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Tomorrow, Manor Lords is set to hit Steam in early access, yet the pricing remains a mystery.
Tim Bender, the CEO of the game’s publisher Hooded Horse, turned to reddit to justify this decision and elaborate on why the pricing will only be disclosed at launch.
Bender clarified that the game will feature regional pricing, similar to other Steam games. This means that the prices are not merely based on different currencies but are also determined according to local standards.
Consequently, the game’s price won’t be announced before its release. Sharing only a US price, as Bender said, “would lead to misunderstandings. People might assume the game is unaffordable in their region, but at launch, they will find a pricing that suits them. Moreover, any disclaimers we attach might be ignored when the information is repeated elsewhere, causing many to lose hope and believe the game is beyond their means in their country.”
Another reason for the delayed pricing announcement is the emergence of scam stores fraudulently selling pre-order keys for the game.
“They don’t possess any keys, and they won’t be obtaining any from us,” Bender asserted. “However, they are attempting to profit from the game’s hype. Despite our stance of not offering pre-orders because we don’t wish to take your money until after the release, they are falsely claiming to accept pre-orders for key sales.”
As a result, these scam stores are making educated guesses about the game’s price.
“We don’t want players to fall victim to such scams or be deceived by these sites. Providing them with a definite price to work with would likely only fuel the growth and marketing of these ‘pre-orders’,” Bender explained.
Bender also reassured players not to fret over the price. He noted that the publisher has “never adopted AAA pricing for a game” and will not do so “regardless of how popular a game becomes”. During the early access period, there will be a launch discount ranging from 10 to 25 percent for the initial couple of weeks.
“We’re not aiming to extract every last penny from people. We won’t be releasing five editions that require a spreadsheet to understand or locking content into Day 1 DLC or any such nonsense,” he stated. “There will be a reasonable price at launch along with a fair discount.”
Manor Lords is a medieval city-building simulator that has already gained immense popularity prior to its early access launch, boasting over 3 million wishlists on Steam.
“Manor Lords exudes a confidence that defies its one-person development, and what’s presented can be captivating. Nevertheless, it’s a bucolic idyll that still requires substantial development,” as mentioned in our Eurogamer Manor Lords early access review.
