Research
Original data on how indie games sell on Steam
Empirical studies of the Steam catalogue, measured on a curated pool of comparables rather than a random sample of the store. Each report states its sample, its inclusion criteria and its measurement window, publishes the figures behind every claim, and freezes them at publication so a citation stays checkable.
What an hour of an indie game costs, and what happens when it costs too much
An hour of an indie game settles near a fixed price. This study measures that price across 6,954 games and shows how review scores track it.
Above 10.00 dollars, an hour costs roughly the same whatever the price. Across those 5 bands the median stays between 1.90 and 2.06 dollars an hour, a spread of 0.16, while median hours climb from 3.3 to 26.
Measured 2026-08-15 · 6 figures
What an indie game costs around the world, and who ignores the suggestion
Steam suggests a local price for every market. This study reconstructs that table from what games actually charge, and measures who departs from it.
The suggested table can be recovered from what games charge. At 19.99 dollars in the United States, the most common local price runs from 16.75 in GBP to 227.99 in MXN, and it is not a currency conversion: it is adjusted for what each market can pay.
Measured 2026-08-08 · 6 figures
What a discount actually does to an indie game on Steam
What a discount does to an indie game on Steam: how much it lifts, how long the lift runs, and whether cutting deeper pays for itself.
A deep discount does not multiply anything. It holds a month at 1.00 against its own recent baseline, where a month without one runs at 0.87.
Measured 2026-08-07 · 6 figures
How indie games discount on Steam
How deep, how often and how soon indie comparables on Steam discount, measured over a curated pool inside a fixed twelve month window.
Half of the pool takes a cut of 65 percent or deeper in a single year, and 39.5 percent go to three quarters off or more.
Measured 2026-08-06 · 6 figures