Cheap Gaming: Valor Mortis is launching soon, and the developers have announced the game's starting price. The Soulslike will be relatively affordable, or at least cheaper than many competing games, as it is launching in close proximity to several other major releases.
One More Level (OML), the studio behind the critically acclaimed first-person "runner" Ghostrunner, is almost ready to launch its new game. Valor Mortis will apply the developer's experience with first-person games to the Soulslike genre and will apparently require a smaller upfront payment than other "triple-A" productions while still offering a complete game experience.
The official Valor Mortis account recently shared the tidbit on social media. The game will launch on October 13 and cost $40/€40. The studio spent a year debating the game's final price, which will offer players a 20-hour story set in an alternative, supernatural take on Napoleon's war in Eastern Europe during the 19th century.
The studio is confident in the quality of its product and its chances of succeeding against other "full-price" titles. However, Valor Mortis is also launching alongside many high-profile games and is one of the few original IPs competing against some massively popular franchises that gamers already know well.
One More Level highlights how this fall is going to be pretty "stacked" in terms of gaming releases. A partial list of games scheduled for release in October includes Gears of War: E-Day, Ace Combat 8, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Final Fantasy Resonance, and Phantom Blade Zero. Meanwhile, September releases include Marvel's Wolverine, Silent Hill: Townfall, Control Resonant, and more.
Needless to say, many of these games will cost more than Valor Mortis. According to publisher Lyrical Games, the price the developers agreed upon could eventually send the wrong message to potential customers. The recent social post was framed as a reassuring message about the quality of Valor Mortis, which OML says will bring a novel twist to Soulslikes and first-person action games.
The developers are also wary of pre-orders, asking players to judge the complete version of their game instead. However, in the same message, OML also pre-announced additional paid and free content that will launch in a future update. OML doesn't want gamers to pre-order its game, but it is now asking "collectors" to buy the Deluxe Edition of Valor Mortis and the upcoming DLC for $60/€60.
– Valor Mortis (@ValorMortis) September 17, 2026
Despite the somewhat contradictory stance, OML's message is likely to add even more fuel to the growing debate over the price of modern game releases. Many recent and upcoming titles cost significantly more than Valor Mortis' $40 price tag, with the GTA VI blockbuster having a "reasonable" $80 price tag compared with the previously rumored $100 base price.