The $70 Scam: How Publishers Trick Gamers Into Paying More for Less

By Pok Gai Gamer — the Toxic Juk Sing Gamer

Back in PS2 days, sixty bucks got you a full game and a bonus level if you were lucky.
Now seventy buys you a loading screen and trauma from patch 1.0.3.

Publishers keep saying “game dev cost go up lah.”
Yeah, and cha chaan teng milk tea also went up, but at least the auntie still gives you extra sugar when you look sad.

AAA studios? They charge more and give you less — like buying instant noodles and being told the soup base is DLC.

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These execs blame inflation, but it’s just infection — a sickness called corporate ego.
You check the credits: five gameplay devs and forty “engagement directors.”
They talk about “player immersion” while your textures haven’t loaded since the tutorial.

AAA now means “Apologies After Announcement.”

Collector’s edition used to come with a map, soundtrack, maybe a cool statue.
Now it comes with early access and a useless skin that looks like a cha chaan teng waiter uniform.
They call it “exclusive content.”
Exclusive? Yeah, exclusive to people who love financial pain.

Lesson for marketers: scarcity only works if your base product isn’t missing its rice.

You already dropped $70, but the main menu looks like Mong Kok night market.
Everything flashing “BUY COINS! BUY SKINS! BUY DIGNITY!”
They say “cosmetic only.”
Bro, that’s like saying “this cha siu bao only cosmetic — no filling.”

Lesson for UI/UX designers: when your menu looks like a pachinko machine, you’re not designing a game — you’re running a gambling den.

“Limited time offer!” “Beta access!” “Early bird!”
It’s not even a game anymore — it’s a finance course.
They sell anxiety, not adventure.
They drop unfinished games, call them “live service,” and patch them slower than MTR Wi-Fi.

Lesson for marketers: urgency is good for egg tarts, not broken software.

You shout “boycott EA” then buy the gold edition because the trailer had a cute cat.
You post “never again” and still queue up like Sunday dim sum.
Your wallet is the real marketing department.

Pok Gai truth: they keep doing it because you keep saying “aiya, okay la, just this one.”

Gamers: wait for reviews, don’t fund unfinished garbage, support indie devs who still remember what fun tastes like.

Influencers: stop calling broken betas “honest previews.” We know when you got that free code.

Marketers: save the “immersive ecosystem” nonsense. Just give us a product that works.

UI/UX Designers: you’re not UX if your menu gives PTSD. Design something that doesn’t feel like buying Octopus credit.

Seventy dollars should buy joy, not JIRA tickets.
Finish your game before you finish your brand campaign, okay?

Publishers keep pretending this is “premium pricing.”
Bro, it’s just cha chaan teng logic — smaller portions, higher price, and they still forget your lemon tea.

If you’re tired of being pok gai-ed by AAA studios, help out Pok Gai Gamer:
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We roast the industry because someone has to — and it sure ain’t the marketing department.

Q: Why did games jump from $60 to $70?
Because one company did it and everyone else followed, like a cha chaan teng charging “service fee” for handing you a spoon.

Q: Do higher costs justify it?
No. They make billions off microtransactions. The price hike is pure ego.

Q: Are indie games better value?
Yes. They still care about gameplay, not investors.

Q: How can gamers fight back?
Stop pre-ordering. Wait for sales. Reward studios that actually finish their food.

Q: What should marketers learn?
Gamers can smell fake sincerity faster than bad milk tea. Tell the truth, make it fun, and don’t pretend greed is innovation.