We will pay for the missing/removed Age in the future?

[canadamufc]

So it is reasonable to limit its cut off date.

No, actually, it isn't, because if I buy your base game, I should have the right to purchase your add ons when I want. Don't exploit my FOMO.

I can't believe people continue to defend this anti-consumer practice.

 

[canadamufc]

Why does the trust Firaxis built up with Civ VI - or V, IV, III, II and I - not count for Civ VII?

New game direction perhaps? What if, hypothetically, they bombed their civ switching mechanics, ages, etc etc. That's a loss of trust. It goes from game to game, you can't expect all games from Firaxis to have the same quality.

In fact, they already bombed their UI, and many people lost their trust after that debacle. I will still give them the faith to fix it (That's why I am still playing the game, because it is fun otherwise); I believe in second-chances, but the way they released the UI is exactly why you don't trust the company the same for every game. They're not equivalent.

 

[gdr_willter]

No, actually, it isn't, because if I buy your base game, I should have the right to purchase your add ons when I want. Don't exploit my FOMO.

I can't believe people continue to defend this anti-consumer practice.

I don't know why everything must be accessible in anytime. It mostly just a bonus, luxury feature. If you don't feel such value for it, don't buy it. If you missed it, could be sad but acceptable because the decorations are not necessary to play game. If you mad about those 2 personas, okay. But I don't agree it's so valuable to be upset so much.

Every merchandise is limited from customers. By money, by quantity, by time, even by hardware spec. Just accept it, it's a normal situation in every market.

 

[gdr_willter]

Actually, I think that it's more close to a donation. Gamers who want to support dev process in early sale will buy the Founders Edition. Firaxis appreciate them, and provide the bonus feature as a favor. This concept is quite a common thing in many games.

 

[canadamufc]

I don't know why everything must be accessible in anytime.

Because if I pay $90CAD for the base game I should be able to buy the add-ons when I want? I would accept if it was something F2P like Overwatch but Civ is not that type of game.

decorations

Not decorations.

But I don't agree it's so valuable to be upset so much.

I actually don’t even care about the Personas that much, I care more about the monetization scheme that is very obviously gone the way of anti-consumer (what we are talking about + selling DLC before base game release + having different “levels” of game purchase). I will call it out the same way I criticized Overwatch 2 originally (although Overwatch was much worse), anti-consumer is anti-consumer no matter who it comes from.

And by the way, just because YOU are happy to pay full price no questions asked (which is your right), doesn’t mean that others are not allowed to have reservations and worry about the monetization of the game.

 

[Leyrann]

Because if I pay $90CAD for the base game I should be able to buy the add-ons when I want?

"Because I should be able to" is not exactly the greatest argument when someone asks "why should you be able to?".

 

[canadamufc]

The reason is right there in exactly what you quoted, I’ll let you find it.

Hint: it has something to do with already paying for the base game.

I think that reason is sufficient enough.

 

[gdr_willter]

The base game and bonus contents are just another merchandise, they don't have any necessary linkage in business model. You can say they have to, but no clue or reason for it.

 

[Leyrann]

The reason is right there in exactly what you quoted, I’ll let you find it.

Hint: it has something to do with already paying for the base game.

I think that reason is sufficient enough.

So imagine I go to a shop and buy an outfit, but decide not to buy the hat that comes with it.

I then go back to the shop two years later and demand that they sell me that hat because I want it for my outfit after all.

Surely you won't say that it's weird if they tell me they're no longer selling (or even producing) the hat?

 

[Noble Zarkon]

No, actually, it isn't, because if I buy your base game, I should have the right to purchase your add ons when I want.

Why should you have the right to dictate a company's strategy?

We get you don't like some aspects of the current games industry but you are going way over the top here.

 

[StargazingDog]

Pre-Ordering DLC before the base game is even released and you don't even know the contents of what's in the DLC is almost unheard of though and is absolutely ridiculous.

This will be my last post on the matter, but I agree with most of what you have said here. In fact, I posted this exact sentiment here on the forums (prior to Firaxis giving any info about content or pricing)!

Post in thread 'Should I get founders or deluxe editions?'

Jan 12, 2025

So these "edition packs", I don't care for the skins or tile sets or all that other nonsense. Do we know if one can buy the personas individually or is it exclusive to the pack?

This is the issue. We know nothing. We don't know what will be sold separately. We don't know what price they will assign to any DLC. We don't know when it will be released. There is no information on which to base a decision.

IMHO, buy the standard edition. If and when they actually release DLC packs, decide then. Don't get FOMO'd into buying due to some "personas" or a multiplayer banner or some digital...

