Some VR studios are discounting their Quest games by 90% - Why?
Some VR studios are selling their games at 90% off. A somewhat questionable new trend on the Quest Store.
If you have been browsing VR subreddits and social networks lately, you might have noticed something strange: Some VR studios have published discount codes for their games, which grant a 90% discount when purchased on the Quest Store. The codes are valid for a limited time.
There is even a post on Reddit that collects the relevant games and discount codes (see sources below). It lists nine titles, including successful and less successful, newer and older VR games.
Among them is the acclaimed VR platformer Max Mustard, which is only a few months old. After entering the code, the title will only cost $3 instead of $30, making it more of a gift than a purchase.
The battle for visibility
We don't know exactly why VR studios are (almost) giving away their games. But one reason is obvious: they hope to get more visibility on social media and on the Quest Store.
Max Mustard was very well received by the VR press and content creators, but had very few ratings on the Quest Store for a long time, suggesting slow sales.
Definitely race to the bottom. Hope Meta comes with a counter. Users looking at the top 10 will be very surprised that it's not actually the top 10 most sold apps in a fair way and actually just a top 10 of the greater discounts through codes.
- Mikaël Dufresne (@purplemikey) June 20, 2024
The discount code and word-of-mouth seems to have helped, as the VR title has now made it onto the top sellers list in the Quest Store and is now well above average with almost 500 ratings. Being on the list helps visibility, as does the number of ratings. And both contribute to sales.
Experience shows that VR games that sell well do so in the long run. The challenge is to get into that club. And discount codes can obviously help. I can't say for sure how much it helped Max Mustard because I don't know the numbers. But it certainly played a role.
More Quest games, more competition
Max Mustard is by no means the only VR game that has had a rough start in the Quest Store. There are many high quality new releases for Meta Quest that hardly anyone seems to buy. This is at least indicated by the low number of ratings, which are often in the 50-100 range.
It has certainly become more difficult to be successful on Meta Quest compared to the early days of the Quest Store. The selection of titles and the number of new releases is much larger than it was a few years ago, and the interest in VR may have decreased somewhat since 2022. Meta counters with frequent and aggressive sales, but of course, this distorts the real demand. Just like these discount codes.
If a game sells poorly or not at all, you can just as easily give it away and hope that it becomes better known. The question is where this logic leads in the long run.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
