Are Hooded Horse Games Overpriced?

Hooded Horse, an indie publisher specializing in strategy, simulation, and role-playing games, typically prices its titles between 20€ and 40€ for base games, with variations depending on scope and development stage. Most of their games debut in Early Access. For instance: Against the Storm is priced at 29.99€ following its full release, while Manor Lords launched in Early Access in April 2024 at 39.99€, initially with a significant discount.

More complex titles like Terra Invicta and Old World sit at 39.99€, often with DLCs priced between 5€ – 10€ each. These prices are fairly standard for mid-tier indie games with deep mechanics, especially compared to similar titles from publishers like Paradox Interactive, where base games typically start at 39.99€ – 49.99€ and expand with pricier DLCs over time.

Hooded Horse’s CEO, Tim Bender, has publicly emphasized a fair pricing philosophy, avoiding “triple-A pricing” (typically 60€ – 70€) and rejecting tactics like excessive editions or Day 1 DLC. They frequently offer launch discounts of 10–25%, temporarily lowering prices for new releases. For example, Manor Lords launched with a 25% discount, bringing its price down to 29.99€. This approach contrasts sharply with AAA publishers, who rarely discount new releases and often push premium editions or microtransactions.

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Cataclismo recently launched out of Early Access at a full price of 39.99€. However, like most Hooded Horse titles, it’s currently discounted by 35%, bringing the cost down to 19.49€, an excellent value for a game with Very Positive reviews. While Early Access can be a hurdle for some players, Hooded Horse has managed it effectively, balancing transparency and player expectations.

Community feedback on Steam and Reddit reflects mixed but overwhelmingly positive sentiment. Fans of Against the Storm and Manor Lords frequently highlight their replayability and polish as justifying their price tags; Against the Storm alone has sold over 2.5 million copies by late 2024, validating its 29.99€ pricing. That said, some players critique Early Access titles like Xenonauts 2 for feeling overpriced due to bugs or incomplete features, though this is a wider Early Access industry issue, not specific to Hooded Horse.

Compared to market standards, Hooded Horse’s pricing falls squarely within expectations. Mid-tier strategy games like Frostpunk (29.99€) and RimWorld (34.99€) sit in similar ranges, while AAA releases such as Civilization VII launched at 69.99€. What sets Hooded Horse apart is its commitment to fair monetization, their titles avoid loot boxes, pay-to-win mechanics, and other aggressive monetization common in AAA gaming. For fans of deep, niche strategy games, this positions their pricing as “fair” rather than “premium.”

Ultimately, value is subjective. While 39.99€ for an Early Access title may seem steep to players who prefer finished products, it’s a reasonable ask for those who: value supporting indie developers, appreciate complex, systems-driven gameplay and want to engage with games during development. This balance reflects Hooded Horse’s player-first approach in a genre where depth often justifies the price.