GameStop Wants to Snag Exclusive Gameplay as Preorder Bonuses
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Sure they do. Their business model is dying. More and more people choose to download their games instead of going to a store every year. They are desperately looking for a hook to stay relevant.
From a developer standpoint it can make sense too. In addition to the money GameStop will have to shell out for these exclusive rights they can get our money by encouraging preorders before we know if a game is good or not.
From a gamer perspective it sucks. I prefer downloads for the games I buy and I'm done preordering. If any developer is dumb enough to put a significant part of their game behind the GameStop wall I'll just skip that game.
From a developer standpoint it can make sense too. In addition to the money GameStop will have to shell out for these exclusive rights they can get our money by encouraging preorders before we know if a game is good or not.
From a gamer perspective it sucks. I prefer downloads for the games I buy and I'm done preordering. If any developer is dumb enough to put a significant part of their game behind the GameStop wall I'll just skip that game.
I don't think developers will be on board for this. For one, it's VERY bad PR, and will only hurt their sales in the long run. Also, it pisses off the other vendors. Last thing you want is for someone like Amazon to be pissed and pull all your products off their site. Finally, now these developers would have to deal with two different versions of the game that they have to support. As a software developer myself, the more versions of anything you have out there, the more likely something will mess up. Hell look at all the issues Watch_Dogs had stemming from their various DLC packages.
I think this is just a pipe dream for Gamestop that they decided to throw out there just to test the waters as to what sort of reaction they'd get to such an idea. Hopefully this is the last we'll hear of this absurd money grabbing scheme.
I think this is just a pipe dream for Gamestop that they decided to throw out there just to test the waters as to what sort of reaction they'd get to such an idea. Hopefully this is the last we'll hear of this absurd money grabbing scheme.
If GameStop wants to stay in business, they should pursue offering a significant DLC offer with preorders, such as half-off of the season pass or the first significant DLC release for free, whether its a map pack or story level (i.e., not a skin, special weapon, in-game coin or unlocked skills, etc). I know that could sway me back to pre-ordering anticipated AAA releases. Otherwise, the incentive just isn't there anymore when you know most titles will drop to ~$30 in the first two months. Or a GOTY edition will release within the year at a $40 price point (I'm looking at you Batman Arkham City).
What they really need to do is stop tying pre-orders to DLC and game content. Amazon and other vendors will often give discounts or give you a store credit for ordering with them. I'd rather do a pre-order with a $15 gift card than getting a bunch of skins or random DLC stuff that doesn't enhance my gaming experience. Hell the only reason I decided to preorder Arkham Knight was not so much for the DLC, but because I got it for nearly 40% off. Yes, in this day and age, it's better to "wait" to make sure a game is good, but Rocksteady has done pretty damn well in my book to earn my trust with the preorder.
I couldn't agree more, but I'm just not seeing those discounts like I did a few years ago for PS3 games when I got caught in the Amazon loop of almost always receiving a $10-$20 credit on future video game purchases with each pre-order. I actually ended up pre-ordering games I normally wouldn't have, like Enslaved, because those credits would expire after a few weeks if I didn't use them. Amazon still offers a credit from time to time on select games, but not enough that I would get stuck in the loop of buying only from them again. That's why I suggested if GameStop or other retailers are going to dangle DLC bonuses as an enticement to pre-order, they'll need to make it worth $10+ of playable content for me to bite anymore.
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