The developers of the awesome Factorio have announced that the price is about to go up, so if you still haven't purchased it now is the time. Honestly this truly is one of the best indie games ever made, with full Native Linux support and it is Steam Deck "Playable" too.
This is the third price rise in 7 years (at least going by GBP) and it's never been on sale either, so it's not like holding out for a big sale event on various stores is going to help. The price will rise by $5 tomorrow (and likely the equivalent in your currency), January 26th, as announced by the official Twitter account:
Good day Engineers,
Next week, on Thursday 26th January 2023,
We will increase the base price of Factorio from $30 to $35.This is an adjustment to account for the level of inflation since the Steam release in 2016.
Why don't they ever put it on sale? It's a good question and their original answer on this was about "respecting the players who have already purchased the game" and not to "reward the people who hold off on buying the game". It's a pretty fair point really and they've done well to sell so many copies without a sale with an Overwhelmingly Positive user rating on Steam.
Available to buy on GOG, Humble Store and Steam.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
fenglengshun Jan 26, 2023
It sucks, but I won't entirely blame the devs for raising the price since everyone's struggling right now. I would prefer if they pick a better time to raise pricing, but it is what it is.
I will admit that the reason I'm somewhat forgiving of it is because I checked the price in my region and it raised from 110k (7,36 USD per today) IDR to 130k IDR (8,69 USD), 20k IDR increase or about the price of a very filling lunch with lots of side dishes (though only about half the price of a nice meal by delivery). It's a sane price for my region, before and after, otherwise I would also be angry.
We can argue about the pricing of games and the economic situation, but don't dismiss the worth of a game just because it doesn't appeal to you or it doesn't look like AA/AAA games.
Last edited by fenglengshun on 26 January 2023 at 3:54 am UTC
I will admit that the reason I'm somewhat forgiving of it is because I checked the price in my region and it raised from 110k (7,36 USD per today) IDR to 130k IDR (8,69 USD), 20k IDR increase or about the price of a very filling lunch with lots of side dishes (though only about half the price of a nice meal by delivery). It's a sane price for my region, before and after, otherwise I would also be angry.
Quoting: GroganWhy would anybody pay that much for a game of that nature? It doesn't even look very nice. I mean seriously... in this day and age, $35 USD for that?People who like that game. Graphics isn't the end-all be-all; in fact, as the growing indie market proves, there are more people who gravitate away from graphically demanding games. Factorio, from what I've seen from my friend, is one of those games that can be very engrossing once you're in the zone and people can spend thousands of hours on it.
We can argue about the pricing of games and the economic situation, but don't dismiss the worth of a game just because it doesn't appeal to you or it doesn't look like AA/AAA games.
Last edited by fenglengshun on 26 January 2023 at 3:54 am UTC
0 Likes
afaik the game hasn't seen major content since its release in 2021 or even before, so I'm not sure why inflation is relevant, it's not like their costs have gone up.
6 Likes, Who?
HendrinMckay Jan 26, 2023
Honestly, this is one of the few games I don’t mind a price increase. I’ve sunk so many hours into over the years that regardless of the cost I’m ahead money wise for entertainment value. Even bought it on Switch as well as GoG. Glad to support the developer. On a side note, if you like Factorio, also give Mindustry a go. Another game I’ve sunk a massive amount of time into and has the source available, https://github.com/Anuken/Mindustry
1 Likes, Who?
Despite the price increase, this game is worth it.
If you don't want to pay, then don't pay: the game is DRM-free, so it's easy to play for free. When you have spent hundreds of hours on it (you will), then you can buy it to thank the devs. That's what I did.
Besides the purchase is their only source of income, the existing players don't make any more money. It remains to be seen if the DLC will bring free updates in parallel (like Euro Truck Simulator 2 does, which compensates for its low price and big sales by regularly selling new DLCs (almost one DLC at €20 per year) to existing players).
And then, other games have seen their price increase over time, for example Minecraft, which is still very popular. On the other hand for Minecraft, all updates are free and there is no DLC, but for it too, the cost is only covered by new players, not the existing ones.
So personally, I would say that at worst, we should wait to see what they will bring that would justify their expenses (and therefore this way of covering them). Just the Switch release and the adaptation to controllers is a proof that they don't pay themselves to do nothing, at least… In any case I still recommend the game (even if it means giving away copies to those who are reluctant to pay for it at first…).
Last edited by Breizh on 26 January 2023 at 9:44 am UTC
If you don't want to pay, then don't pay: the game is DRM-free, so it's easy to play for free. When you have spent hundreds of hours on it (you will), then you can buy it to thank the devs. That's what I did.
Besides the purchase is their only source of income, the existing players don't make any more money. It remains to be seen if the DLC will bring free updates in parallel (like Euro Truck Simulator 2 does, which compensates for its low price and big sales by regularly selling new DLCs (almost one DLC at €20 per year) to existing players).
