The game Stardrone is on sale on Gamersgate with a 85 percent discount and its price is $2.99. So the list price is $19.99. Well, the developer of the game sells Stardrone from the price of $2.99 too at its official page! I'm really irritated by such fake discounts. I didn't come across a second game with a 85 percent discount at Gamersgate for the last few months.

Gamersgate Deal: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-SD/stardrone

Developer's Deal: http://www.stardrone.net/index-pc.html

Mostly all adventures with euro prices. Lost horizon costs my leg and next big thing rips of my arm. I'm gonna still eventually play secret files 3 when it is released eventually.

That's kind of stupid, considering that they'd make ~40 EUR from Steam, and ~20 from the retail one, if they are lucky. Publishers should really match DD with retail prices, that way they'll make lots more moneyzz.

I pretty much paid for Skyrim 50 euros, perhaps a bit less but mostly that. That game is really worth it but man I hate those companions AI. Otherwise, with a music mod and a bit realist ragdolls.. and that few awkward moments when some bard chances a sentence. That mod also. It's all I got. Well, perhaps a nude mod.

Edit: after over 100 hours that nordic music mod or whatever made the game so much better.

Well, I think we can draw a logical conclusion here on the basis of three simple facts:

1. We have little idea what percentage publishers get from retail.
2. Valve's NDAs forbid publishers from publishing Valve's share and there is precisely zilch in the way of concrete information.
3. Retail is cheaper than Steam in many cases.

The €40/€20 concept is completely arbitrary and based on completely unsubstantiated rumours.

Logic dictates that the publishers' continued use of retail as a distribution channel and the retailers' ability to sell at a lower price indicates that profits from retail are not quite as meagre as the marketing folk would have us believe when they're promoting digital distribution and that Valve's share of the pie is not as small as rumour would indicate.

Or are we to believe that major publishers such as EA and Activision, who have mastered the fine art of bleeding gamers for money, are throwing all commercial prudence to the wind and are just supporting PC gaming at retail for the hell of it?