Michael Major was 18 when a deliberately silly Steam game attracted far more attention than he expected. A similar experiment released a few days earlier had barely found an audience, so the response to his next idea came as a shock.
Major’s first release was This Game Costs $10, a joke title that openly challenged players to buy it. Its store description presented the game as a “psychological thriller” and insisted that Major had worked hard enough to deserve the purchase.
The screenshots continued the gag, using abstract shapes and fourth-wall-breaking text rather than conventional gameplay scenes. Major even expanded the project so that it would run beyond Steam’s two-hour refund threshold, although buyers could still request refunds under Valve’s policy for recently purchased games.
From a $10 joke to a $200 experiment
After discovering that $200 was the highest price developers could set for a Steam game, Major decided to test the idea. In January, he released This Game Costs $200. It closely resembled the earlier release, but the price was dramatically higher.
Its store copy made the deliberately extravagant claim: “This game is unlike anything you’ve ever seen or ever will see.” Despite the obvious joke, thousands of Steam users in China bought it. Several months later, Major saw revenue figures totalling $1.3 million.
Most buyers asked for their money back
The headline figure did not last. In an interview with New Hampshire’s WMUR TV, Major said most purchasers refunded the game without opening it.
Even so, the stunt reportedly left him with $2,000. That suggests at least 10 people ultimately spent $200 on the joke rather than recovering their money.
Major speculated that some buyers may have been chasing Steam points. He also raised a more serious possibility, saying he had heard of expensive Steam games being used for money laundering.
A joke that created an audience
The unusual release also brought Major new attention. One lengthy review said the player had bought the game intending to write an equally trollish review, only to find more content than expected. The reviewer claimed there were 10 different endings and listed several other features.
That buyer eventually refunded the game, but still encouraged Major to make his next release cheaper, writing that they would be willing to buy it “MUCH” more readily at a lower price.
Major replied that he never expected anyone to buy the $200 title, even as a prank. He also said there would be no price reduction because that would undermine the joke, while directing interested players towards the more affordable $10 game.
What the stunt says about digital game pricing
Major’s experiment is a reminder that a game’s store page can become the product when the concept is built around a challenge, a punchline and the curiosity of online audiences. It also shows how refunds can transform a seemingly enormous revenue figure into a much smaller final return.
For more coverage of unusual developments across gaming, visit RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog and browse the latest arcade videos. Readers considering a physical setup can also compare arcade machines or consult the Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
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