NIS America have announced they will be raising the prices of their games across PC digital stores such as Steam and Epic Games Store.

The announcement on NIS America’s website states “Following the conclusion of our sales on the Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, Stadia, and Steam, the prices of select titles on PC platforms will be updated. These changes will take effect starting July 19.”

It should be noted this is not the prices returning back to their un-discounted prices. For example (according to SteamDB), Disgaea PC was $14.99 USD prior to any discount. From July 19th, it will raise to $19.99 USD; the same as when it was first introduced to the store.

You can find the breakdown of the games and their new upcoming prices below; along with what their un-discounted prices they currently are on Steam (in brackets).

• The 25th Ward: The Silver Case. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Birthdays the Beginning. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• The Caligula Effect: Overdose. $49.99 USD ($29.99 USD)
• Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku!. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Cladun X2. $9.99 USD ($4.99 USD)
• Criminal Girls: Invite Only. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Disgaea PC. $19.99 USD ($14.99 USD)
• htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary. $9.99 USD ($4.99 USD)
• Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. $49.99 USD ($29.99 USD)
• The Longest Five Minutes. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Phantom Brave PC. $19.99 USD ($4.99 USD)
• PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• A Rose in the Twilight. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Yomawari: Night Alone. $19.99 USD ($9.99 USD)
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA. $59.99 USD ($39.99 USD)

Many of the above titles have been on Steam for several years, and had reduced prices over time.

The reaction to the news in the comment section of NIS America’s post and on Twitter have been nigh-universally negative. Along with criticisms with how the prices had been raised inconsistently across different regions, many expressed confusion over why older digital titles were raising in price with no major content updates.

Some users also cited Nippon Ichi Software’s allegedly being close to bankruptcy in 2019 [1, 2], while others suggested that discounts would still be applied to the games to bring them down to how they are currently, showing a large discount percentage. The latter is unlikely however, as it would be illegal in several countries.

We will keep you informed as we learn more.