The Charticle

Pricing success: Is The Banner Saga being held back by its $9.99 price tag?

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Pricing success: Is The Banner Saga being held back by its $9.99 price tag?

Stoic's gorgeous, narrative-driven RPG The Bannner Saga has made the leap from PC to iOS, with the game available for purchase on both iPad and iPhone for $9.99.

As we've seen in the past, however, bringing a story-heavy title to mobile devices and charging $9.99, a fee that will surely turn off some mobile gamers, isn't always a recipe for success.

Of course, that's not to say that The Banner Saga is a dead man walking, with the game's unique 2D art style combined with a story built around Norse mythology making it one of the more interesting titles available on the App Store. 

Will that be enough to ensure Stoic's mobile switch will go down in history as a stroke of genius instead of a misguided mistake? We find out in this week's Charticle. 

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On the US paid download chart for iPad The Banner Saga has had a very successful first week, debuting in the top 20 before quickly climbing into the top 10.

Since launching on October 2 the game hasn't dropped outside of the top 20, and an impressive peak position of #4 proves mobile gamers have an appetite for premium titles retailing for premium prices.

The Banner Saga  hasn't fallen out of the top 20 on the US download chart

Of course, the premium nature of The Banner Saga means that it won't be dominating the grossing charts any time soon. As a result of that, the game's performance on the US top grossing charts has to be looked at through a certain lens.

So, while a climb into the top 60, and a peak position of #55, might not be considered a success for a free-to-play title looking to go the distance, for a $9.99 premium title, it's an admirable feat.

A premium price tag hasn't held The Banner Saga back even on the top grossing chart

The Banner Saga's showing on the European download charts, which looks at performances in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, was a more hit and miss affair.

The game did well in certain regions such as Germany, France, and the UK, where it peaked at #4, #6, and #10 respectively, however, it couldn't quite find an audience in Italy, where it failed to muster a serious assault on the top 100, peaking at #69.

The Banner Saga is having a mixed time in Europe
 

Those performances are reflected in the European top grossing chart, with The Banner Saga finding its feet around the top 50 in Germany, France, and the UK, while simultaneously falling short in Italy and Spain.

 

What do you call someone who has an unhealthy obsession with video games and Sean Bean? That'd be a 'Chris Kerr'. Chris is one of those deluded souls who actually believes that one day Sean Bean will survive a movie. Poor guy.