The Hidden and Unknown Costs $1999 on Steam: Wait, What?

Developers are allowed to set their own price for their games on Valve's digital storefront, Steam, but a new game released on 23 January 2023 might just take the proverbial cake. It is called The Hidden and Unknown, and it costs an eye-watering $1,999.90 USD, or £1,679.09.

Being from South Africa, I headed to the game's Steam page and checked. The pricing was 16,550. That's enough for a second-hand car or about eight months of medical insurance.

Thankfully, the game takes under two (2) hours to complete, so those who purchase it for this crazy amount could use Steam's refund feature (if they play under two hours) to get the money back into their Steam Wallet.

It is quite shocking to see, but why did the developer do such a thing?

The Hidden and Unknown Dev Explains Extreme Price Tag

The Hidden and Unknown was developed by ProX, an indie dev founded by a person known as The Pro...

Thanks to a report by TheGamer, we have some insight into this massive price tag for a two-hour game on Steam as they caught up with "The Pro." Via the report, check out the justification for The Hidden and Unknown's price tag.

The reason for the price tag is that I wouldn't want to just sell my own life for pennies, as to me, the story means more than just a pure 'game'. 

I understand if there are people who do not believe that this price tag is reasonable, and I do not judge them, actually, on the contrary, I believe that no one should buy it, that can't afford it. Even then, I made sure that the game is just below two hours of playtime, so you can finish the entire story, and then refund the game as to ensure that you do not feel cheated out of your money. I do not wish to get any people into financial trouble, I just price my game as it feels right to me, which is my right.

While the price "feels right" to the developer, we are sure many gamers would disagree. Furthermore, if the price feels right, why intentionally make it so that gamers can complete it in just under two hours and request a refund? Odd...The key word here is "just," so if you do plan on purchasing it and requesting a refund, make sure to watch the timer!

What is The Hidden and Unknown?

The Hidden and Unknown is a story-based game, according to its Steam page. It "aims to widen the perception of its audience in the areas of psychology and philosophy."

The developer even added a line that says, "If you are often getting offended instead of reacting rationally, avoiding this game would be a wise action."

Check out the official description of The Hidden and Unknown, the most expensive game on Steam, below:

The world is filled with The Hidden and Unknown. A lot of things remain that way, but there are some things that shall be shared as they are crucial for the evolution of our civilization.

The easiest way to share some of these facts is through made-up stories that let real people save face, and yet still teach us the necessary lessons.

The first story shows us just how much a seemingly small and insignificant action can change one's life. Many times, these actions are not even in our hands or are seemingly random.

The details of the stories are not even as important, the lessons that we learn from them are the ones that we should remember.

Everyone has a story that can teach them something, so do not ignore the reality you are facing and try to think about it instead.

While something with this kind of price tag is intriguing, we might just wait for a sale. To be clear, a 99% off sale, as 50% off, would still put The Hidden and Unknown's price tag on Steam at a whopping $999 USD.

Yes, folks, the first month of 2023 isn't even done...