Every summer gamers patiently await the Steam Summer Sale to come around and discount the games that they have been holding off on purchasing. Every summer developers can expect an increase in PC game sales if their game is being sold on Steam.
Some developers are being reported to have inflated their games prices prior to the Summer Sale. Amongst the companies being targeted by consumers for bad business practices are Ubisoft, Bethesda and RockStar.
It is being reported that prior to the sale beginning today Bethesda's Wolfenstein: The New Order was priced at $45 until yesterday, when the price was raised to $60. Currently, the game is available for a 50% discount putting the game at $30 and the price hike checks out.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Black Flag is also reported for having its price hiked. Prior to the sale the game was $29.99, the game is currently $39.99 with a 40% discount putting it at $23.99.
As for RockStar, there was a bit of a mix up in Grand Theft Auto 5's pricing – followed by a complete inability to purchase the game without it being bundled with other consumable items. It is being hypothesized that the consumable Cash Card that is bundled with the game will render the game unrefundable.
As the day progresses, things may change and more games might be found to have had their prices hiked prior to the sale – if these prove to be true Valve should investigate these companies.
[Reddit]
