This Game Costs 200 Dollars is available on Steam at the platform's maximum price point: $200. According to PC Gamer, Michael Major, a teenage developer behind Stolen Valor Studios, created the title as a joke and didn't expect anyone to actually purchase it. Yet around 6,700 people bought the game, generating nearly $1.4 million in gross revenue.
The game is listed on Steam's store as a "psychological comedic experience" and serves as a spiritual sequel to This Game Costs 10 Dollars, released days earlier. The store page makes the prank clear, with Major writing that it's "the swindle to end all swindles."
The catch is that the vast majority of buyers filed for refunds. As reported by GamesRadar, approximately 99% of the sales were returned, leaving Major with just over $2,000 of the total revenue. In an interview with WMUR-TV, the developer said he "almost died" from the experience.
The case highlights both the public's curiosity for unconventional content and Steam's generous refund policy, which allows returns within 14 days of purchase or with up to 2 hours of playtime.