And then, other games have seen their price increase over time, for example Minecraft, which is still very popular. On the other hand for Minecraft, all updates are free and there is no DLC, but for it too, the cost is only covered by new players, not the existing ones.
So personally, I would say that at worst, we should wait to see what they will bring that would justify their expenses (and therefore this way of covering them). Just the Switch release and the adaptation to controllers is a proof that they don't pay themselves to do nothing, at least… In any case I still recommend the game (even if it means giving away copies to those who are reluctant to pay for it at first…).
Last edited by Breizh on 26 January 2023 at 9:44 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: woox2kThem being annoyed by people who want to get games at a reasonable price just means they aren't getting my money. I know i would love this game and current price would even be worth it,
I can totally understand their point of view here. They have a product, which they think is 35 buck worth, so they won't sell it for less. At least they are totally transparent about it.
QuoteIt's their decision, if they want more money with less players then it's up to them. I prefer companies who eventually let everyone to have a go at the game when it's popularity and sales have gone down.
That's a good point on your side.
Quotei still won't buy it unless there's a sale!
I don't know - i quite like the approach of the developer here, even if i think it's too pricy for an indie title, even for a genre shaping one. I'm exhausted by watching out for sales and bundles and stuff by now, i'm getting increasingly the impression that by this sales strategy they do not only get my money, but in addition they drain my time. On the other hand i'm too greedy to pay full price knowing that there will be a sale one day.
1 Likes, Who?
I'm glad to see that most people here do not think this is a good move.
To add to the conversation, I want to remind people that games used to only come on physical media. Back then there was a secondary market where people could sell their used games, and others could buy them. In the 90s and early 2000s all games which started out at $60 would in about one year be available for $20.
So for those folks who sold their old games, the total cost of ownership was actually lower, depending on how quickly they sold them off. And for those who don't feel the need to get the latest and greatest games when they came out, they benefited from waiting for the price to decrease.
In the digital domain, none of that happens. All game sales go through the developer, and they do not have to compete with their own product on the used market. The TCO is higher since you can't sell it off.
At least for those of us old enough to remember, it's not fun to see no discounts accruing on games as they age.
To add to the conversation, I want to remind people that games used to only come on physical media. Back then there was a secondary market where people could sell their used games, and others could buy them. In the 90s and early 2000s all games which started out at $60 would in about one year be available for $20.
So for those folks who sold their old games, the total cost of ownership was actually lower, depending on how quickly they sold them off. And for those who don't feel the need to get the latest and greatest games when they came out, they benefited from waiting for the price to decrease.
In the digital domain, none of that happens. All game sales go through the developer, and they do not have to compete with their own product on the used market. The TCO is higher since you can't sell it off.
At least for those of us old enough to remember, it's not fun to see no discounts accruing on games as they age.
4 Likes, Who?
ssj17vegeta Jan 26, 2023
Quoting: BreizhDespite the price increase, this game is worth it.
If you don't want to pay, then don't pay: the game is DRM-free, so it's easy to play for free. When you have spent hundreds of hours on it (you will), then you can buy it to thank the devs. That's what I did.
Besides the purchase is their only source of income, the existing players don't make any more money. It remains to be seen if the DLC will bring free updates in parallel (like Euro Truck Simulator 2 does, which compensates for its low price and big sales by regularly selling new DLCs (almost one DLC at €20 per year) to existing players).
And then, other games have seen their price increase over time, for example Minecraft, which is still very popular. On the other hand for Minecraft, all updates are free and there is no DLC, but for it too, the cost is only covered by new players, not the existing ones.
So personally, I would say that at worst, we should wait to see what they will bring that would justify their expenses (and therefore this way of covering them). Just the Switch release and the adaptation to controllers is a proof that they don't pay themselves to do nothing, at least… In any case I still recommend the game (even if it means giving away copies to those who are reluctant to pay for it at first…).
Yes, the game is top notch and still totally worth the money. But they could and should've just said they wanted more money for their shareholders, and spared everyone the hypocrisy, because I highly doubt the devs will actually benefit from it.
0 Likes
Great game, but even I don't like this price hike. Barely any developer does this.
That said... the game is worth it, but regional pricing sucks...
Shame.
That said... the game is worth it, but regional pricing sucks...
Shame.
0 Likes
Quoting: ssj17vegetaYes, the game is top notch and still totally worth the money. But they could and should've just said they wanted more money for their shareholders, and spared everyone the hypocrisy, because I highly doubt the devs will actually benefit from it.
Which shareholders? xD
The studio is independent, and the one who decided this price increase, is at worst the lead developer, at best the whole team agreed. Of course this increase will benefit them... (if it doesn't cause a significant drop in sales).
1 Likes, Who?
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