Developer David Szymanski, known for his work on indie titles Dusk and Iron Lung, has seen criticism from players for recently raising the price of short horror title Iron Lung. Raising the price of the game from its original $6 price tag to $8, Szymanski responded by saying that he doesn’t care if people choose to buy the game or not.
“Once again, Iron Lung‘s price went up because the game is worth $8 so I want to charge $8, because I want to earn more money,” said Szymanski. “If you don’t agree with this price, I don’t want your money. Go pirate it or something idc.”
When a player accused him of “only doing this for the money”, Szymanksi responded affirmatively, stating that if he didn’t want to make money by making games, he would give them away for free.
“Yes, no f**king s**t, I make games for a living,” he said. “If I didn’t want to earn money from them I wouldn’t charge money for them. I like the business model of ‘I want money so I make something that I think is worth money, and you pay me that money and you get the thing, and we’re all happy’ That’s it. There’s nothing complicated or hidden here.”
“If you don’t think the things I make are worth the money I charge, that’s completely ok,” he continues. “Don’t buy them, or wait for a deep sale, or go the sneaky route and get them for free or whatever, and please tell me that so I can adjust the prices for whatever I release next.”
Szymanski originally announced the price increase all the way back in October, stating that the intent was to ensure that Iron Lung was priced competitively for the long haul. The announcement also stated that all future updates and content for Iron Lung would remain free for all owners of the game.
The most recent game Szymanski has worked on is indie immersive sim Gloomwood, which was released on Steam as an Early Access title back in September 2022.