways to support the game; it has never had any microtransactions or expensive in-game DLC (you can buy the soundtrack for $7).
Good day Engineers,
Next week, on Thursday 26th January 2023,
This is an adjustment to account for the level of inflation since the Steam release in 2016.
Another reason many people aren't angry about the price jump is that Factorio is an excellent game. It's got a Very Positive 'Recent Reviews' rating on Steam ('all Reviews' are Overwhelmingly Positive), 90 on Metacritic, and PC Gamer gave it 91%. Paying $35 is a good deal for the number of hours of pleasure it will bring.
Not everyone is okay with paying an extra $5, though. There are around 150 recent negative reviews on Steam complaining about the price hike and Factorio's aversion to sales events.