{"rewrite":{"id":"r_9d5113095fe2d0c271ab5f61","clusterId":"c_79f7bebb0737b05448b93ee8","slug":"university-of-tsukuba-study-finds-four-pricing-patterns-in-how-publishers-set-steam-prices","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"University of Tsukuba Study Finds Four Pricing Patterns in How Publishers Set Steam Prices","summary":"A University of Tsukuba research team led by associate professor Mitsuo Yoshida and Tomohiro Murakami analyzed how publishers set Steam prices against the platform's recommended regional rates. Using August-September 2023 data covering 268 publishers and 7,375 titles across eight markets, they grouped publishers into four pricing types. Prices ran near recommended levels in France, the UK, Japan and South Korea, but averaged about 128% of recommended in Brazil and about 130% in India.","whyItMatters":"The study's numbers put a publisher habit behind the regional price gaps that make buying from cheaper storefronts worthwhile, with Brazil and India the clearest cases of sellers pricing above Steam's own recommendation.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe analysis covered Brazil, China, France, the UK, India, Japan, South Korea and the US, using price ratios against Steam\u0026#39;s recommended rates. France, the UK, Japan and South Korea stayed close to those recommendations, with little spread between titles from the same publisher. China averaged about 111%, close but with wider variation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe researchers then clustered publishers by the average, variation, median, maximum and minimum of their price levels across the eight markets, which produced the four pricing types. The data window is August-September 2023, and it was limited to publishers selling 10 or more titles.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"A University of Tsukuba study sorted 268 Steam publishers into four pricing types. France, UK, Japan and South Korea price near Steam's recommendations. Brazil averaged about 128% of them, India about 130%.","twitterPost":"University of Tsukuba researchers analyzed 7,375 Steam titles from 268 publishers and found four pricing types. Most major markets track Steam's recommended prices; Brazil averaged about 128% and India about 130%.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Associate professor Mitsuo Yoshida and Tomohiro Murakami at the University of Tsukuba examined how closely Steam publishers follow the platform's recommended regional prices. Across eight markets and 7,375 titles, prices sat near recommendations in France, the UK, Japan and South Korea, while Brazil and India ran well above them. Clustering the publishers produced four pricing types.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261019-474326/\",\"title\":\"How Much Do Steam Game Prices Vary by Publisher? University of Tsukuba Study Reveals Four Distinct Pricing Types, Including \\\"Major Companies Go Their Own Way\\\" and \\\"Higher Prices in India and Brazil\\\"\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4597,"outputTokens":602,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1792410728,"createdAt":"2026-10-19T11:46:54.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T11:51:07.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T11:51:07.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_79f7bebb0737b05448b93ee8","canonicalTitle":"Steamのゲーム価格、メーカーによってどれだけ違う？筑波大の研究で“大手ほど独自路線”“インド・ブラジルは高め路線”など「値付けの4タイプ」くっきり","representativeArticleId":"a_3259dc918faac233357df10f","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-19T10:52:10.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-19T10:52:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T11:51:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261019-474326/","title":"Steamのゲーム価格、メーカーによってどれだけ違う？筑波大の研究で“大手ほど独自路線”“インド・ブラジルは高め路線”など「値付けの4タイプ」くっきり"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}