• StargazingDog

Pre-ordering a digital game in advance is the definition of insanity. I made an exception for Civ 7 because it happened to release just as I had a week off of work, and I haven't been part of a Civ launch since Civ 3. Even then, I would not have done so if Firaxis hadn't released the road map.

The only rationale for Founder's Edition becoming unavailable is to maintain the "value" for those who purchased it. Of course, the initial reason for the edition to exist is purely FOMO inducement. I bought Founder's, but only because Fanatical was selling the game, with no sales tax, at a discount (total of 26% off). This brought the total cost down to below what deluxe would cost on Steam. Otherwise, I wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole. Although, Fanatical was selling legit codes direct from 2K, so maybe I fell right into their trap.

 

[Leyrann]

I made an exception for Civ 7 because it happened to release just as I had a week off of work

Huh, that's funny, I happen to have a week off of work whenever a major game that I'm interested in releases, Civ VII included. I wonder how that could possibly be?

Personally, I bought the Founders Edition because it was made clear that every component included in it contained multiple Civs and Leaders, and I knew that I would want to buy all content that included them anyway, so I might as well buy the entire package and get some extra bonuses from doing so, while presumably also saving a few bucks (selling the separate parts for less than the bundle is a very quick method of throwing your PR into the gutter after all). It actually took me a month to make the decision after they first made it available, which was precisely because I wasn't a fan of the clear monetization strategy, and I went for it only because of that realization.

 

[Ryansinbela]

I think that’s the same mentality that I have

I bought it on my birthday because it felt like the perfect time to buy something exorbitant

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Difference is that they didn't put SSBU Fighters Pass for sale before the game released did they.

I mean it went for sale on launch day. I just don't see the difference between a whole 24 hours on whether that makes something "predatory".

Why does the trust Firaxis built up with Civ VI - or V, IV, III, II and I - not count for Civ VII?

That's why I originally asked the question. At least the roadmap is laid out clearer for this game than it even was for the Digital Deluxe version of Civ 6.

Personally, I bought the Founders Edition because it was made clear that every component included in it contained multiple Civs and Leaders, and I knew that I would want to buy all content that included them anyway,

That's usually how I am too when I love a game, I'm a completionist. Give me all the content for it.

 

[penvzila]

Even EA (and yes, they do abuse the DLC model) need to see cash returns to its projects at some point. No one can just keep throwing money at a game (or any other project!) for however long it takes to get ready - eventually even the very deepest pockets will hit a "Release or cancel" point where there is no more funding that can reasonably be put on the project.

Early Access, Crowdfunding and DLCs are all ways of ensuring the game get a cash flow while development continues, thus prolonging how long the game can be in development. They do get abused by some ; but that some abuse it does not make cash flow management less of a necessity for all games.

As someone who works in a similar industry, none of that is any customer's problem.

 

[Evie]

A customer's problem stop at deciding whether or not to buy the good. It doesn't include making baseless claims as to the motives and reasons behind change in the business.

If you want to start the later, then being uninformed about the difficulties, costs and struggles inherent in the industry is, in fact, your problem.

You don't get to be an amateur economists when it comes to criticizing businesses but a mere customer when it comes to avoiding criticism of yourself. Pick a lane, and stick with it.

 

[penvzila]

As a customer, I don't care about the difficulties, costs, and struggles inherent in the industry. I can guarantee you, that no corporation that publishes video games cares about mine.

 

[Evie]

If you accuse video game companies of greed, you don't get to say that you don't care about the reasons for their changing practice

If you do that, then you do care: that's exactly what the accusation of greed is about. You're just not interested in whether that reason is actually true.

Too bad, so sad. If you provide explanations like "greed", you get to be called out on the accuracy of those explanations, and if you make it clear then that you don't care whether your explanation is true - then you don't get to be taken seriously anymore.

 

[Timothy001]

2K and Firaxis has in my opinion earned a little bit of trust. Look at what happened with the first DLC from CiVI. They had planned 4 DLC, then there were severe changes in the currency world, and in some areas, they could buy the 4 DLC individualy, cheaper than the set. What did they do, they added 2 more DLC to the set, to make up the difference. If they do release a 4th age, they could do it in several ways. A free patch, DLC Content, Expansion etc. They could follow Victoria 3's model. 4th Age is free, but additional content is paid DLC. As long as they continue to update and support the base game, they can release as much DLC as they want.

 

[Leyrann]

As a customer, I don't care about the difficulties, costs, and struggles inherent in the industry. I can guarantee you, that no corporation that publishes video games cares about mine.

And last I checked, no corporation that publishes video games is complaining about you not buying them.