Teenager's $200 Steam Game Earns $1.3 Million Before Refunds

Eighteen-year-old Michael Major unintentionally achieved viral success on Steam earlier this year with a satirical game concept that he developed in just a few days. Following a previous, less successful release of a similar idea, Major was astonished by the player numbers his follow-up title garnered.

His initial PC game on Steam, titled "This Game Costs $10," was a deliberate gag, openly advertised as such in its description, which taunted users into purchasing it, with Major stating he "deserved" the revenue. The game's screenshots frequently broke the fourth wall, and its description expressed Major's own disbelief at any purchases. He had even expanded the game to ensure it met Steam's refund policy threshold of two hours of playtime.

Learning that Steam allowed developers to set prices up to $200, Major created "This Game Costs $200." This iteration closely resembled its predecessor but featured the maximum price. The game's description boldly claimed it was "unlike anything you've ever seen or ever will see."

Despite the obvious prank, thousands of players, particularly in China, purchased the game. A few months post-launch, Major discovered that the game had generated $1.3 million in revenue.

However, this figure drastically decreased as many of these purchases were refunded by players who had not even launched the game. Still, Major profited $2,000, indicating that at least ten individuals spent $200 on the joke title. Major speculated that these players might have been seeking Steam points or potentially using the game for illicit activities such as money laundering, a practice he has heard can occur with expensive games on the platform.

Interestingly, the satirical nature of the game did not deter some players from engaging with it. One multi-paragraph review on the $200 title indicated that the reviewer, initially intending to write a similarly trollish review, was unexpectedly impressed by the game's content, citing "10 different endings" and other unforeseen features. Although the reviewer did refund the game, their interest was significantly piqued.

The reviewer expressed willingness to purchase Major's next game at a "MUCH" lower price. Major, however, responded that a price reduction would undermine the joke and encouraged the player to consider the more affordable $10 version instead.