tl;dr

- Expansion Pack 2 will be released on 28 Mar 2022, one year from the game's initial release - Expansion Pack 2 on Steam will cost $4.99. There will be a 15% launch discount and a 20% bundle discount (if you purchase with or already own Expansion Pack 1) - Expansion Packs on mobile platforms will cost $2.99 each (reduced from $4.99). All players who purchased Expansion Pack 1 at the original price will get a free Expansion Pack 2 - Expansion Pack 2 will receive free content updates for at least three months after the release date https://store.steampowered.com/app/1807800/Industry_Idle__Expansion_Pack_2/

Expansion Pack 2 Progress

I have finished all of the planned features of Expansion Pack 2 - it is now in a good shape that I feel confident to put out a release date: 28 Mar 2022, which happens to be exactly one year from the initial release of the game. Now I am focusing on balancing the game and fixing bugs from playtesting - this is an ongoing process - just like the previous expansion pack, the new one is expected to receive new content updates and balancing changes after the release.

Pricing And Changes

Expansion Pack 2 will cost the game as Expansion Pack 1 on Steam - there will be a 15% launch discount. In addition, there will be a 20% bundle discount if you purchase with or already own Expansion Pack 1. On mobile platforms (iOS/Android), the price of expansion packs will be changed: each will cost $2.99. I have received some feedback that the old one-time purchase price ($4.99) is too high a barrier for mobile gamers. The old price is the same as the Steam version simply because I had no experience in pricing and went with the simplest approach. After receiving the feedback, I studied several games - most mobile versions do have a different price. Also, I've learned that to sell expansion packs on different platforms, I have to use each platform's own payment system (and pay around 30% commission to each platform owner) and they are not interchangeable. Another reason for price reduction on mobile is that Steam has lots of "sales" events but it is quite difficult to offer discounts on mobile. For people who have already purchased Expansion Pack 1 on iOS and Android, I feel I need to compensate them for the price difference. Also, they are the early supporters of the game, helping to keep the game's server afloat and they should get some perks as a reward. So I am giving a free Expansion Pack 2 to all the players who have purchased the expansion at its original price, just as a thank-you.

Plans After Release

I already have plans for content updates after the release - all content updates will all be included for free in Expansion Pack 2 for at least 3 months (same promise as Expansion Pack 1). One of the areas I'd like to work on is to offer more online content - guilds, MMO-style persistent map, etc. However, these will require more server costs - and the cost is recurring (every month) but the sale is one-time (I do not have plans to add microtransactions to the game). That's why I am quite careful when it comes to adding online features. So far I have spent all income of the game on server cost - and I plan to keep doing so to keep the server afloat as long as possible. Hopefully, with a new expansion pack, I would have a better idea of how much extra income would be available and plan the online content accordingly.

[ 2022-03-08 21:26:19 CET ] [ Original post ]