Arc System Works’ fighting game, Guilty Gear Strive, has received an unexpected price hike on Steam across all regions.
The fighting game developer posted a repackaging notice on the digital distribution platform, which went into effect starting from August 24, 2023. As a result of this, previous editions of Guilty Gear Strive have been removed on Steam and the price of the base game has seen an increase from 25% to 90%, as pointed out by Twitter user FGC_Daily.
As seen in the above SteamDB price comparison chart for Guilty Gear Strive across all regions, the Argentinian and Turkish Steam stores have seen the biggest price hike for the base game.
For the uninitiated, Guilty Gear Strive is the seventh mainline installment of the Guilty Gear fighting game series, and the 25th overall. The game launched in June 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows platforms, followed by a release in Japanese arcades in July 2021. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in March 2023.
Designed as a comprehensive re-imagining of the franchise, Guilty Gear Strive maintains the series’ core essence while overhauling various features and mechanics. Notably, the game omits the signature “Instant Kill” mechanic. A new element called the “Wall Break” feature has been introduced, permitting stage transitions when initiating a combo in the corner of the arena.
The game’s narrative picks up after the events of Guilty Gear Xrd and serves as the culmination of Sol Badguy’s storyline, often referred to as the Gear Hunters Saga. Set in Washington, D.C., the story focuses on Sol Badguy’s ultimate confrontation with That Man, Asuka R. Kreutz.
The game’s base roster includes fifteen playable characters. Returning from previous installments are Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, Axl Low, Chipp Zanuff, Potemkin, Faust, Millia Rage, Zato-1, Ramlethal Valentine, Leo Whitefang, Anji Mito, and I-No. Additionally, two new characters are introduced: Nagoriyuki, a Nightless vampire samurai with the ability to enhance his attack power by draining opponents’ blood, and Giovanna, a special operations unit officer accompanied by her wolf spirit, Rei.
