STOP Preordering Games

AP21
AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
ya''ll can just read the bolded

http://kotaku.com/stop-preordering-video-games-1713802537

It seems like everywhere you look, a new video game is broken. Your time and your money deserve better.

So stop preordering video games.

This isn’t the first time I’ve said this. It won’t be the last. More than anything else—the advertising, the budgets, the DLC—it’s the culture surrounding preorders that is most responsible for the trail of broken and unfinished games that clutter the sales charts, and for the anger and angst that follow in its wake.

There once was a time, 10-15 years ago, when the concept of pre-ordering made sense. Every video game on the market was pressed onto a disc, and those discs had to be manufactured, shipped and sold in a store. Often, due to demand, popular games would sell out, leading to frustrated customers (and lost profits for businesses).

Soon enough, though, companies like Gamestop and Amazon figured out that if you could pay for a game before it shipped, then you could avoid missing out. Publishers would have a better idea of how many boxes they’d actually need to ship, and customers could guarantee they’d get hold of the latest game as soon as it was released, avoiding the small but genuine heartache of a sold-out sign.

It was a good arrangement! At least, it was for a time. It didn’t take long for publishers and retailers to realise, though, that once a customer put their money down for a game that wasn’t finished, that customer was on the hook.

Usually, preordering the game only costs a percentage of the final price. You pay a small sum up front, and the full price when you pick up the game. You may think that by putting $10 (or more!) down on a game you’re interested in, you’re reserving yourself a copy. Maybe getting some sweet Collector’s Edition swag. But in the eyes of publishers, you’re a guaranteed sale, regardless of what kind of state the game actually ships in once it’s deemed finished.

This is a serious problem. There once was a time when, even moreso than advertising, video game reviews and word of mouth played the most important part in determining the success of a new game. A commercial can tell you anything, but if someone you know or at least trust has played a game you’re interested in and has an opinion on it, that information is far more useful.

“This game is awesome!” is what an advertisement will tell you. “This game is kinda ok but also broken in parts and runs badly!” is what a friend or a review might say. One of those things is a lot more useful than the other.

If you’re in the business of making or selling video games, opinions can be bad for business. Same goes for facts, like the fact that a game doesn’t run well on PC, or the fact that the credits roll after just a few boring hours. Preordering removes both of those things from the equation. By getting your commitment to purchase a game in advance, when all you’ve got to go on is a marketing campaign, you’re signaling that you’re totally cool spending $40-$60 on a game simply on the strength of how it’s been marketed.

Time was, you could download a demo of a game and try it out at home. Why have demos more or less ceased to exist? Preorders are why. Want to know why exclusive missions and items are withheld from everyone’s game and are instead sprinkled across various competing retailers? Preorders are why. Want to know why it’s now accepted that you can sometimes pay more for a multiplayer game and start with a competitive advantage? Preorders are why.

Last fall’s Assassin’s Creed Unity launched with noticeable technical issues on consoles and PC. What incentive does Ubisoft have to improve the next game in the series if people are already preordering it? What incentive does Microsoft have for learning from its disastrous Halo: The Master Chief Collection if tons of fans have gone ahead and put down money for Halo 5? Little to none.

Warner Bros.’s move to take Arkham Knight off Steam is almost unprecedented, and I’m guessing there’s a reason for that: Steam’s new refund policy. As Arkham Knight’s PC version fell on its face, Steam users were for the first time exercising their rights en masse to get their money back. Publishers have been taking abuse and criticism for years and simply rolling with it. They’ll promise fixes and sometimes they’ll deliver; sometimes they won’t. While I don’t know how many people actually got Steam refunds for Arkham Knight, I’d guess that Warner was taking enough of a financial hit that they pulled the game—again, almost unprecedented for a AAA game like this one—and promised to come back when it was fixed.


It’s 2015. Most games are available digitally. As for retail, there are vastly improved metrics for determining the popularity of a game at the time of release, so your chances of missing out on a copy at launch are slim. And even if you do miss out, it’s not the end of the world: take the day or two that you’re on the sideline to see if the game you thought looked cool in a trailer actually looks cool on YouTube or Twitch. See if your friend who bought it says it’s fun; see what your favorite video game website thinks of it.

