The Pre-Order Bribe
As gamers for over 35 years (wow) we’ve watched the price of video games go from $25 to the present $64 price point and you can bet these prices will continue to escalate as new consoles are created and brought to the market. Because of this we are very critical when choosing the games we play and when labeling a game as being great. There are multiple assets that steer us clear of purchasing a game which are, but not limited to, the following:
Poor graphics, repetitive gameplay/ environments, lack of online play/ co-op, short game length, etc.
These are common characteristics you tend to find in poor games but sadly there is a new practice amongst game developers that, in our opinion, sucks. This practice includes an accomplice who is none other than the video game retail giant GameStop. What is happening between developers and GameStop is what we call ‘The Pre-Order Bribe’. It’s when GameStop will give you a code for pre-ordering a game which will then unlock extra features in the purchased game. These features may include bonus levels, weapons, secret items, clothing, etc.
Take for example, Assassin’s Creed 2, GameStop will give you a code that unlocks Palazzo Medici , a really cool level that is not available unless you purchase the game early. For the gamer this is entirely unfortunate. You now have developers making extra content for GameStop instead of you the gamer, the paying customer! If you pay $64, no matter when you should be entitled to the WHOLE GAME. You may wonder how can this effect the game and it’s content. Let’s say the developer is in full production of a great game and has created several mind blowing levels for your enjoyment but then GameStop comes in and offers the developer a price for one of the levels that would normally come with the game and now is only available to you if you pre-order the game. See how this gets ugly really fast? The practice of the ‘pre-order bribe’ is an example of corporations influencing developers to stop looking at the customer first and to start looking at ways of making more money instead of great games which, in the end, will net the same results.
E_Stone
Power to the Gamers!!
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E_Stone you hit it right on the head. This practice is becoming too common today. This same thing happened with CAPCOM’s Bionic Commando yet the game was very underwhelming. It seems as though developers are looking to fill their pockets by any means necessary in order to off-set the potential of their game bombing at retail. From a business standpoint I can understand the reasoning behind it however, better development strategies should go into delivering better titles for gamers. The Pre-Order Bribe is definitely a way to take more money out of the gamers pocket regardless of the games quality. E_Stone as you stated, we are already paying $62 per title. Developers should not buy into this as it only pimps gamers.
Posted on June 26th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
[...] out, these added features are only playable depending on where you pre-order from. Yes, the Pre-Order Bribe is in full effect and not only from GAMESTOP. What happened to the days when gamers were able to [...]
Posted on July 21st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
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