This Game Costs $200, But it Earned $1.3 Million

This Game Costs $200 turned out to be a rather bizarre experiment created by 18-year-old Michael Major, who thought no one would buy it. Choosing one of the highest prices allowed on Steam, the young developer listed the game for $200. However, contrary to his expectations, thousands of people bought the game, and sales revenue suddenly exceeded $1.3 million.

Why Did This Game Costs $200 Only Generate $2,000?

Michael Major, who lives in New Hampshire, explained that he set the price at $200 purely as a joke. He said he almost had a heart attack when he saw the $1.3 million revenue on the sales panel, but soon realized things weren’t as good as they seemed. Almost all of those who bought the game requested refunds.

According to Steam data, the game sold a total of 6,717 copies, but 6,707 of those sales were refunded. In other words, 99.9% of purchases did not generate any real revenue for the developer. Although the game’s lifetime gross revenue reached $1.38 million, after refunds and other deductions, Major only received $2,045.

Even stranger, the majority of sales came from China. Major said he had heard rumors that expensive games on Steam are sometimes used for money laundering, but he doesn’t know if his game was purchased for that purpose. The developer’s explanations on this matter are mostly filled with surprise and dark humor.

The game itself is as absurd as its price. Described on its Steam page as “the scam that will end all scams,” the game takes place in a world called Schizopia. Players wander through a map filled with beer crates and cigarette packs. Moreover, the game only has one user review, and that person recommends it, saying they’ve made worse decisions in their life. This Game Costs $200 thus became one of the strangest Steam stories, failing to enrich its developer despite achieving million-dollar sales figures.

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