What is KSP worth?

[KerbMav]

I am curious about:

How much money went in to the development up until now, how much has been earned from sales, how much is still earned per month, how much is left to continue development.

Does Squad publicize any business numbers?

[Red Iron Crown]

I am curious about:

How much money went in to the development up until now, how much has been earned from sales, how much is still earned per month, how much is left to continue development.

Does Squad publicize any business numbers?

They're a privately held company, as such there is no legal requirement to release that kind of info and they don't as far as I know. They may be wise to keep such numbers mum, as I understand it kidnap-for-ransom is a thing in Mexico so it might not be a good idea to flaunt their success too much.

[technicalfool]

Does Squad publicize any business numbers?

Nope.

Although I hear Harv is buying a new money-pool these days for doing Scrooge McDuck impressions.

The above sentence may be a complete fabrication.

[nine_iron]

$50-70 or so if some of the mods were included and developed into the game.

Worth a lot IMO and at the current price everyone should own it!

[Lord Nihilus]

Subscription worthy.

[bsalis]

I think the current price for the current game is about right. I think it is worth more, but to keep units moving it needs to be priced appropriately for an in-development indie game.

Much the same for the completed game... i'd say easily AAA price, but will be sold for a bit less i'm guessing.

[mhoram]

20$ for an indie-game is a good fit

Learning orbital mechanics in an enjoyable way: priceless

That beeing said, after I had played the demo I would have been willing to pay up to 50$.

[RizzoTheRat]

If all the math were right and we had a proper space sim (realistic scale, proper aerodynamics, reentry heat, multiple fuels, atmospheric engines that made sense, etc, etc, etc...) I'd gladly pay $60 USD for KSP.

The problem with that is the more detailed and accurate the model is, the smaller the target audience, and as a result the price has to be higher. Personally I can't wait until some of the things you mention are improved, but a lot of people want an easily accessible cartoony game that sucks them in.

As for those saying they'd happily pay a lot for it, would you have done without having played it, or only having played the demo? The current price is very competitive for computer games, and there's a big trade-off between unit cost and number sold.

[Red Iron Crown]

The problem with that is the more detailed and accurate the model is, the smaller the target audience, and as a result the price has to be higher. Personally I can't wait until some of the things you mention are improved, but a lot of people want an easily accessible cartoony game that sucks them in.

The two can coexist at once. The orbital mechanics are reasonably accurate, but that doesn't prevent us from having cartoony characters and funny catastrophes (which I agree are an important part of KSP's success). Other realism enhancements would not necessarily make the game less accessible or cartoony.

[tater]

The problem with that is the more detailed and accurate the model is, the smaller the target audience, and as a result the price has to be higher. Personally I can't wait until some of the things you mention are improved, but a lot of people want an easily accessible cartoony game that sucks them in.

As for those saying they'd happily pay a lot for it, would you have done without having played it, or only having played the demo? The current price is very competitive for computer games, and there's a big trade-off between unit cost and number sold.

People who don't care wouldn't know if it was right as it is. How would they? Having the math right doesn't make it harder, it just makes the math right.

[cantab]

Even if I had paid `normal game full price` whatever that may be it would still have saved me money.

Ironically I'm in the other camp - KSP will probably encourage me to spend money. On a new PC (postponed until next year mind) and maybe a new graphics card before then, but more than that it's got me interested in PC gaming in general again. I plan on checking out some of the Total War games, and I'll probably get Minecraft at some point.

On the dead horse that is the realism debate, I think many aspects of realism wouldn't make the game much harder or less accessible (though to be honest it arguably has a steep learning curve as it is). On the flipside the iffy aspects of the physics don't detract that much for a novice player.

[hellion13]

This might be a little shocking, but for the longest time I didnt pay for this game. But as I got more and more into it and read more and more about how it was being made I started to feel bad for what I was doing. This is the game that BROKE ME of pirating games. I literally deleted all the games that I had pirated because of this game. I then went created a Steam account and paid $23 for it. Karma being what it is though, it wasnt to last and I ended up losing the PC.

Im now about to drop $1000 on a computer JUST for this game. THAT is what this game is worth to me.

Edited September 30, 2014 by hellion13

[Javster]

For me, this game has been worth much more than the price I paid for it. It has opened my eyes to the realities of space travel; it has taught me that one doesn't just "go up" when launching; it has taught me specifically WHY rockets have to drop their parts as they rocket on up.

This game has made me more knowledgable in space than 99% of the world; I think that is worth something more than money. (Though, I think the price was fair where it was xD)

I sort of worked out orbital stuff unaided, so in that respect it's priceless.

