Every year, PC gamers look forward to the Steam Summer Sale as a way to grow their library of PC games with titles they might have missed or waited on, as they're generally at a fraction of the price. Events like the Summer Sale, or various Holiday Sales that last for about a week, and discount everything from AAA titles to indie games by a hefty percentage are part of what makes PC gaming so great. However, this year's Steam Summer Sale was easily the worst, and I can safely say that being purely objective.
I won't harp on the games offered, as they're largely the same year over year, with big hitters like Elder Scrolls, Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Divinity, Civilization and other headlining the show, as well as some newcomers that might have released since the last big sale like H1Z1, Killing Floor 2, Cities Skylines and even The Witcher 3. The issue in question is the discounts and the shady practices that seemingly happen behind the scenes, but are noticeable if you're paying attention.
Let's first turn our attention to GTA V. When the Summer Sale launched this year, it was discounted to $29.99, which caused a lot of PC gamers to get extremely excited. However, that sale was quickly taken down and in its place were a few bundles that offered the base game along with an in-game cash card, and either San Andreas or Max Payne 3, making it seem like you're getting an awesome deal. However, all those bundles still retailed for $59.99. Both San Andreas and Max Payne 3 were at one point $2.99 and $3.99 respectively on Steam. Also, gamers could no longer purchase GTA V by itself, which further showed that Rockstar had no intentions on making the game cheaper during the Summer Sale. It did eventually appear back on the store carrying a discount; however, the price was hiked up to $84.97 and then discounted to $59.89. A similar issue happened with Wolfenstein: The New Order, but has been rectified since then.
ARK: Survival Evolved is yet another curious case of false advertising for those who don't follow the sales closely enough. I'll refer to my handy-dandy Summer Sale guide where the number one rule is: If it's a Daily Deal, that's the lowest price possible for the game. Last week, ARK: Survival Evolved made its way to the Daily Deals section, which was exciting since the game has gotten so much praise over its slick survival gameplay in a world full of dangerous dinosaurs. Except the number one rule here was broken. The game was still advertised as being 17% off for $24.89, which is the same price it has been the entirety of the sale.
Now, many have sided with Steam and ARK for not actually changing the price, given that the game is relatively new, and that it would upset previous buyers who have shelled out its full asking price. That's completely ludicrous! Sales are meant to reward those who are patient. However, taking this ridiculous statement out of the equation, it had no business on the front page as a Daily Deal, when that place could have been given to another game/franchise with an actual discount on it. It's not like the devs were hurting for money, since they managed to rack up $10 million in sales in just a single week.
The last day(s) of the Summer Sale are usually reserved for showcasing the top sellers and to give those who might have missed out on some sales a chance to pick them up. But even here the odd practices remain. On the LEGO Franchise sale, which has actually been previously a Daily Deal, everything seems to be discounted except the two LEGO Star Wars games, even though both of them previously had a discount before. Were those selling too well to keep offering them for a lower price? Why are neither of them included anymore?
The biggest evidence that the discounts are no longer as good as they used to be, can be seen by simply checking the price history and seeing them for yourselves. Here are a few examples of games that had a bigger discount previous years on Steam.
- Euro Truck Simulator: $4.59 | Historical Lowest Price: $3.74 Dec 2014
- Terraria: $2.49 at Steam | Historical Lowest Price: $1.99 Jun 2014
- Hitman Absolution: $9.99 | Historical Lowest Price: $3.99 Jun 2014
- Hitman Sniper Challenge: $12.49 | Historical Lowest Price: $4.99 Dec 2014
- Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition: $6.79 | Historical Lowest Price $4.99 Jul 2013
- Fallout 3 Complete current $6.79 lowest price $4.99 June, November 2013, 2014
- Counter Strike GO: $7.49 | Historical Lowest Price: $3.74 Mar 2014
- Elder Scrolls Oblivion: $8.49 | Historical Lowest Price: $6.24 Sat 2012
- Assetto Corsa: $24.99 | Historical Lowest Price: $19.99 Jun 2014
While some of these are priced just a few dollars lower, there's no denying that some of the discounts are much worse, such as Hitman: Absolution and Sniper Challenge, and Counter Strike GO.
So what happened exactly? It could be a number of factors. Developer and publishers could have realized that they could still make a sizeable profit despite the worse sales numbers, which is easily the most believable reason. But then why all the shadiness from devs like Rockstar and Bethesda? Maybe it's time we freaked out less over these sales each year, and perhaps focused more on making better purchase choices. Right? You guys with me?!
Oh who am I kidding…