In terms of exclusive pre-order “goodies”... snap out of it. The stuff you’re getting with “Collector’s Editions” is not for collectors. It’s junk. It’s mostly just cheap figures and statues, useless trinkets, over-sized boxes and half-assed art books. If you really want to be a superfan and own some cool stuff associated with your favorite game, take the money you save by not buying a $100-200 Collector’s Edition and go buy an actual art book, or hit up etsy and get a fan-made blaster pistol to mount on your wall. In terms of bonus skins and weapons... no matter how much you want that golden shotgun or Adam West Batman skin, consider letting it go. Even if the exclusive digital stuff is genuinely cool, like a free mission or an interesting set of in-game abilities, it’s still inextricably tied to a practice designed to get as much of your money up front as possible.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Lovers of obscure imported video games often need to preorder because that’s the only way publishers like XSEED can get copies into stores. And while brand new games are an unknown quantity, stuff like Legacy of the Void’s prologue missions—a mini-campaign available which preorder customers will get before anyone else—seems a pretty good deal. But stuff like this is the exception, not the rule.

I’m not saying stop being interested in video games. Not even upcoming ones (though it’s almost always more fun to talk about games that already exist). We all love games; games are rad. People get excited about Fallout 4, about Persona 5, about Halo 5, and about whatever else. That’s all cool. I’m not even suggesting that through some amazing feat of internet-enabled activism, we’ll be able to collectively send publishers a message and get them to stop pushing preorders. That’s never going to happen.

But when it comes down to it, preorders suck. They’re a ? practice, and they exist not to serve you, but to serve the people who sell video games. Participating in a ? practice helps propagate that ? practice. So stop participating.
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Comments

  • Trollio
    Trollio Members Posts: 25,815 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • Negro_Caesar
    Negro_Caesar Members Posts: 6,752 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ? this was dumb. Y not preorder a game if u know u wanna get it regardless, might as well get a wack ass statue or a new controller skin. I see the point of the article but ? aint going to change cause ? are going to continue to buy ?
  • AP21
    AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
    i agree that the masses will still buy ?

    thats why people gotta start talking with their wallets

    My whole point for being anti-preorder is b/c it no longer serves a purpose.

    Also, I aint paying full price for a game ever in life again, so whats the purpose of pre ordering? I aint one of these "day 1, ? i gotta have it" dudes either. I have other ? going on in life so it might be a month or two before i really have time to sit down and actually give it my undivided attention. By that time, i will have gotten it for at least 30%-50%. Not bad a bad tradeoff

    And let me let you in on a lil secretfam. A lot of the day one extra skins ? is already apart of the games that ship. I can go into gamestop literally the same day as you, and get the extra incentives you did without preordering. They dont just keep a pallet of discs with the games that contain the preorder bonuses and a pallet with non preorder bonuses.

  • dogfromduckhunt
    dogfromduckhunt Members Posts: 694 ✭✭✭✭
    Don't see a valid argument against preorders in there. Came across as more of an argument for not picking up games at all if a previous release from ::insert a developer:: was garbage. No idea why he even tossed in the bit about Collector's Editions in there, that just sounded like rambling.
  • CJ
    CJ Members Posts: 15,312 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Can't remember the last game I preordered
  • The Recipe
    The Recipe Members Posts: 10,570 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I dont preorder either. There bad for consumers, you spend 60 dollars for 65 to 85% percent of the game then gotta drop 5.99 to 49.99 for the rest of the game. ? I barely buy games new. Most of them ? aint worth 60 anyway. Only 2 out of my 10 PS4 games where bought new. Them joints that you gone beat and be done with like Batman. Buy them joints a month or 2 later for 20-30 from craigslist or from the ? shop beat it in a resonable amount of time and resale it for 15 to 30. Ive probably spent 150 to 200 on 10 games.
  • Melanin_Enriched
    Melanin_Enriched Members Posts: 22,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ? buying games at all. License transfer is the truth
  • AP21
    AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Don't see a valid argument against preorders in there. Came across as more of an argument for not picking up games at all if a previous release from ::insert a developer:: was garbage. No idea why he even tossed in the bit about Collector's Editions in there, that just sounded like rambling.

    really fam?

    well, if the purpose of the preorder was to guarantee you that you would get a copy of a game that had the potential to sellout is no longer the case, why still preorder games?

    Forget about all the "extra" ? thrown in. The original intent of preordering was to make sure you got a copy before the game sold out.

    That is just simply no longer the case anymore. I dont remember one game that has sold out in probably 5-8 years or maybe more.

    That aside, the point about the collectors edition is saying that the ? is cheaply made so why buy it in the first place? Its not like its some 1 of 1 ? that would probably appreciate in value. It is poorly made and not made for practical use. Remember the RC car with the "sticky bomb" from one of the Call of duty games that came as a deluxe game edition? How many people you know 1) still even play that particular game and 2) how many people you know even bought it? The reports i read complained about the RC cars breaking and ? .

