Google Stadia launched less than a month ago, but it just received one of its more higher profile releases in Darksiders Genesis. Darksiders Genesis isn't coming to consoles until February 14, 2020, giving Stadia owners the chance to try the game early. However, Darksiders Genesis is also available early on PC, and despite the two versions of the game being the same, there is a big difference between them, and that's the price.
The Google Stadia version of Darksiders Genesis costs $39.99. However, fans can pick up the PC version for $29.99, and they even had the chance to pre-order it on Steam for $25.50. No reason has been given as to why Darksiders Genesis is more expensive on Stadia, though Polygon reached out to publisher THQ Nordic for some clarification on the matter. THQ Nordic responded with, "THQ doesn’t comment on their price policy."
Usually when a game is more expensive on one platform versus the other, it's the Nintendo Switch version having the heftier price tag. One reason given for this is that Nintendo Switch games are more expensive to manufacture due to them coming on a cartridge instead of a disc, though that doesn't do a good job of explaining why digital versions of games are just as expensive as their physical counterparts. Stadia has no physical media to speak of, so that excuse also doesn't really apply here when trying to explain why Darksiders Genesis is more expensive on Google's new game streaming platform.
In our Darksiders Genesis review, we praised the game as being a step up from Darksiders 3 and delivering some genuine co-op fun, so it may arguably be worth the $39.99 Stadia is charging for it. Even so, it's easy to forgive fans if they don't want to pay more money for what is essentially the same product they can get on PC for $10 less.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how Darksiders Genesis is priced on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One when those versions of the game come out on February 14, 2020. It's possible that THQ Nordic always planned on having the Stadia and console versions of Darksiders Genesis priced at $39.99 and have the PC version be a little cheaper than the rest, but that hasn't been confirmed.
Fans will have to stay tuned to find out how much they'll have to pay to enjoy War and Strife's latest adventure when it comes to other platforms early next year.
Darksiders Genesis is out now for PC and Stadia, with the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions launching on February 14, 2020.
Source: Polygon