Peak's "8 bucks is still 5 bucks" view is a genuine look "behind the curtain" at "vibes pricing" across the industry, analyst says: "70 bucks seems right. All right, we'll try that"

1. Games
2. Peak

Peak's "8 bucks is still 5 bucks" view is a genuine look "behind the curtain" at "vibes pricing" across the industry, analyst says: "70 bucks seems right. All right, we'll try that" News By Austin Wood published 4 February 2026

"Is this a $60 game?"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Team Peak)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter GamesRadar+ Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

Signup +

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Signup +

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

Signup +

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Signup +

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

Signup +

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

Signup +

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Nick Kaman of Peak co-developer Aggro Crab made a seemingly silly, very fair point when he reckoned that "eight bucks is still five bucks" when it comes to indie game pricing and player perception. Games director Mat Piscatella of analyst firm Circana says the idea is very real, and reaches way beyond the indie space, especially at a time of enormous price fluctuations in games.

Piscatella got onto the subject of price stability in a recent interview with GamesRadar+. Previously, he's noted a widening range of prices in games, including each year's top-selling games, and we're only seeing that widen with games in the single-digit range moving millions copies while more AAA games push the $70 and $80 ceiling and AA games sit happily at $40 or $50.

"We're seeing more movement on the low end and on the high end, more flexibility," Piscatella says. "People are promoting heavily or less heavily, they're promoting more often or less often, and they're establishing base prices all over the board. Because we don't have as much physical distribution anymore, pricing can be much more fluid and adaptive to the market or what that particular game maker wants to try to achieve.

You may like

• Peak is $8 because the devs wanted you to see a $5 price tag and, hey, "eight bucks is still five bucks"
• "Silksong charged $5 more, 9 years later, and people lost their minds": Indie dev says pricing is actually really easy
• The median price of best-selling new games on Steam has dropped in the past 2 years, research finds: "Charging >$25 is getting trickier, as players compare value to the $10-$15 indie titles"

"You see a lot of consternation on the high end. But you know what, if a game has that kind of price point and it doesn't meet that muster, it's not going to sell, right? We've seen that over and over again, where people have tried to push that price point and the game has not been successful because people didn't find value there. But because of the digital marketplace, those prices can change really quickly, and that stuff tends to even out more quickly over time than it was when it was a more retail-focused environment."

(Image credit: Aggro Crab / Landfall)

Peak, an $8 game that wanted to present as a $5 game, is an interesting example here. "I don't know how mechanically true that is, but I get what they're going for," Piscatella says of Kaman's comments. "You just try to find the right price point that fits. You can't science it all. Sometimes vibes pricing is OK." (More seriously, it's also an example of how games can, without massive content changes, seek to eke out more revenue at a time where way more games are coming out, but not much more money is being spent on games each year, and it's especially relevant for games that already appear cheap.)

"Vibes pricing" is a very real phenomenon across the games industry, Piscatella reckons, calling Kaman's comments a "little showing behind the curtain" at how prices are chosen, and often un-chosen and chosen again.

"A lot of video game players will think, 'Oh, they have these suits and they're running these hyper sophisticated pricing models on whopper computers,'" Piscatella says. "OK, there's a little bit of that. But a lot of it is also, 'I don't know, is this a $60 game or a $70, $80 game? How much? Is this good? What do you think? I don't know. 70 bucks seems right. All right, we'll try that.' There's a lot of that too. A lot of art with the science when it comes to pricing."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Ask players how games should be priced and you'll likely get a thousand different answers – genre, length, replay value, in-game monetization, graphics, production cost, multiplayer, or even Early Access progress. The only hill I'll die on is that 'hours of fun per dollar' is a silly way to go about it.

PC gamers and Steam customers are "a really bright spot" as the games industry struggles with pricing and sustainability, analyst says: "We can look at an audience that's excited to try new things."

CATEGORIES PS5 Xbox Series X PC Gaming Nintendo Switch 2 Platforms PlayStation Xbox Nintendo Austin WoodSocial Links NavigationSenior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Peak is $8 because the devs wanted you to see a $5 price tag and, hey, "eight bucks is still five bucks"    "Silksong charged $5 more, 9 years later, and people lost their minds": Indie dev says pricing is actually really easy    The median price of best-selling new games on Steam has dropped in the past 2 years, research finds: "Charging >$25 is getting trickier, as players compare value to the $10-$15 indie titles"    PC gamers and Steam customers are "a really bright spot" as the games industry struggles with prices, analyst says    AAA games like the $70 Ghost of Yotei are really just for "more affluent people," says analyst, as soaring prices push players toward free games and Fortnite: "People just don't realize, because they're not paying attention"    Silksong is shockingly cheap at just $20, but Team Cherry says it just tries to "price the games at a reasonable level for people," man    Latest in Games Control Resonant may be an action-RPG, but Remedy isn't veering into hellishly-challenging territory: "There are no parries, there is no back-and-forth with a single enemy"    Original Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner reacts to Ubisoft's "brutal" cancellation of Sands of Time remake    My favorite Baldur's Gate 3 companion got more love in the latest MTG Secret Lair, but I can't stomach buying it    Helldivers 2 finally brings back underrated service technician, whose voice actor is "so happy" to be returning    Hell Let Loose: Vietnam wants to be a tougher, smarter FPS where kills hardly matter: "We sit in a specific space where we're not COD or Battlefield, but also not military simulation"    Pokemon Ultra Beasts are "a manifestation of my own resentment," Game Freak artist says after designs were rejected    Latest in News Peak's "8 bucks is still 5 bucks" view is an honest look at "vibes pricing" across the industry, analyst says    Someone put a force feedback wheel on an RC-style controller, and I hope this sim racing trend continues in 2026    Thor star Chris Hemsworth praises Steve Rogers' surprise Avengers: Doomsday teaser    Switch 2 won't increase $450 price tag due to ongoing RAM shortage according to Nintendo president – for now, at least    Texas Chain Saw Massacre is being turned into a TV show as its director is "not interested in remaking perfect films"    The Last of Us season 3 finds it new Manny in Spider-Man: No Way Home star, and casts '90s icon as new Seraphite    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Nioh 3 review: "Brutal samurai and ninja clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this Soulslike is all demon killer, no filler"
2. 2This Lord of the Rings card game is a puzzle-solving masterclass
3. 3Highguard review: "A fresh but muddled FPS genre mashup that needs refinement if it's to have any staying power"
4. 4This hidden role board game makes me feel like a puppet master, so Traitors fans should listen up
5. 5Cairn review: "This climber has a grip on me – even when it loses its footing with awkward systems, the challenge remains surmountable"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”