Is $2.99 becoming the new starting price point? Good for premium's future?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by awp69, Feb 6, 2014.

  1. awp69

    awp69 Well-Known Member

    Oct 30, 2009
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    #1 awp69, Feb 6, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2014
    I've noticed what seems to be an increasing number of new releases starting out at $2.99 and a bit fewer launching at $.99. Personally, if the quality is there, that's a good thing.

    I'm hoping this is not just a sign of devs having more confidence in their products, but also combats the freemium model (which will likely never go away, but the more successful paid apps, the more likely we'll continue to see premium stick around).

    Of course, it's a bit of a double edged sword. Devs who don't sell at that price point may drop quickly (recent cases in point - Joe Danger: Infinty, Tree Wars).

    But I'll mention the already successful Threes! (Yes, it's a $1.99 but supposedly this is a launch price before going to $2.99.) And you'll note that the devs are quick to point out right in it's description the lack of IAPs as a plus.

    And Threes!, ironically enough, is already No. 3 on the Paid Games chart.

    What do you think? Could this mark a turning point where devs try to get more value out of their games instead of surrendering to freemium? Or even the typical $.99 route?

    Despite the story regarding EA's Dungeon Keeper, it's ratings have been falling with a ton of reviews complaining about the IAPs.

    Besides Threes!, this week's bigger releases included Eliss Infinity, Galcon Legends and Toast Time all releasing for $2.99.
     
  2. JCho133

    JCho133 Well-Known Member

    Jul 27, 2012
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    #2 JCho133, Feb 6, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2014
    I completely agree. There's been pretty large amount of great $2.99 apps. Around Nov-Dec I was thinking the same throng about $1.99, with a large bunch and adding on that extra buck (Meltdown, Neon Shadow, Foursaken Games for example).

    Now with apps like Castle Doombad and Galcon legends, apps that would have probably been 99c 1-2 years ago, things are looking bright.

    It's a shame seeing an app that should have costed the extra buck or 2 (Bardbarian) launch for 99c. But on the other hand, it kind of saved it because of a few game breaking bugs. It probably would have gotten far less than a third of the sales if it was $.99, but it definitely deserved at least the 1.99 price tag.

    I'm glad to see this trend becoming more popular, and it's great that such a simple app as Threes can sell for 1.99, and probably 2.99 still after that.

    And yes obviously F2P is never gonna go away, but perhaps this is a sign that the clouds are opening a bit (;

    It's like the AppStore is moving through the stages of the demographic transition model

    1 High premium rate low freemium rate
    2 High premium rate rising freemium rate
    3 Declining premium rate High freemium rate
    4 Low premium rate High freemium rate
    5 Premium gets higher; settles. Freemium gets lower settles.
     
  3. slamraman

    slamraman Well-Known Member
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    Aug 27, 2011
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    I hope so but it's still too low to be called premium. I picked up threes for one pound fifty, which is actually tantamount to stealing.
     
  4. Stingman

    Stingman Well-Known Member
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    Aug 14, 2012
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    The impulse buy range is from $0.99 to $2.99 so I think people are trying to get the max out of that range. Unless it's a product you trust you will not likely buy something for more.

    Some developers don't know how to price an app or place a price on the value of their product. Plain and simple. So it's very tough to say if $2.99 is the new wave of where things are headed. I believe that $0.99 to $1.99 is where most apps try and go to, at least at launch or during promotional periods. Statistically, that's the best performing price range, in terms of downloads and revenue. If you want proof, sign up with app annie and study the charts. You can probably get away with $2.99 and I'm sure most developers would love to sell at that price point, but it's risky with all of the "I'll definitely wait till it's free" attitude out there.
     
  5. aikavari

    aikavari Well-Known Member

    Apr 24, 2011
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    I'm ok with this. I'd say I'm even ok if it's "paid-mium" as long as the grind is manageable.
     
  6. Coldar

    Coldar Well-Known Member

    Dec 26, 2008
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    I very much would be willing to pay a higher price tag for full premium games that reek of quality and content.
     
  7. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

    Jan 12, 2012
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    Avoid is also $3 if you consider getting all the content right away.
     
  8. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    I'm fine with higher prices. Its not like people take a huge risk, theres forums full of opinions, theres youtube gameplay videos etc.

    In the old days you had one black and white screenshot to base your purchase of a £7.95 game on, nowadays its embarassing reading all the views wanted by someone who wonders whether to buy a 99c game or not !

    I must admit i buy tons of games buy so far in 2014 theres been very few for me, cant believe how many itunes credit i've still got after Xmas, normally its all gone a month later.
     
  9. iPadisGreat

    iPadisGreat Well-Known Member

    Dec 10, 2012
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    The impulse price for me is 99¢. At that price, it is an instant download if I am even remotely interested in that game/app. Any price above that makes me think whether if I would bother to actually launch the app after buying, which given the tremendoua backlog of Gamebook Adventures, Kemco RPGs, and Christmas Sale stuff, means probably no...
     

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