October is going to be a tough month for anyone on a budget, as a ton of big games are coming up. Sandwiched between an already-packed September and the November release of GTA 6, how does any game stand out from the pack? In the case of Valor Mortis, a launch price of $40–and day-one availability via Xbox Game Pass–might be a winning combination to help it shift units.
“We’ve had many discussions over the past year about the price of Valor Mortis,” developer One More Level and publisher Lyrical Games wrote in a statement. “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.”
One More Level added that cosmetic packs will also be released in the next few months, and if players want to support the studio, they can purchase a Deluxe Edition that includes unique weapon skins alongside the base game and a “major” story expansion arriving in 2027.
Speaking to The Game Business, Lyrical Games boss Blake Rochkind said the decision to price Valor Mortis at $40 came from confidence in the game. “We find ourselves as one of the only new IPs launching in what is objectively the craziest fall in the history of this business,” Rochkind said. “Not only do you have GTA looming large in November, now you have the Zelda remake, Control coming out in a couple of weeks, Silent Hill: Townfall, Phantom Blade Zero, Gears of War, Call of Duty–by virtue of the development schedule, the cards we’ve been dealt is that we are one of the only new IPs launching this fall.”
Rochkind added that selling Valor Mortis for $40 allows it to be an “and game,” something that players could add to their basket while purchasing one of the high-priced titles out later this year. Having it launch day one through Game Pass also helps it reach players who might have ignored it and probably wouldn’t have bought it in the first place. “Game Pass has reached a maturity point in this business where there are ‘Game Pass gamers’–people who play games on Game Pass and were unlikely to buy the game day and date anyway,” Rochkind explained. “We’re happy to be on Game Pass, and I’m not really concerned about cannibalization. For every game that is ‘cannibalized’ by Game Pass, another game gets amazing word-of-mouth because of it.”
Announced last year, Valor Mortis is a new entry in the souls-like genre, but with a twist—it’s in first-person. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, players find themselves exploring European battlefields infested with strange monsters caused by a mysterious, plague-like substance. As a revived Grande Armée soldier known only as William, it’s up to you to master strange new skills and powers to stay one step ahead of Napoleon’s monsters and their telegraphed attack patterns.
Originally scheduled to launch on September 24, Valor Mortis will now launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 13.
