there are the likes of South of Midnight and Clair Obscur launching at $50.

Beautiful games, both. But again, they aren't having the full court press of advertising like a new Call of Duty or Final Fantasy or Diablo would.

That's the real cost savings. You don't need to change $80+ for a game if you aren't focused entirely on presale figures to justify your studio's budget.

Incidentally, you also get to focus on a better game. Balatro didn't need wall to wall subway ads in New York to end up on everyone's phones.