Why ReCore Is $40

Appearing on the TXR Podcast today, Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg shared some insight into why ReCore is priced at $40 instead of $60.

He said the lower price point reflects the fact that ReCore is a brand new franchise. Even though it comes from a big-name, Mega Man's Keiji Inafune, it is till completely new and Microsoft needs to earn gamers' votes. He added that Microsoft is launching the game in September as its first major new release leading into the holiday season, which may bring more attention to it.

"With new IP like that...ideally, launch timing matters a lot. So that's why you're seeing us launch it as our first title of the season; it's coming in September," he said. "So getting out early. The second thing is it doesn't have an existing base of fans. So we have to build that fan base. Rightly so, [gamers] are very thoughtful about, 'Where do I want to spend my money?, 'What games do I want to buy? So we kind of have to earn their vote; we have to earn their trust; we have to earn their dollar.

"We wanted there to be no barriers. We wanted to be able to give you a great AAA that gives you $60 of value but if you aren't sure, not let that be the barrier of a tradeoff of, 'Hey there's a $60 game and there's this game.' We wanted you to be able to get in."

Greenberg went on to say that he hopes ReCore can become a "new franchise" for Microsoft.

The people working on it, including Inafune and Armature (which was founded by Metroid developers), makes up a "dream dream," Greenberg said. As such, he hopes as many people as possible will play the game.

"So that's why we priced it at $40. We hope that will increase its chances of having success as a new IP," he said.

Also in the interview, Greenberg remarked that the ReCore E3 demo was too difficult and said Armature will be tuning the game for release.

ReCore launches on September 13 for Xbox One and PC. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, meaning you can buy it (digitally) on Xbox One and get the PC version free. For more on ReCore, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.