{"rewrite":{"id":"r_982e23fc768f1435547e153b","clusterId":"c_bca5ac894bd808a0562c1db1","slug":"sputnika-game-goes-paid-on-steam-september-23","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Sputnika Game Goes Paid on Steam September 23","summary":"Developer egunan announced on September 15 that the merge puzzle game Sputnika Game becomes paid on Steam on September 23, priced at $2.99. Anyone who adds it to their library before then keeps it for free. The game has drawn about 680 Steam reviews at 89% favorable, a Very Positive rating, and already sells on Nintendo Switch for 460 yen and runs free with ads on iOS and Android.","whyItMatters":"The paid switch is a small developer pricing a game to match the platforms it already sells on, with the Steam release becoming a paid product roughly two years after it launched free there.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe Steam version has been free since February 2024, when it arrived after a November 2023 demo on itch.io. Updates since then added gamepad support and adjustments to the game-over judgment timing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNew content is planned for the near future, and Steam profile features such as trading cards, restricted on the free version, are also planned. The Switch version sells for 460 yen, and price unification with other platforms is cited as one reason for the change. The mobile version stays free because it carries ads.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sputnika Game already earns on Switch and runs free with ads on mobile, so the $2.99 Steam price is the one platform where the developer asks for money before the storefront ratings do the selling.","twitterPost":"Sputnika Game already charges 460 yen on Switch and runs free with ads on mobile. The $2.99 Steam price asks players to pay before 680 reviews can vouch.","threadsPost":"Sputnika Game already charges 460 yen on Switch and runs free with ads on mobile, so the $2.99 Steam price lands on the one platform where the 89% favorable rating has to carry the sale instead of the price.","newsletterBlurb":"Sputnika Game, the planet merge puzzler from developer egunan, becomes paid on Steam on September 23 at $2.99. Library holders keep it free. The Steam release has held a Very Positive rating across roughly 680 reviews, and new content plus trading cards are planned.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260921-469155/\",\"title\":\"Gravity Puzzle 'Sputnika Game' Where You 'Throw and Merge' Planets Is Still Free on Steam for Now, Becoming Paid on September 23; Rated 'Very Positive'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4648,"outputTokens":542,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789979364,"createdAt":"2026-09-21T08:23:46.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-21T08:28:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-21T08:28:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_bca5ac894bd808a0562c1db1","canonicalTitle":"惑星を「投げて合体」重力パズル『Sputnika Game』Steamにて今ならまだ無料、9月23日に有料化へ。「非常に好評」なゲーム","representativeArticleId":"a_aec39e36efe5d5e563d61a61","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Sputnika Game\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"egunan\"],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-21T07:20:54.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-21T07:20:54.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-21T08:28:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260921-469155/","title":"惑星を「投げて合体」重力パズル『Sputnika Game』Steamにて今ならまだ無料、9月23日に有料化へ。「非常に好評」なゲーム"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Sputnika Game"],"studios":[],"people":["egunan"],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}