[worir4]

It is worth my house and possessions. But not my PC or else i can't play it then.

[TythosEternal]

The state of the game is closer to "release" than "under development." Most updates have more in common with an expansion pack than a patch job.

With that in mind, I would be delighted to give Squad more money. I want then to continue doing a great job, and to continue adding more and more great stuff to the game. I don't think they can sustainably do that in the long run if every user is paying a low one-time fixed price.

Combining the conclusions of the above two paragraphs, I would be happy to see Squad move to a small fee per "expansion" (a couple of dollars). So long as they continue to hold their regular releases to a consistently-high standard, I think this would provide a more continuous income stream without impacting the user base in overly-tragic ways. I know I'd shell out a few bucks a year to keep being part of this experience!

[CG_Kerbin]

Can you put a price on a amazing fabulous game like this

[SelectHalfling0]

$60 or so. Squad's to cool for high prices though and charge 27$, cuz they are awesome.

[Redd]

In my opinion it's already worth well over the usual retail price of about 60 bucks. I consider a console game a success if I get more than an hour of gameplay for each dollar I spend, and I think my ksp total is already on the upside of 250 hours somewhere, without running out of stuff to do.

Sidenote: It'd be pretty unwise to let the final product be any more expensive than 'the usual' price of course, since that just scares off potential buyers.

[Wallygator]

I think the early access pricing as it stands is OK.

However, once v1.0 shows up it needs careful consideration.

Frankly, when I launch a rocket, I expect it to behave generally (and I'm not taking about super accurate maths here) like a rocket would in the atmosphere. Specifically, centre of pressure behind centre of mass keeps nose of rocket pointing toward intended target, etc. Just like when I built and flew little model rockets in my far away youth (happy memories!). Drag computations need to be fixed - full stop. The overall atmospheric model does not have to be exactly accurate, but it must convey a sense of reality to the player - which it does not currently provide.

Secondly, there will be a probably be a wider set of functionality surrounding the management of an overall space program. We have yet to really get a full sense of what these functions and play aids will look like. But I do get the general feeling that there will be much more capability than we currently understand. Adding this functionality can directly influence the price point of the final product.

Finally, Please consider that this game is a passion for many Devs, modders, and players (not to mention "he who created the concept of Kerbals" !!!) and it is not just a singe game product but rather an entire ecosystem of play. The game inspires modifications which then inspire further and more creative play. Putting a price on that is a little difficult. If we are trying to "Price" KSP, then we might also consider what the pricing is relating to the efforts of our Modding community... Think about it... How much additional would you pay for a really cool mod that would enhance your play style?

Before I get flamed for that last paragraph, let me say that not every functional and non-functional requirement needs to be baked into the final product, as long as the base system supports further evolution outside of the normal development cycle.

Again, just my 2 pence, YMMV.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Wallygator
Schpelling and Ghrammer...

[Fleb]

If Squad charged me per hour, I would have to do all the devs yard work for years to pay off the debt.

[Red Iron Crown]

If Squad charged me per hour, I would have to do all the devs yard work for years to pay off the debt.

Heck I'd never get there doing yard work, I'd have to be their lawyer or dentist or something.

[Fiddlestyx]

Consider how many hours I have already put into it (it's my most played game on Steam), a lot more than what I payed for it.

If they release a collectors edition, I would happily buy the game again.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Fiddlestyx

[Franklin]

As much as I want to see some changes that may never happen, I've definitely got my dollar's worth. Pushing on 400 hours puts me at like $0.06/hour which is a better value than most games I've bought.

But I've held off buying it for anybody else I think would enjoy it because the price is high for a game that isn't even finished, and may not become the game I hope for, so we'll see if its value rises or drops for me.

[paulcdb]

I know all the dev's have put lots of hard work into the game but i think the price is about right atm.

The mods however make it worth far more than that and while i know you can donate to certain ones, there should really be some sort of system to distribute some funds between then all. Problem would be sorting out a fair system... Kerbal mod subscription/donations with app that installs, updates mods and rewards developers based on the use of mods?

[DSM20T]

The stock game, as it stands now. If I paid more than 20-30 dollars for it I would be disappointed. The game as it stands right now, with the mods I have installed. I would happily pay 60 dollars for it. It's hard to say what the release price should be since we don't really know what the finished game will look like, but let's say it turned out more or less the way I wanted it to. I'd be happy to pay AAA price for it.

HUGE thanks to the modding community btw.