When the action role-playing game “Forspoken” from the Japanese publisher Square Enix was released in January of this year, expectations were high. However, instead of the hoped-for success, it received criticism and poor player numbers. Now the game is already being sold at a bargain price. Even in Germany, “Forspoken” is currently available for around 20 euros for the PS5.
Which game is it about?
- “Forspoken” tells the story of the New Yorker Frey. She is transported from her reality to the fantasy realm of Athia. There, she is regarded as the last hope and is supposed to save the world that is facing destruction.
- The open-world game was released on January 24, 2023, for PC and PS5.
- At release, the game cost us in Germany 79.99 euros. This price is now only held by the Steam version. Unless, as currently, there is a sale.
Forspoken is sold for not even half the price
What are the current prices? It is rare for a game to be offered so discounted in the release year as is currently the case with “Forspoken”.
In the autumn sale of Steam, the game is still available until November 28, 2023, at a massive 60% discount, costing only 31.99 euros. Console players can find it even cheaper. At MediaMarkt, the PS5 version is available for just 20 euros.
If you thought that was already cheap, you should take a look at some international offers. For instance, in Spain, the game costs between 14 and 17 euros. However, the leader in this regard is the United Kingdom. At the unbeatable price of just 9 euros, “Forspoken” is literally being sold off at the toy store Smyths Toys (via MGG France).
Negative criticism and lack of interest
Why is the interest so low? With a Metascore of 64 points for the PS5 version, and 63 points for the PC version, the game did not fare well with the press. The poor story, the bland open world, and the technical implementation were particularly criticized. Especially on the PS5, many players struggled with low FPS numbers.
The general interest of players was also lacking. Many found the proud price of around 80 euros simply too expensive. The mix of a magical fantasy universe and a trendy New York protagonist likely did not appeal to everyone. The humor is described by many players as cringeworthy and inappropriate.
Ultimately, the production costs of over 100 million US dollars were too much for the game to be profitable. Just a week after release, “Forspoken” first appeared in an Amazon sale. However, this did not benefit the game or the responsible developer studio Luminous Productions. The latter was dissolved shortly after its release.
In May, despite the devastating response, a story DLC called “In Tanta We Trust” was still released. However, the expansion did not lead to the desired success either. The huge price drop of the main game speaks volumes. Frey’s adventure has never been cheaper.
Did you try “Forspoken” at release? Or did you wait for a price adjustment?
A detailed review of the game can be found with our colleagues at GamePro.
