Dont buy Civ5 : Dont be the sheep

[evrett37]

I saw a blog post that explained the relationship between players and developers very well. The article is about Activision-Blizzard and wow but its the same problem we have with 2k/Firaxis

http://dechionsplace.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/blizzard-likes-farmville-too-bad-we-are-the-sheep/

Businesses make their money by keeping their customers happy.

What a lot of people don’t realize (or choose to forget) is that the player is not the customer.

The players of Blizzard games (or any company’s games for that matter) are no more the customer than the sheep are the shepherds customer.

They are the resource, the source of the profit.

You, me, my kids, everyone that plays the game are just part of Blizzards vast herd of sheep.

Like the sheep, players need to be fed and maintained just enough shiny new things to keep us nice and docile so that we are still around, still making wool (or paying $15 a month as the case might be).

The stockholders of the company are the real customers.

When you are wondering why in the hell they come up with ideas remember a lot depends on your point of view.

Just as a Shepard would gladly feed a few sheep to the wolves if it ment getting thousands more in return, so Blizzard has no problem losing a few of its long term customers in exchange for a whole lot of new ones.

I feel this is exactly how 2k-Firaxis has treated the longtime fans of Civ. We are here to be fed, maintained and exploited as a resource. They are not interested in our high bar threshold so much as our low and even then I'm guesing they are willing to cull some of the herd if it serves their plans. The relationship is completely one sided and there is no better evidence o this than the lack of communication from the developer. They dont send us a communicator - they send us a marketing advertiser who distributes information in"exclusive" blurbs. It hasnt always been this way. The 2k marketing reps are a sign of the illness, if you will, that has come to the body of civ's design. A change in the paradigm from games for gamers to games for mass appeal and profit.

One of the mods wrote that this forum is here to support the game we love. Sometimes, if you truly love something, you have to kick it out the door and let it go clean itself up. Tough love is also a kind of love and if we buy Civ 5 we are supporting the unhealthy relationship, disfunctional communication style and greedy, quantity over quality plan for the future. Its selfish to say we need the game so much that we will allow this toxic posion to blossom in its governance.

If you love Civ - dont buy Civ 5

 

[DarkMaster]

Alright then. I'll be a happy sheep then, playing Civ 5 until 6am and dreaming about strategies to take over the world and you'll a conscious, not easily manipulated player who keeps posting on this forums and not having fun playing the newest Civ.

Sounds good to me.

 

[mtxdevil]

Right. And how is this any different from any other retail company?

I'll be buying the new ciV happily - just because it's ciV. You can go ahead and boycott cars, clothes, food, tvs, cell phones, sports teams, houses, and anything else that makes you feel like you're the "sheep" to satisfy stockholders.

 

[MrDogbert]

wow someone just found their red flag.

 

[markieness]

Yeah, i think its possible to look so deeply into somthing that you lose all sight of it.

Its a game.

If you think youll like it, buy it. If not, don't.

 

[Earthling]

Really the criticism of Blizzard is kinda sad and I wouldn't have treated that as analogous- Activision has had a couple hiccups but Blizzard is still going to be doing awesome with great games. It's been nothing close to as sad as what 2k has been doing with various games.

 

[...behind you!]

So you read a blog by some guy who spends his entire life in WOW and pretty much hates himself and the his tiny world and you somehow come to the conclusion that his ramblings are deep insight into the real world? Then you come here and tell everyone how you came to this deep and meaningful insight and how this tripe is now THE TRUTH. And then you fail to see the irony in this? Wow (not the game).

 

[TheMystic]

I disagree, gamers are customers that very clearly speak with their wallets. Very few gamers are living the life of sheep willing to accept anything thrown their way. If a beloved studio begins churning out bad games, the community will dwindle and consumers will be more hesitant to buy the next product made. Blizzard just can't start churning out garbage with the expectations that sales will remain the same. If they believed in the sheep concept they wouldn't have shelved projects like Starcraft Ghost or Warcraft Adventures.

Lack of sales on a product that requires an investment of millions delivers a very strong message, and it's really not the kind that you're obviously thinking of. The real message is typically that the product is not performing well enough in the marketplace to warrant additional investment. There are very rarely second chances offered in the game industry, especially when it comes to PC exclusive games.

I suggest that you pull up the 2008-09 Take-Two annual report if you want some more insight as to how lucky we are to still have studios like Firaxis around. Look at the ratio of console game sales compared to those on the PC. This is mirrored at pretty much every big publisher out there. The fact that we can still get exclusive full budget PC games aside from MMOs is almost a miracle in itself.

If you want to see mainly PC oriented studios like Firaxis crash and burn then by all means continue to try to get people to boycott. I think it's extremely silly though. Firaxis tries to deliver what their customers want, and the fact is that when it comes to game design you really can't please everybody.

