Informasi penting
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba, Mitsuo Yoshida and Tomohiro Murakami, released findings on August 27 regarding how publishers set prices on Steam. By analyzing data from 268 publishers and 7,375 titles collected between August and September 2023, the study examined how actual regional pricing deviates from Steam's automated recommended pricing tool.
The study identified four distinct pricing patterns among publishers. These include the Benchmark Follower type, which adheres closely to recommendations; the Adjusted type, which makes minor modifications; the Emerging Market Premium type, which often exceeds recommendations in regions like Brazil and India; and the High Dispersion Portfolio type, characterized by significant price variance across titles and markets.
Analysis revealed that larger game companies frequently fall into the High Dispersion Portfolio category, with 11 out of 29 identified large-scale publishers adopting this approach. While the study notes this trend, it clarifies that a direct causal link between company size and pricing strategy has not been established.
The researchers noted that while France, the UK, Japan, and South Korea generally align with recommended prices, emerging markets like Brazil and India often see prices exceeding these benchmarks. The study emphasizes that these findings reflect data from before the March update to Steam's pricing conversion tools and does not account for sales performance or promotional discounts.
