Job Simulator gets a permanent price drop, two weeks after launch

Owlchemy Labs' Job Simulator now costs $10 less than it did when it launched two weeks ago. In a post to the HTC Vive launch title's Steam page, the developer explained its decision to permanently drop the price of the game to $29.99.

"With the launch of a brand new platform, no one quite knew what to expect, so we had to use whatever metrics we had available to us," Owlchemy Labs wrote of the original launch price. The studio settled on $39.99 based on Job Simulator's development cost and what they felt was a reasonable price for the quirky virtual reality title, in which players try out a series of strange day jobs.

But VR is a new, untested market, the developer said. It acknowledged prior to Job Simulator's release that sales might be off to "a slow start" because of this, before citing that the price change came as a response to customer reviews.

Since Owlchemy Labs released the game alongside the Vive and 30 other titles on April 5, customers have brought up the original price in reviews. Although Job Simulator boasts a "very positive" review average on Steam, several of the most helpful reviews caution customers about the price.

"If it were $5, even $10, I could see myself recommending it as an 'intro to VR' type experience," one reviewer wrote.

"The cost is a bit high for the amount of time an individual may spend playing," said another.

An HTC Vive bundle comes with Job Simulator packed in, as some players mentioned. But for those buying the game separately, the cost often came up as a negative.

"The point of Job Simulator was always to share the joy of VR with as many people as we could convince to put their hands (both gloved or un-gloved) on it," Owlchemy Labs wrote regarding the new, cheaper price.

The price drop is now in effect. Those who paid $39.99 can apply for a refund, then re-buy the full game at its current price, the developer explained.

For more on HTC Vive, check out our full review of the headset. Job Simulator will also be available on PlayStation VR later this year.