 

[12agnar0k]

comparing a $15 a month game like wow with no real development taking place, and a staple of development that is civ is ludicrous.

 

[bjbrains]

So whatever happened to that protest Everett? Oh, that's right, you don't have any credibility. How about I just buy Civ 5 and enjoy it instead of not playing it in some kind of misguided attempt to change 2K's policies?

 

[Midnight-Blue766]

Moderator Action: *snip*

 

[TheMystic]

As a reference, you can see the distribution of net revenue by platform on page 103 of the 2008-09 annual report. Here's a breakdown of just 2009:

Xbox 360: $283mil
PS3: $113mil
PC: $78mil
Wii: $76mil
PSP: $51mil
PS2: $48mil
DS: $45mil

From a business standpoint, the PC platform based off 2009 numbers has about as much value as the Wii. You have to remember though that PCs are not standardized like consoles. PC developers have to support a wide variety of hardware, software, operating systems, etc.

 

[Tylerryan79]

If we all buy the game, and beyond those who already hate it now, and think it sucks, we won't play it! Then we won't buy the dlc, expansions, and any other garbage. That will speak louder then your attempt of all out boycott. Sure they may have gotten money right off the bat from first sales etc, but we will think twice if the game is a failure. So far, in civ, I haven't been let down. As of right now there are things I'm curious about, maybe a tad worried. Until I play the game I won't no for sure if it was worth the money or not, but I will give it a chance. If it is a failure, in the sense of the model they sell dlc, then they will think twice about trying that again, or change the model they sell dlc and expansions. Untill they do it we won't know. If your right in all your fears, I will gladly join you! First I must play and see.

 

[boredatwork]

Unless Firaxis majorly screws up I'll be happily going back for my next meal. They've changed the menu up this time around and it's looking delicious.

BAAaaaaHHH

 

[StStutter]

There is a 100% chance I buy civ5. We are customers, they are a business. Their job is to make a profit. Period. One of the best ways to do this is by producing good games. This is what they do and ahve done for the last 20 years. Period.

I quite frankly couldn't care what I'm thought of by these corporations. I spend my money where I think it will give me the most pleasure (usually tavern wenches) and I figure this is a pretty good investment considering its low price tag and the hours of enjoyment I'll get from it.

The only way to truly say scruw you to these corporate heads that you hate so much is by ignoring them. Don't be swayed. Make sure you make your decisions based on what you want. Not what they do.

 

[CurseUppl]

People always doomsay during a game's development. It's one of the reasons why many companies choose to keep their customers-to-be in the dark until imminent release.

Frankly, would've been nice if Firaxis had done the same.

*snip*

Just in case anyone ignores the 2008 figures, PC revenues have doubled while all others except for DS have dropped. I'd say that's partly due to Steam and other gaming distribution platforms. It's not all doom and gloom with the PC platform as it makes it out to be at first glance.

 

[kozzer]

Wait, but if I listen to you evrett37 then I'd be a sheep for doing that! Hmmm. Buy the game, sheep. Listen to evrett37, sheep. Either way I'm a sheep. Therefore, I'm going to opt for the more fun version of being a sheep and buy the game. Wait, I already did!

 

[TheMystic]

Just in case anyone ignores the 2008 figures, PC revenues have doubled while all others except for DS have dropped. I'd say that's partly due to Steam and other gaming distribution platforms. It's not all doom and gloom with the PC platform as it makes it out to be at first glance.

2008 was a GTA year though, you're better off comparing 07 and 09. It's pretty obvious that 360 (and consoles in general) are where the money is for 2K year after year.

 

[azzaman333]

I'm going to buy 2 copies of Civ5 to spite you.

 

[arstal]

I disagree, gamers are customers that very clearly speak with their wallets. Very few gamers are living the life of sheep willing to accept anything thrown their way. If a beloved studio begins churning out bad games, the community will dwindle and consumers will be more hesitant to buy the next product made. Blizzard just can't start churning out garbage with the expectations that sales will remain the same. If they believed in the sheep concept they wouldn't have shelved projects like Starcraft Ghost or Warcraft Adventures.

If you want to see mainly PC oriented studios like Firaxis crash and burn then by all means continue to try to get people to boycott. I think it's extremely silly though. Firaxis tries to deliver what their customers want, and the fact is that when it comes to game design you really can't please everybody.

MW2 gamers say hi and prove your point wrong.

As for Firaxis, if Civ V flops, all it means is that they were bled dry by 2K. Eventually they'd get a job somewhere else, and we'd get something good again.

Civ V is not going to be the best game of all time. Something better will ALWAYS come along. I'm willing to walk.