Publisher Lyrical Games has set a $40 price point for the upcoming first-person action soulslike, Valor Mortis. The decision was made to help the game compete in what the publisher describes as the "craziest fall in the history of this business." This crowded release window includes major titles and highly anticipated releases, making it a challenging period for new intellectual properties.
Valor Mortis was previously delayed from its original September 24 release to October 13. This adjustment was intended to avoid clashes with other significant games like Remedy's Control Resonant and Konami's Silent Hill: Townfall. However, the release slate remains intensely competitive, with the looming launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 in November also factored into pricing strategies.
Blake Rochkind, head of Lyrical Games, explained the deliberation behind the pricing. "We have had many discussions over the past year about the price of Valor Mortis," he stated. "We believe the game has the quality, fidelity, and playtime in its 20-hour story to go toe-to-toe with many ‘full-price’ titles. Still, this Fall is stacked and there’s high demand for your time and money."
Rochkind further elaborated that the $40 price aims to make Valor Mortis an attractive secondary purchase. "Going with this price point will help us be an ‘and’ game," he said, suggesting that players might purchase Valor Mortis in addition to more expensive titles like GTA 6, which has a base price of $80. This strategy allows consumers to potentially acquire multiple games within a tighter budget.
Despite the challenging market, Rochkind expressed confidence in Valor Mortis. "We are pretty confident in Valor Mortis. But ultimately, the worst thing we could do is not push our chips in and say, ‘We want this to be a game that you can pick up alongside these other great games.’" The game, developed by the creators of Ghostrunner, features players as a soldier from Napoleon's army who must repeatedly rise from death to battle monsters and reanimated corpses.
It was also noted that Valor Mortis will be a day one release on Xbox Game Pass, though Rochkind confirmed this had no bearing on the pricing decision.