No Man's Sky's AAA price point isn't as crazy as it seems

Indie games don't have to be locked into being cheap. The recent surge of indie games did not only bring great, unique experiences to the players but apparently it brought us this notion that all indie games are/should be priced at/lower than $20. But what gamers are starting to understand is that not every indie game will be on the cheap, you will sometimes come around to one of the big indie titles like the recently rumored $60 No Man's Sky or Jonathan Blow's latest game The Witness which was priced at $40.

[Dabigsiebowski]

I woke up and saw all the articles flourishing at once for this game . Release dates, new info, new gameplay but in the back of my mind when I didn't see the price I knew it was going to be full retail..
Which is fine if the can land some great mechanics stacked with purpose outside of just exploring.

@Ron- Indie is a great term as it usually means "hey we put passion into a project we believed in without the constraints of a publisher". With all the milkage publishers seem to do these days, it's really been the indie scene thats helping shape the industry back to where it needs to be.

[Ron_Danger]

I'm fully aware of what indie means. I was directing it more at the people on this site that were attacking NMS for being a $60 indie game without knowing any info on it. The people attacking the price point are the same people who are ok with buying partial games like Battlefront for $60 then dropping additional money for extra content that should've been in the full game to begin with.

[cleft5]

I am about to pay $60 for The Division, which probably doesnt even have 1/20th of the content in No Man's Sky, so yeah I will pay $60 for this game no problem.

Indie doesn't mean low quality. I have put hundreds of hours into Binding of Issac, but I wouldnt pay $60 for it because the presentation of that content isn't worth it. However, the presentation of No Man's Sky content and the amount of it clearly marks it a full price game. I never once thought it would be less than $60.

Some games are worth paying more and No Man's Sky looks like it is one of them. Only time will tell if that is true or not.

[sonarus]

I'm sorry i didnt know 60 bucks was reserved for triple A i know a bunch of weak and games that werent anywhere near triple A status that still sold for that price.

That being said i LOVE the concept of this game too much. I made the decision to buy this long ago. Will do digital preorder right now

[Ron_Danger]

After all these previews have been revealing even more content to what we already knew, that $60 price tag looks even more reasonable. The stigma of being labeled "indie" really needs to go away since this indie game (and others like The Witness) are ending up bigger than some AAA titles.

[ziggurcat]

I'm not personally interested in this game, but I don't think anyone can make the $ amount vs amount of gameplay argument on this one. The sheer amount of gameplay possibilities are on par or greater than even games like The Witcher 3, and Fallout 4.

[Rookie_Monster]

If it has great mod support from the PC community, I'll gladly pay $60 for it. The mod creations will keep this game lasting infinitely longer just like GTA and Fallout. Probably won't get it at launch but wait a bit when the price is on sale and some mods are created first.

[Goldby]

Its procedural, you wont need mods, and its online so mods probably wont be supported

[Rookie_Monster]

Seam Murray already confirmed there will be mod tools available on PC. I will be for single player offline mode

No Man’s Sky Can Be Played Offline If You Want To http://attackofthefanboy.co...

or private server of course because the mltiplayer universe is based on procedural.

So yes, Mods will be happening on the PC version of No Man's Sky.

[Goldby]

well thats nice news. forgot about the offline play option. i hope the modder keep it lore friendly aka no death stars and stuff, or if they do, make it lore friendly

[Aenea]

Where did he confirm mod tools?

Then it would indeed be possible to change up lots, depending on the tools provided of course...

[KwietStorm]

Why is it crazy at all? Why can't a game from an independent developer have a "AAA" price? Whatever the hell that means. And let's not sit here and argue content or how good a game may or may not be. There are countless games from bigger studios that all have the same price tag, but aren't worth it. Give then a chance.

[SlightlyRetarted]

Yeah, i think gaming pricing in general should be more flexible. Some people seem to have a mind set that anything less than full price is a lesser game, or there is something wrong with it and indie games can't be "full" priced etc.
I think "indie" is more of a genre these day, than a 10-20 dollar, few hours long game made by a small team. What they used to be. But things have changed.

[Soldierone]

If it's a physical release then I'm fine with it. Won't be paying $60 for a digital release though.

[Goldby]

So buy the retail copy

[TimeSkipLuffy]

The quality of the game will determine if the price is justified or absurd.

[iceman06]

As it always should. However, preconceived notions about what an indie is and isn't hinders that thought process for some people.

[solidboss]

its interesting to see the journey this game went through since its reveal. im sure at its conception it was marketed as a budget $20-$30 indie title and due to all of the fan hype surrounding it im afraid that sony meddled in and said "hey we can make even more out of the gamer from this niche game" remember people as much as you may love sony/microsoft/nintendo they are a business first!. so they are doing just that. no mans sky is a triple A indie title. what exactly that means may vary to each person, but in my opinion that just means that sony took what was supposed to be a budget title saw the market potential for it and decided to delay the game to increase hype surrounding it to justify the $60 price tag even though the core game is a basic indie title with not much of a change. whether or not that will justify a $60 purchase will vary to each person and i believe this will certainly be one of those games that makes headlines for its "value for price" content. well see.

[PurpHerbison]

I'm going to need to know more information. All the footage I've seen so far does not warrant $60.

[Ron_Danger]

Quit trolling. Your comment would've made more sense yesterday.

[PurpHerbison]

Trolling because you don't agree? I guess I should tell you to quit trolling cause I feel like I am getting baited. Absolutely crazy to think that some people have their own opinions... Mind blowing.

[uth11]

Gamers today seem to have a formula for how many hours of gameplay should be expected per dollar spent.

With that logic, the size of the Universe in NMS would make it a bargain at twice the price.

[yomfweeee]

Not exactly. With your logic, the game should cost millions because you could never, ever visit every place in the game.

You're just repeating the same thing over and over again with a dynamically created world.

[iceman06]

As opposed to repeating the same thing over and over again in a static world? (which is just about every other game.)
I get the trepidation about the game. I do. Will it be fun? Will the fun last? Are the mechanics sound? Will the entire game hold up in the long run?
But, that particular argument doesn't really hold water.

[yomfweeee]

I'm just saying that because there is some never ending world, doesn't mean it is worth $60.

Maybe it is or maybe it isn't. No one has played the game.

[jmac53]

Fractions upon fractions of pennies.

[yomfweeee]

Ummm... how can anyone say whether it is worth it or not if no one has played the whole game?

[aquaticDonut]

Interesting. Before the price point everyones talking about how you should lower your expectations because its just a small indie game and wont be the huge sci fi adventure some people think it might be. After the price point was revealed, suddenly it seems like people are flip flopping.

[jmac53]

Whether or not the gameplay elements are there, the fact that they made a dynamic procedurally generated galaxy that obeys certain laws blows my mind.

[Scatpants]

Considering that zero things that look fun have been shown for this game if it ends up being $60 I'll most likely pass on it. If it's $20-$40 I'll take the gamble and give it a shot. So far it looks very boring and repetitive.

[AgentSmithPS4]

If it's really $60 then I'll assume that's a good sign for PSVR being $400 or less.

[rextraordinaire]

Some people will pay full price, others will wait for discounts. It's all a matter of who this game appeals to.

[Lon3wolf]

I'm quite happy to pay the asking price for this, can't wait for release.

[Yetter]

I was pretty shocked to see the price they are charging for this game. I think the hype is really hurting this games chances of succeeding.