Question about homebrew game pricing confusion

[Bill Loguidice]

OK, forgive me if this inappropriate, but I'd really like to know... How exactly are prices for homebrew games determined, specifically the ones at AtariAge?

 

Not to get too far into the details, but I bought "Thrust+ Platinum", which is a 16k game (and lists for $35) as a bundle with the "foot pedals" for $45, at the PhillyClassic 5. It's the same price online. (and by the way, is HIGHLY recommended)

 

I also played "Power Off!" at the PhillyClassic 5 and got a real kick out of it. However, the $40 price both there and online was/is a turn-off. I DID want to purchase it, but not at that price, which is especially puzzling since it's a 4k game.

 

Is the discrepancy due to author/developer profit margins or are other factors involved? Thanks for the info!

[Albert]

Pricing depends on many things, not just the size of the game (whether it's 4K vs. 8K/16K/32K). While royalties for different games are generally the same, sometimes they are more or less depending on the deal we work out with the author(s). Also, boxes in the manner we print them (offset printed on a chipboard stock, similar to how Atari's boxes were printed back in the day) are very expensive, and they need to be printed in large quantities. This can affect the price, depending on how well we feel a game will sell and how many boxes of a particular title we'll be sitting on for a long time. Authors may also request 'x' number of copies as part of the agreement, which also has to be factored in. Other things can affect the price as well, such as the manual (some of them are 16, full-color pages!), any special "extras" (such as the patches for Star Fire), and so forth.

 

When Thrust+ first came out, I believe we were selling it at $45 (I'd have to go back and check my records). Over time we've reduced the price, as the market for Thrust+ is pretty saturated now (given it's had several revisions and has been out in one form or another for several years).

 

..Al

[Mayhem]

It's the box and manual a lot of the time. They take up quite a significant proportion of the production cost, roughly half the asking price from talking to people involved in the whole homebrew shebang.

[NovaXpress]

You seriously wouldn't believe the high price you have to pay for quality printing and paper.

[Bill Loguidice]

Thanks for the info, Al. That's what I figured, but was just making sure. Despite my reservations about the price, a fun game is a fun game and I'm definitely digging the homebrew scene! I'm definitely planning on whipping up an article or two on some of the stuff I got at the PhillyClassic 5... Needless to say, I'm VERY impressed by the overall quality of these things...

[Stingray]

Personally I'd be willing to pay less to get just the cart and a link to a downloadable PDF manual.

 

-S

[NovaXpress]

If you just want the game, most homebrewers generously make the ROMs available so you can Z26 or Cuttle it til you drop.

 

The value of buying a homebrew is all in the packaging. I've gotten my hands on pretty much everything that AA sells and I'm knocked out by the quality. You'd believe they were real releases from the 80s. The coolness factor of a shelf full of homebrews cannot be denied, that's why collectors want them and even casual fans should have at least have a copy of Thrust on the shelf.

[SS]

Over time we've reduced the price, as the market for Thrust+ is pretty saturated now (given it's had several revisions and has been out in one form or another for several years).

 

I'm still meaning to pick one up at some point!

[Albert]

Over time we've reduced the price, as the market for Thrust+ is pretty saturated now (given it's had several revisions and has been out in one form or another for several years).

 

I'm still meaning to pick one up at some point!

 

I'm not holding you back, but there are a limited number of boxes available. Not sure how many are left now, but once they're gone, that's it. I know we've gone through over 100 of them (about 250 were printed, but there is some overhead there in terms of boxes that either are not usable or get damaged). We won't run out anytime soon, but just something to keep in mind if you want a boxed copy.

 

..Al

[StanJr]

Does that mean NO MORE Thrust at ALL? Or just no more boxes?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Does that mean NO MORE Thrust at ALL?  Or just no more boxes?

If Al should decide to stop selling Thrust at all (BTW: why should he? ), I am sure there will be other sources for it.

[Albert]

Does that mean NO MORE Thrust at ALL?  Or just no more boxes?

 

No more boxes, at least none of the nice, offset printed variety. We'll continue to sell the game, though, with the same label and manual. Again, we'll have boxes for a while, but once they're gone, that's it.

 

..Al