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It’s been years in the making. Nearly four years ago, Manor Lords was first revealed to the world. Pre-alphas, betas, and soon to be an Early Access, the game has lived in the minds of prospective players to years. Now, it’s Steam’s most wishlisted game, and it’s crushed records to climb to the top. Developed entirely by a single man, Slavic Magic, and published by Hooded Horse, there’s been one thing that we had – until now – yet to hear about.
Tim Bender, Hooded Horse CEO, has brought to light the discussion of price. With AAA projects such as Star Wars: Outlaws stirring controversy with its peak $130 price tag, gamers have come to expect the worst from new releases. Manor Lords, on the other hand, looks like it’s going to be an entirely different story.
“As a publisher, Hooded Horse has never done AAA pricing on a game,” Bender announced. “We’re not trying to squeeze every last dollar out of people … There’s going to be a fair price there at launch with a fair discount.”
The announcement is also peppered with mention of Hooded Horse’s previous Early Access strategies: “We’ve previously done launch discounts in the range of 10-25% for the first couple of weeks,” suggesting that any launch discounts aren’t going to disappear quickly.
This is great news for anyone hoping to pick up Manor Lords when it’s finally released. To round it all off, if you’re still unsure about picking up the game in its early access period, it’s going to be available on Game Pass so you can try the game out before committing.
The announcement also confirms a few other things relating to the cost of Manor Lords. There’s going to be regional pricing, which will ensure that players across the world won’t be paying extortionate prices, nor will there be any pre-orders.
Since the game is launching into Early Access, of which Steam’s distribution platform prevents pre-orders and preloads, Bender also warns to steer clear of any keyshops selling codes for the game. The reason that the price of Manor Lords has yet to be revealed is to prevent digital retailers from offering up false listings for the game. As of now, Steam, Xbox Game Pass, GoG, Epic Games and other verified retailers are the only reliable places you should be looking to pick up Slavic Magic’s expansive project.
Source: Hooded Horse via Reddit.
Cover Image Portrait: Beata Krzywdzińska