Valor Mortis Priced at $40: Ghostrunner Developers Discuss Balancing Value Amidst a Busy Fall Release Schedule

Valor Mortis, the latest title from the creators of the cyberpunk FPS platformer Ghostrunner, has been generating excitement throughout the year and is set to launch during the bustling fall gaming season. The developers recently revealed that this upcoming Soulslike will be priced at just $40, aiming to attract players’ attention with a competitive price point compared to most premium titles.

In their announcement, the developers shared, “We have had many discussions over the past year about the price of Valor Mortis. We believe the game has the quality, fidelity, and playtime in its 20-hour story to go toe-to-toe with many ‘full price’ titles. Still, this fall is stacked and there’s high demand for your time and money.”

The gaming landscape has seen a notable shift in pricing strategies lately. Titles like last year’s Mafia: The Old Country and last month’s Star Wars Zero Company, which might have previously launched at $60 or $70, have instead debuted at $50 on Steam. This trend is also evident among indie games.

Gameplay clips but I cut away before anyone gets hurt to avoid the censor algorithm.

— Valor Mortis (@ValorMortis) September 14, 2026

Mina the Hollower launched at just $20, even as similar games were creeping up toward $30. With a flood of affordable yet high-quality games hitting Steam, including breakout hits like Peak, developers are eager to find ways to stand out and achieve early success.

“This is something we’ve really agonized over,” said Blake Rochkind, head of Valor Mortis. “My biggest concern was that it would send the wrong message about the game. But this decision is made out of confidence.”

He emphasized the crowded release window. Even with a few weeks’ buffer from major titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, a packed calendar means potential players might already have their time and money committed elsewhere. Set to release on October 13, Valor Mortis places you in the role of a former Napoleonic soldier wielding supernatural powers against battlefield horrors. While the concept is intriguing, even innovative ideas and solid execution don’t guarantee success in today’s market.

“We are pretty confident in Valor Mortis. But ultimately, the worst thing we could do is not push our chips in and say, ‘We want this to be a game that you can pick up alongside these other great games,’” Rochkind added. “A developer I spoke to recently had a lot of success with a game priced at $30, which would probably be $40 today. One thing they said that really stuck with me is: ‘We never regretted being an ‘and’ game. We never regretted pricing our game as something that you can pick up alongside other games.’ Going with this price point will help us be an ‘and’ game.”