A game released on Steam as a humorous prank, "This Game Costs $200," generated approximately $1.38 million in gross revenue, but its creator ultimately received only $2,045 due to widespread refunds. The game was developed by Michael Major, an 18-year-old from New Hampshire, who priced it at the maximum allowed on Steam at the time, $200, expecting no one to purchase it.
Major expressed shock upon seeing the substantial revenue, stating he "almost died." While games with higher price tags exist on Steam, including one listed at $1,000, the overwhelming majority of sales for "This Game Costs $200" were refunded. Steam sales data indicated that out of 6,717 units sold, 6,707 were refunded, resulting in a refund rate of 99.9%.
The developer noted that a curious aspect of the sales was the origin of the majority of purchases, which came from China. Major speculated that expensive games on Steam have been implicated in money laundering schemes, though he emphasized this was conjecture and expressed a degree of personal unease about the situation.
The Steam page for "This Game Costs $200" describes itself as "the swindle to end all swindles" and a "psychological experience" designed to convince players it genuinely costs $200. The game is set in a fictional world called Schizopia and features environments with beer cases and cigarette packs. It holds one review from a user who played for 0.6 hours and stated that while they had made poor life decisions, purchasing "This Game Costs $200" was not among the worst. This title is a follow-up to the developer's previous game, "This Game Costs $10."