Despite being made up of the familiar DNA of classic turn-based RPG games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 managed to offer a unique take on the genre with breathtaking visuals, becoming a massive hit shortly after release. While Expedition 33 had the same length and a comparable, if not better, level of quality than most triple-A titles, the most surprising and beneficial aspect of Expedition 33's release was just how surprisingly cheap it was. Developed by the breakout indie studio, Sandfall Interactive, there was plenty of talent behind Expedition 33 that could have easily warranted going higher than its $50 price.

Despite competing with the unfortunately timed Oblivion Remastered dropping without little warning, Expedition 33 still went on to receive an impressive amount of critical and commercial success. While the classic $60 price tag for games has fallen by the wayside in recent years, the fluctuation of game prices could have an even better silver lining, thanks to games like Expedition 33. Despite the industry shifting towards higher game prices resulting from scaling development costs, several games prove there's still room for games with lower price tags to thrive in the competitive market.

Mafia: The Old Country Follows Clair Obscur's Pricing Strategy

Offering A Return To The Classic Mafia Experience In More Ways Than One

Much like the reaction to Expedition 33's lowered price tag, many fans were confused by why Mafia: The Old Country​​​​​'s pre-order price was so low. While I'm certainly not one to complain about spending less money on games where I can, the pricing decision came with a clear message from the publishers about the direction they are choosing to take with Mafia: The Old Country.

According to the official 2K webpage for Mafia: The Old Country, the game offers "a compelling story that doesn't require a massive time commitment," and the reduced costs "reflect the value of this highly-polished linear narrative experience". Given that length and price are both considerable factors that go into the decision-making process for buying games, the pricing direction that games like Expedition 33 and Mafia: The Old Country are choosing to take is a more than welcome breath of fresh air.

While it's understandable that massive gaming experiences with hundreds of hours of content to explore could demand higher prices, game length is often a double-edged sword for both sides of the industry. Not only has the shift towards more games offering massive open-world or lengthy experiences resulted in plenty of bloated systems and repetitive mechanics, but it also presents a concerning amount of risk for games with ever-growing budgets. As more studios get shut down even after a successful release, shorter projects like Mafia: The Old Country could be a great way to add more reliable turnaround with fewer financial worries involved.

Nintendo's Prices Set A Concerning Standard For The Industry

Other Publishers Are Likely To Take Notice Of Nintendo's Success

While it feels like only yesterday that games started shifting towards the new $70 price tag, the actual change for the modern market began with Take-Two's NBA 2K21 in 2020. Not every studio jumped on board right away, but in the past 5 years, more games have been embracing the increased price tag. Nintendo's latest move is likely to shift the scales even more. Combined with the costly price of its new hardware, games like Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost a considerable $80 at launch, even without editions or DLC of any kind.

Making Nintendo's new price direction even more concerning is the fact that, even with a supposed boycott and backlash over the Switch 2's Nintendo Direct, the new console started to sell out rapidly after its pre-orders went live. Based on Nintendo's success and demand for Switch 2 products despite the growing costs, it's reasonable to worry that $80 games won't go away anytime soon. Even if more studios start to follow Nintendo's trend, it's hard to imagine too many breakout titles taking the risk, with the change likely being reserved for larger studios with recognizable legacies behind them for now.

There's Still Plenty Of Room For Games With Varying Price Tags

Flexible Price Tags Could Be A Boon For Both Players And Developers

While it's easy to get fatigued just thinking about Nintendo setting a new standard for the industry with $80 releases, the concept of paying more for games becomes a little easier to swallow when it comes to titles that are just as massive as they are exciting. The Grand Theft Auto 6 is the best example of this trend, as while the rumors of a $100 GTA 6 price tag seem ridiculous to consider at first, seeing GTA 6's gameplay trailer offers a glimpse as to why the next entry in the franchise took so long to release.

Although I would be hard-pressed to imagine paying $100 for the base version of just about any game, ambitious projects like GTA 6 that push the boundaries of what games can offer might be worth the cost, so long as they can back it up with increased replayability. Rather than simply copying the pricing formula of games like Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, or even GTA 6, publishers are better off customizing their prices with what's being offered for players on a gameplay level.

Atomfall is another example of a $50 2025 release with a manageable scope.

It might be hard for publishers to resist the potential earnings that could come from a massively open world game with an increased price tag, but more linear experiences have just as much potential by offering more consistent gameplay experiences from start to finish. With how much of a considerable time commitment many open-world games can be, relatively focused games like Expedition 33 can offer a drastically more memorable experience, retaining the same high level of quality from start to finish without breaking the bank.

While it's far too early to say if Mafia: The Old Country will achieve the same surprise success as Expedition 33, it's already off to a fantastic start by following a similar path. Combining the iconic franchise branding of the Mafia series with transparent gameplay reveals and a generous price tag, the game has already built up a substantial amount of goodwill. If Mafia: The Old Country's use of the same pricing strategy as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 pays off, it could have a rippling effect on the triple-A industry moving forward.

Source: 2K