73% of ‘Premium Gamers’ view new games releases as overpriced at launch and actively wait until prices drop, according to new research into the gaming industry.

G2A and Newzoo’s global study ‘Game purchasing behavior in an era of choice’ looked at the buying and playing patterns of 6,000 respondents across the UK, US, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, and found that price sensitivity is a key behavioural driver.

On average, ‘Premium Gamers’ – defined as monthly PC or Gen 9 console users who accessed AAA or AA games in the past year, either by purchasing them or through a premium subscription – wait until a game’s price is discounted by 29% to 45% before purchase. They expect worthwhile discounts around five months after launch.

Premium Gamers are most likely to be console users, male, and under 35, according to the study.

Despite having a huge range of choice, many relatively old titles still dominate the mix of games played by Premium Gamers, and despite being buyers, 38% of the titles they played over the last year were free to play.

Most games are purchased from official storefronts, with only Amazon and Loaded (the reseller formerly known as CDKeys) appearing in the top 10 list of how Premium Gamers buy games. 19% were paid for by a subscription, with most Premium Gamers agreeing that subscriptions enable game discovery, offer good discounts and promotions, and support or enhance the multiplayer experience.

The results of the study come ahead of the launch of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) VI, scheduled for 19 November – one of the most hotly-anticipated releases of the decade, coming a whopping 13 years after GTA V.

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