GEO-PRICING GAMES
Vadim Andreev, CEO and co-founder of Rokky, gets into some of the strategies to you can use to unlock your global sales potential, as well as some of the concerns
T
he global PC gaming audience is exploding. Steam alone has seen new user numbers double across the globe in regions such as China, Serbia
and Vietnam. In other markets such as Japan, India, and Mexico, this growth is even higher. Yet as markets grow, so do its challenges: currency
fluctuations, varying standards of living, and local payment barriers make it harder than ever for publishers to price games fairly and profitably. To maintain pricing integrity while benefiting from global markets, country- specific pricing is essential.
WHY GEO-PRICING MATTERS At its core, geo-pricing is a player-centric approach that also drives revenue. Gaming’s greatest strength lies in its ability to create experiences that resonate across cultures and continents. But when a game is priced out of reach for an entire market, accessibility suffers. Instead, gaming becomes a luxury for the few while piracy becomes a tempting alternative for the many. Either way, studios lose out on revenue from missed unit sales and fewer Steam reviews.
48 | MCV/DEVELOP December/January 2026 In order for studios to put games into the hands of
more players, pricing decisions should be informed by local economic data, considering salaries and the cost of living per region. Geopricing is not just about lowering prices; it’s about aligning value with what players can realistically afford. A direct currency conversion may feel the simplest
approach, but it ignores vast differences in local spending power. It’s an approach taken with the Steam release of Hades II but this ignores the varying spending power of currencies and salaries across the globe: a player earning the minimum wage in Argentina will require 13 hours of work to purchase the game, compared to just 2.5 hours in the UK. The games industry is not immune to today’s volatile
global economy, where living costs and global currencies are in a constant state of flux. Practically, resources such as Numbeo provide regularly updated data on price parity and cost of living, which can be used when determining game pricing. It’s important yet time-consuming work, causing many studios to work with a pricing or distribution partner to consult on market conditions and pricing.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
