14 DAY TRIAL // Steam might dominate the digital distribution market on PC because of its wide selection of available video games and ever improving functionality, but the major sales the company and its partners launch certainly help a lot.
The team at Valve and SEGA celebrated the announcement of the Total War: Attila title by putting the entire strategy franchise on sale, with deep discounts for the recent downloadable content launched for Rome II and for older installments.
I own the original Rome on GamersGate so I decided to check out the price on the Steam sale and maybe pick the game up again so that I have the entire collection all sitting in one place, easy to access and with extra tools when it comes to using mods (like the excellent Europa Barbarorum).
I was expecting the first Rome: Total War to cost 0.99 dollars or Euro or even lower considering that it was originally launched in 2004, but I was surprised to see that the team wants to charge, even during a sale, 2.50 dollars or Euro for the title with the Alexander expansion included.
Other games that were discounted, including Napoleon, Medieval II and Empire, also had prices that were higher than I was expecting.
Entry points and barriers
The problem is not that I cannot afford the price to unify my Total War collection under one roof, but that the barrier to entry for those who are not already big fans of the series might be a little too high and big prices for older titles do not equal increased revenue for publisher SEGA.
Let’s say someone plays Rome II for free during a Steam weekend but is not yet convinced that they should spend the money to acquire the game.
The obvious step is to reach down into the history of the series and see whether they like the mechanics that define its older hits.
At this point, SEGA, and any other publisher, is better served by making the barrier to entry as low as possible with a symbolic 0.99 dollars or Euro price on Steam for all experiences in a franchise that are not the current title or the previous one.
Basically, this means that players should be able to get access to the first Rome, Medieval II and Empire for a small amount of money.
Best and worst case scenarios
Right now, a player who likes the experience that Total War can offer will probably be tempted by the improved tech and new features included in Rome II and will be happy to spend their money to get it and maybe some of the extra campaigns and downloadable content packs.
Those who do not become fans instantly will still have three cool titles in the library which they might revisit at a later time.
If the barrier of entry is higher, gamers might remain satisfied with the free Rome II experience and they might be inclined to test the older titles by pirating or borrowing them.
I used Total War as an example only because this series is one of my favorites, but the same concept can be applied to other big shooter or RPG franchises.
