But we like the idea that we're at this price. We don't want people to look at Torchlight as a cheap game, because we think it's competitive with anything out there. “We're bypassing the publisher and box distribution and that lets us bring a $60 game to people for $20. So from our perspective, we're as viable and as profitable as an independent developer used to be selling $60 boxes.
Torchlight game debate download#
And that's what we get nowadays on Steam, selling a digital download version for $20. He says, “Back in the day, when we would sell a $60-dollar box, by the time the money came back to us, it would be maybe $14 dollars a copy. I decided to ask Max Schaefer, Runic Games' CEO, if the lower price and smaller budget of Torchlight II inevitably means it will be seen as a cheap-and-cheerful version of Diablo III. It's also a lot bigger than the original Torchlight, 87 percent bigger, according to Runic's stats. Also, none of that always-connected nonsense that so blighted the launch of Blizzard’s game, and annoyed so many players.
Undoubtedly, Torchlight II will be on a lesser scale of grandness than Diablo III, but set against that, it has a more individualistic skills tree and attribute points, a sense of permanence about the choices made.
Responses from the beta that took place in May have been extremely positive. At that price, assuming you enjoy top-down ARPGs, it’s going to be difficult to talk yourself out of giving this game a whirl. Also, Torchlight II is a digital release priced at $20.