Indie Steam “psychological experiment” game spikes sales—refunds kill revenue

An indie Steam stunt built around an absurd price tag landed with a surreal twist: a game that was meant as a “psychological experiment” and a joke ended up generating a brief spike of attention and revenue—before refunds flooded in almost immediately. The end result for the developer was far smaller than the headline figure that briefly looked possible.

Release details: Steam launch and return window

The project is This Game Costs 200 Dollars, created by 18-year-old developer Michael Major from the United States. It was originally positioned as a prank and psychological experiment, but it quickly turned into a substantial, unexpected “hit” on Valve’s storefront—enough to produce more than $1.3 million in gross revenue for a short period.

That number didn’t last. Nearly all purchasers returned the game on Steam without ever launching it. As refunds rolled through, Major’s payout dropped dramatically; he ultimately received only about $2,000.

In response to the first shock of seeing the amount, Major said he was “almost dead,” and when he realized what the final figure would actually be, he summed up the moment with “I was SO close.”

How the refund wave played out

Major’s game drew 6,717 total buyers, with the overwhelming majority coming from China—6,705 players. Despite the rapid influx of purchases, the refund behavior was just as fast: in the end, only 10 players kept the title.

While sudden mass buying can raise eyebrows, Major’s framing suggests curiosity was the point. In the game’s Steam description, he portrayed the purchase as something some people would do purely to see what happens, describing the work as an attempt to convince players that it truly costs $200.

A developer who didn’t hide the joke

Major also leaned into transparency. In the opening lines of the Steam description, he called the game a scam—explicitly stating that it was priced at $200 (or the equivalent in the player’s currency) and emphasizing that it was a psychological experiment meant to test whether you’d buy into the premise.

He even referenced the idea that the price is “a lot” for a video game, while still encouraging those who want to try the experiment themselves.

Earlier satire: a “$10” prequel

Two weeks before This Game Costs 200 Dollars launched, Major released another satirical title, This Game Costs 10 Dollars. The earlier version likely didn’t reach the same payout level as the “sequel,” and the report notes it probably didn’t generate even the roughly $2,000 Major earned from the later game.

For players who want to try the $200 experiment in Poland’s pricing, the title was listed at 919.99 zł.