Years After Release, Factorio’s Price Is Increasing On Steam Due To Inflation

Factorio, the factory base building strategy game from developer Wube Software, is permanently becoming more expensive next week. Starting January 26, the base price will be increased from $30 to $35. According to the studio, the decision is to account for inflation. The studio confirmed to GameSpot that the price change “will apply across all platforms,” including Nintendo Switch.

During its early access period, Factorio had a base price of $20, which was bumped to $30 back in 2020 once version 1.0 was released. Ever since, the PC version has remained at said price, except for the occasional sale. But as Wube Software announced today on Twitter, this is an “adjustment to account for the level of inflation the Steam release in 2016,” referring to the year in which early access began.

The strategy title has received dozens of updates ever since its 1.0 release, with the latest two being as recent as last week. In late 2022, the developer launched a Nintendo Switch version–the first console port of the game that also shared a base price of $30–which has also been receiving support since.

During an earnings briefing that took place in November, Nintendo’s management said that the company has no plans to raise prices of the Nintendo Switch, but “will monitor the situation closely to determine if an increase is required”. In terms of games, however, Xbox stated that its major new first-party titles–including the likes of Redfall and Starfield–will cost $69 at launch, joining the likes of Ubisoft. It remains to see if other independent studios will follow along with Wube Software’s decision in the near future.