So as you might have gathered if you were waiting for it, SUPER IMPOSSIBLE ROAD isn't in Steam's Summer Picnic Sale. I thought I'd better let you know what my thinking is on that.
First off, I do love a good Steam sale. I've bought plenty of games on them myself and saved lots of money doing so. I bought Deadly Premonition this morning for a couple of dollars, knowing full well I might either hate it or fall completely for its janky B movie sub-Twin Peaks charms. What I'm trying to make clear is, my reason for not putting SIR on sale certainly isn't a hatred of sales.
Fig. 1 - GODDAMMIT
Behind my reasoning is a belief in what Early Access is, or what it can be if it's done right. Developing a game alongside your players is an amazing thing. You can gauge opinion on specific features and change plans accordingly. You can fix bugs you might never have found before the game comes out. You can watch people play your game on YouTube and Twitch and hear their immediate unfiltered response. And you can shape your game into something you know people will love.
But most importantly, you can start to build a community around your game. The people who buy and play your games before it launches are savvy and knowledgeable, and are more likely to share their experiences with others. If we're going to get all businessy about it, this makes them your most valuable customers. Best treat them right.
One of the most important ways I can treat early adopters well is to be fair about pricing. SIR launched at $9.99, with a further 10% launch discount to reward those of you who have been waiting patiently for the game. I think it's only right that this is the lowest price the game can be bought at before the launch. If I put the game on a 33% reduction during the Steam sale, what message does that send to my customers? The message is that they made the wrong decision. Not a message I'm willing to send to my MVPs.
So what happens to SIR's price from here on? Well, there will be no sales during Early Access. When large development pieces like multiplayer and career mode are finished, the price will increase slightly to reflect the game you're getting. Eventually, the game will get a full release, and at this point, the price will increase to the full release price. In this way, the Early Access price *is* the sale, and SIR will have been on sale for months before release, for anyone who is interested enough to buy it. I think this is the best way to do it, and I hope you agree. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you don't.
Anyway, thanks for listening. Early Access doesn't just mean early access for players to the game, but also early access for developers to their audience. I feel privileged to get that access, so thank you all. Happy sale hunting!