Anyone else hoping to see this...

[Jubbly]

Sid Mier announcing: (in a pilots voice) Uhhhh.....Since we love our fans so much everyone who pre-ordered digitally can play since the game is done and all we are doing is waiting, which doesn't make any sense to wait one moment longer. We have your money our product is finished so here you go....buckle up...

 

[Darth Caesar]

Yeah.

 

[JoeHollywood]

The day game companies start doing this to their own street dates...

Is the day those companies go out of business...

At least in the short term.

As soon as downloaded games get a week head start on retail establishments, the retail establishments go out of business due to smaller/non-existant margins...

When that happens, game companies have their sales cut by about 2/3rds or so.

Game company dies.

 

[Jubbly]

The day game companies start doing this to their own street dates...

Is the day those companies go out of business...

At least in the short term.

As soon as downloaded games get a week head start on retail establishments, the retail establishments go out of business due to smaller/non-existant margins...

When that happens, game companies have their sales cut by about 2/3rds or so.

Game company dies.

No only businesses with a bad business model such as stores that sell games only will be greatly affected. Game developers could cut out the middle men, making more money, so they could pay devs more money who need it pretty badly from what I understand. Its inevitable that games and movies become digital entirely, they can be controlled much better, and guarantee more sales because you can't share readily. Netflix, Hulu, Steam, D2D are doing it right thank god. Consoles are all in the transition of selling games online, Microsoft and Sony are pushing it increasing the amount of storage space, because they are losing a lot of money with all the DVDs, cases, pamphlets.

Edit - Also if your house burns down or hit by a tornado. You will be thankful all your stuff is digital you can just redownload it.

 

[rastak]

No only businesses with a bad business model such as stores that sell games only will be greatly affected. Game developers could cut out the middle men, making more money, so they could pay devs more money who need it pretty badly from what I understand. Its inevitable that games and movies become digital entirely, they can be controlled much better, and guarantee more sales because you can't share readily. Netflix, Hulu, Steam, D2D are doing it right thank god. Consoles are all in the transition of selling games online, Microsoft and Sony are pushing it increasing the amount of storage space, because they are losing a lot of money with all the DVDs, cases, pamphlets.

Edit - Also if your house burns down or hit by a tornado. You will be thankful all your stuff is digital you can just redownload it.

That would be the least of your worries.

 

[paradigmx]

Game retailers are abandoning PC games as it is, the EB by my place used to have a wall of PC games, now they have a little stand in the corner of the store with about 20 games on it. Theres no resale value in PC games so they don't want them anymore since most of those companies make their profits in the used games department. PC games are too easily copied and most of them link to something like Battle.net or Steam now so theres no guarantee that the game they are selling second hand is even going to work anymore.

Screw retailers, most of my PC game purchases over the past 2 years have been over Steam, Impulse or D2D anyway.

 

[bhavv]

No only businesses with a bad business model such as stores that sell games only will be greatly affected. Game developers could cut out the middle men, making more money, so they could pay devs more money who need it pretty badly from what I understand. Its inevitable that games and movies become digital entirely, they can be controlled much better, and guarantee more sales because you can't share readily. Netflix, Hulu, Steam, D2D are doing it right thank god. Consoles are all in the transition of selling games online, Microsoft and Sony are pushing it increasing the amount of storage space, because they are losing a lot of money with all the DVDs, cases, pamphlets.

Edit - Also if your house burns down or hit by a tornado. You will be thankful all your stuff is digital you can just redownload it.

I have to completely disagree with everything you just said.

Stores that sell games have been around for far longer than digital downloads. They dont have a bad business model at all, they simply sell games that developers have made on CDs / DVDs.

Just because you now have the option of getting games via digital download, doesnt mean that game stores should be penalised.

If your house burns down, then you can claim insurance for your games collection, simple. And if all you think should your house burn down is 'Thankfully, all my games are digital', then you must have something seriously wrong with your head that needs fixing.

