'Goat Simulator' set for retail release

Word-of-mouth hit "Goat Simulator" is heading for physical incarnation with a May 23 date set for Europe.

Word-of-mouth hit 'Goat Simulator' is heading for physical incarnation with a May 23 date set for Europe.

The PC game's boxed edition is being handled by German group Koch Media but, despite a deal between Koch and Lace Mamba -- which produced the extravagant Ultra Rare Edition for fellow indie hit 'Super Meat Boy' -- the EU release will remain relatively barebones. A goat's happiness doesn't depend on luxury, after all.

Instead, Swedish developer Coffee Stain Studios announced plans for free content updates to the freestyling insanity of 'Goat Simulator,' which was initially released as a Windows PC download on April 1.

'Free updates can in some cases make more financial sense than selling DLCs on Steam,' wrote Coffee Stain's Armin Ibrisagic on industry analysis site Gamasutra.

It's a strategy that's been employed for a wide variety of titles, from 'Angry Birds' and 'Minecraft' through to popular MMO 'Guild Wars 2' and intense action RPG 'Path of Exile.'

'People might not buy your game full price right after release, but if you keep adding content and supporting the game with free updates they might pick it up on a sale,' Armin reasoned. ''Terraria' topped the Steam sales list when it released its huge 1.2 patch for free.'

'The value of free content updates are often overlooked, when they might actually be the best way to go both for your company, and for your fans.'

Hence May's planned downloadable update for all owners of 'Goat Sim,' whether old, new, or coming via retail channels.

Included will be splitscreen local multiplayer, goat parkour, a new area with a giant ferris wheel, additional goat types, extra achievements and, with a bit of luck, goat-compatible bicycles.