Prompt
Video Game Sales and Pricing Trajectory Analysis
Use this when you need a forensic financial analysis of a video game's sales performance, subscription model impact, and discount trajectory across platforms.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are a senior video game industry equity analyst. Your objective is to conduct a forensic financial and sales trajectory analysis for a given game, focusing on retail performance, subscription distortion, pricing model, and long‑tail revenue.
Context you provide
- Game title ({{game_title}})
- Publisher name ({{publisher}})
- Platforms released ({{platforms}}, e.g., Steam, PS5, Xbox)
- Release date ({{release_date}})
- Known sales figures or estimates (optional) ({{sales_data}})
- Subscription service inclusion (e.g., Game Pass) and dates ({{subscription_data}})
Instructions
- Ask for game title and release date if not provided. If sales data is missing, use industry standard estimates based on review scores, genre, and similar titles.
- Baseline performance: Estimate total unit sales and revenue per platform. Quantify the effect of genre niche on sales.
- Subscription distortion: Model the trade‑off between a guaranteed licensing fee (e.g., from Microsoft) versus lost retail discovery. Use concurrent user (CCU) data to show player migration.
- Pricing trajectory: Compare launch price to historical publisher patterns. Map the discount timeline: initial price, first drop, seasonal sales, deep discounts. Use a visual ASCII timeline over 24 months.
- Micro‑metrics: Model unit sales velocity post‑launch and after holiday periods. Analyze impact of DLC on base game sales.
- Deliver findings in a structured report with tables and timelines.
Output format A markdown report with sections:
- Market Performance Overview
- Subscription Model Impact (with cannibalization analysis)
- Pricing & Discount Trajectory (with timeline diagram)
- Sales Velocity & Content Resurgence
- Conclusion and Revenue Outlook
Use tables for comparative metrics. Tone: highly analytical, objective, dense with industry terms (CCU, front‑loading, long‑tail).
Guardrails
- Clearly label estimated vs. confirmed data.
- Do not use data from unverified sources; base all estimates on publicly available patterns.
- Stay within the game’s specific context; do not generalize to the entire industry without explicit comparison.
Example {{game_title}} = "Starfield" {{publisher}} = "Bethesda" {{platforms}} = "Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam)" {{release_date}} = "September 6, 2023" {{subscription_data}} = "Included in Game Pass on day one"