You would also loose all of your books / magazines anything else like that in a fire, that isnt a reason to buy books on digital download to read on a PC screen instead.

 

[General Tso]

They also want to keep the current method because it spreads the download time for the initial buyers over a couple of weeks.

 

[Alsark]

Unfortunately you could probably count on two hands the number of games that have been released early (at least, any game that mattered).

 

[Jubbly]

I have to completely disagree with everything you just said.

Do you think Blockbuster is a good business model? I'm sorry if I care for the game developers, and I'm sorry you want EB to cash in off their success. I'd rather pay the devs directly than Steam, but Steam doesn't make near as much as EB, and they provide you with the latest up to date version of the game for free. By the way EB games has the tiniest section of PC games. EB and Gamestop are the same company too. Wal-Mart and Best Buy will always carry PC games, for your type of consumer that's assured.

 

[Jubbly]

Unfortunately you could probably count on two hands the number of games that have been released early (at least, any game that mattered).

*wipes tears* I don't know of any that have been released early.

 

[bhavv]

Do you think Blockbuster is a good business model?

No but I think that Game is a good business model. They are specialists at selling video games at retail, and offer great service and price, and they have never let me down in over a decade of buying games from them.

Why exactly should they go out of business and have so many people lose their jobs just because you think their business is bad?

and I'm sorry you want EB to cash in off their success.

What exactly is your problem with people making money from selling software? It creates jobs which is a good thing for all those people that are employed in the business.

Steam cash in lots from digital sales, so why dont you complain about that or having them shut down for profiting off the games they sell as well?

 

[Jubbly]

If your house burns down, then you can claim insurance for your games collection, simple. And if all you think should your house burn down is 'Thankfully, all my games are digital', then you must have something seriously wrong with your head that needs fixing.

If insurance covers you completely you will be lucky, and not everyone has insurance. And my head is definitely needs fixing because in the event of fire I would charge in and save my computer.

 

[Alsark]

*wipes tears* I don't know of any that have been released early.

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days released a week early. Demigod and Supreme Commander 2 were also released early (I don't much know the details behind these, though - I saw it on a site). There was one other game I remember hearing released early, but I forget what it was.

... So, yeah, it unfortunately doesn't happen very often. But luckily for us, plenty of games get released late!

 

[Jubbly]

To everything you said

This is a first hearing anyone defend EB games seriously. I am speechless. Their return policy is you can't return it, that is crazy. They will buy some stuff back but for peanuts. Even if you just walk out of the store and walk back in with the game. They can resell one copy of the game 3 or 4 times and you still don't understand the people that struggle making the game, aren't getting six figures at the end of the project, most get laid off.

 

[Alsark]

This is a first hearing anyone defend EB games seriously. I am speechless. Their return policy is you can't return it, that is crazy. They will buy some stuff back but for peanuts. Even if you just walk out of the store and walk back in with the game. They can resell one copy of the game 3 or 4 times and you still don't understand the people that struggle making the game, aren't getting six figures at the end of the project, most get laid off.

Double post block! Huzzah!

 

[City Builder]

Sid Mier announcing: (in a pilots voice) Uhhhh.....Since we love our fans so much everyone who pre-ordered digitally can play since the game is done and all we are doing is waiting, which doesn't make any sense to wait one moment longer. We have your money our product is finished so here you go....buckle up...

Similar, I was starting to doze off last night after my most recent 7 day insomnia fight, and thought... 'wouldn't it be great if they announced on Friday that they were releasing the game today', then I came back to reality and realized that the brick and mortars some of them anyway aren't likely to get the game to their stores until Monday or Tuesday morning so not likely to ever see it happen.

But yeah, wouldn't it be a nice weekend present to find it unlocked in my steam account tomorrow to give me something new to do for the weekend.

