[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by ReikonKeiri

That's an interesting and valid point. So how does steam get away with such ridiculous deals on games that only just came out relatively speaking (bioshock infinite, etc)

I can understand that point for all these indie games floating around, but these massive price reductions are coming out for the high-end games as well. I'm not doubting that expertise will never decrease in value, but steam has definitely found a way around it that seems to be getting even more intense every year.

It's pretty cheap to distribute a game when you're doing it entirely online (as opposed to creating a disc and shipping it to a store), and it's also very easy for them to adjust the price and gauge how much extra volume they'll get (typically resulting in higher gross revenue).

They adjust to demand levels very quickly (and can do so instantly), as opposed to setting a static retail price. Also, steep discounts help spur sales and get people excited to buy shit ("Holy crap Deus Ex: Human Revolution is only ten bucks now?!").

Of course, if you want to be one of the first to play a game, you'll probably pay near full-price, but that's the trade-off.

If a new game is getting gouged early on, it's usually because it isn't selling as well. They don't keep the price high "just because it's new." They listen to what the data tells them.