I rarely go to an EB or a gamestop, they just don't have the selection that Steam has. The only time I'll shop there anymore is if they happen to carry a new title that can't be gotten digitally. All the PC shops that carry the PC games has pretty much screwed over the consumer by no longer carrying as many titles, they are only interested in carrying the top best known titles to ensure that they move them off the shelf, that leaves out a lot of some decent games that will never see the light of day in a physical shop. They've not done me any favors and quite honestly I couldn't care less if Best Buy, EB, Gamestop or any of the other brick and mortar stores just dry up and blow away.

If they want to start carrying more titles for the PC gaming world, then I'll start to favor them with my wallet again, until then, I'll stick to Steam, Impulse, GamersGate and to a much lesser extent, D2D.

Honestly, I don't see what the big fuss is. Those that are going to shop for their digital copy of the game are going to do so, those that want a physical copy are still going to go to their best buys, walmarts, eb's etc. If I was still a die hard brick and mortar type of consumer, having a game release on steam 7 days prior to it being available at the store, would not sway me to buy it on steam. I still know many gamers that refuse to buy games digitally as they WANT their disk and hopefully a manual, and have never swayed from this so far, I imagine there are many people out there that don't want to buy from places like steam and or don't even know they exist.

Hell, I didn't know about steam until a couple years after they launched, and I still know people today that when I tell them to get on their computer and google up such and such, they stare at me with a blank expression wondering what I'm talking about.

 

[bhavv]

This is a first hearing anyone defend EB games seriously. I am speechless. Their return policy is you can't return it, that is crazy.

I dont live in America so I dont care about your stores.

In the UK, ALL retail stores including ones that sell games must have at least a 7 day return policy by trading laws.

If EB have such a bad service, then simply shop somewhere else? Why do you want to penalize every other video game store across the world by suggesting that digital downloads be released several weeks before their release date just because one or two retail companies where you live have bad service?

Also, your problem with blockbuster and EB seems entirely to do with second hand sales, you do realise that second hand stores and sales are completely different to buying brand new retail products right? Actually, it doesnt look like you do.

Anyhow:

http://www.game.co.uk/Help/~h9824/Returns/

GAME operates a 28 day returns policy.

Any software may be returned for refund or exchange within 28 days of the despatch date, providing that the seal remains unbroken on the software.

Faulty software where the seal has been broken may be returned up to 3 months after the despatch date.

Hardware or peripherals may be opened for the purpose of inspection (but not used) and may be returned for refund or exchange within 28 days of the despatch date. Please note that hardware must contain every component part (cables, memory sticks etc.) before it can be accepted as a return.

Orders for TVs, Projectors, Laptops, Cameras and Mobile Phones purchased through our website may be cancelled up to seven working days from the day after the day on which they are received.
Faulty hardware may be returned for a like-for-like exchange up to 12 months after the despatch date.

This does not affect your statutory rights.

No, I definately wouldnt like to see Game go out of business.

Their return policy is you can't return it, that is crazy.

So steam is crazy too then, so is direct2drive. Why do you still want to buy from them if they dont give refunds?

 

[Jubbly]

Double post block! Huzzah!

I just got done cleaning the water I spewed on my keyboard from laughing reading this. It felt like acid was in my cheeks.

 

[Jubbly]

I dont live in America so I dont care about your stores.

In the UK, ALL retail stores including ones that sell games must have at least a 7 day return policy by trading laws.

If EB have such a bad service, then simply shop somewhere else? Why do you want to penalize every other video game store across the world by suggesting that digital downloads be released several weeks before their release date just because one or two retail companies where you live have bad service?

Also, your problem with blockbuster and EB seems entirely to do with second hand sales, you do realise that second hand stores and sales are completely different to buying brand new retail products right? Actually, it doesnt look like you do.

We are talking about completely different stores mate. I'd probably shop there to buy a cheap console game. American Gamestop is very different, at our gamestop its just a high school or college job so temp jobs. I don't like seeing any businesses going under I should have been clear on that. I don't know of any other stores that sounds exclusively games. They will have to adapt to sell games to try and compete with digital download, but there is little hope of that.