    If you go to a site like Etsy or somewhere else, you can truly get a custom made piece of artwork as a collector b/c that person is more than likely going to only make so many copies b/c of the level of detail and work that goes into making the item.

    I LOVE the Fallout series, but i've seen WAY too many custom made pip boys that ACTUALLY look/function like a pip boy without looking like that plastic pos Bethesda is giving away with the deluxe edition. Looks like a Halloween prop toy tbh.

    custom pip boy
    fan_made_fallout_3_pipboy_3000.jpg

    Pip-boy-final-3.jpg

    Fallout 4 pre order pipboy
    fallout-42.jpg?w=720&cdnnode=1
  • playmaker88
    playmaker88 Members Posts: 67,905 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Pre-Ordering was the ? 2-3 year ago especially via Amazon.. you'd get 20 dollars off of the next purchase i didnt pay full price for a game for a while and got it delivered to my steps.. This sounds like a case for arguing just to argue.. i aint gonna lie i didnt read the OP.. Where is the harm.
  • AP21
    AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
    got dammit @playmaker88 lol, read just the bolded parts lol
  • lord nemesis
    lord nemesis Members Posts: 11,946 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I get the spirit of the article, but if I know I'm going to get a game then I'm going to pre-order it. I only really follow reviews on games that I'm iffy about or if they're from a developer I'm not overly familiar with.
  • The Recipe
    The Recipe Members Posts: 10,570 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bruh I just copped evolve for 20 dollars you get 3 monsters and 12 hunters stock. And all future map dlc is free. Now an additional monster and a few skins are 15.00 and 4 hunters called a Hunting season pass is 25.00, the prices were just dropped to 9.99 and 14.99 like in the last 2 or 3 days.

    Now they've dropped Hunters season pass 2 for 25.00, 4 new hunters and 1 monster. Now if you preorder you a ? around and miss this shiesty ? . But when you dont preorder you see all this ? and get the best deal and a better idea of what your getting your self into.

    Im totally done with dlc and preorders, unless the code still works that comes with my used games. If it wasnt good enough to put in the shipped game ? it im cool with just playing the base game.
  • AP21
    AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I get the spirit of the article, but if I know I'm going to get a game then I'm going to pre-order it. I only really follow reviews on games that I'm iffy about or if they're from a developer I'm not overly familiar with.

    but the thing about this fam is some times, and im hesitant to say most times, those professional journalists/reviewers have different versions of the games that actually get shipped to consumers. Their "review" copy might not be the one you actually play. Some of them admit that upfront and always preface their article with saying "the build i received..." or something similar, but they have only so long to play the game before they have to have their article up once the embargo is expired

    why not just wait until places like the IC or other places you frequent give an opinion on the game. Im not saying there are journalists who dont try to be as blunt as possible, but i've seen where some of these dudes are on the take...straight up...and their review may say one thing trashing the game, but the score is like an 8 or 9.

    Another reason why im glad i switched to PC. Those steam reviews are probably some of the most honest non troll ? you will read. Also, the site rockpapershotgun tells it JUST like it is...if the game is good, it gets the praise, but if it sucks, man do they go in...

    you still shouldn't preorder a game fam even if you know you will get it
  • willhustle
    willhustle Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 6,550 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'm at the point now where I'm about to stop pre-ordering games unless I know for certain I'm get quality gameplay w/a good damn story which most games are not able to do. Also, I remember when pre-order bonuses were worth purchasing a game in advance, now you get ? DLC like 2k with those VC points. I think when fall 2015 game releases hit stores I'm sitting on my money until Black Friday & holiday sales comes. Too many AAA games drop and they think people supposed to pay $59.99 on day 1. A lot of them are NOT worth the price tag.

    If I can't find a deal on a game I want I wait for a price drop because I don't like paying $60 for games. I've bought 3-4 physical copy games this year so far and I only paid full price for 2 of them.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
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  • dogfromduckhunt
    dogfromduckhunt Members Posts: 694 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2015
    AP21 wrote: »
    Don't see a valid argument against preorders in there. Came across as more of an argument for not picking up games at all if a previous release from ::insert a developer:: was garbage. No idea why he even tossed in the bit about Collector's Editions in there, that just sounded like rambling.

    really fam?

    well, if the purpose of the preorder was to guarantee you that you would get a copy of a game that had the potential to sellout is no longer the case, why still preorder games?

    Forget about all the "extra" ? thrown in. The original intent of preordering was to make sure you got a copy before the game sold out.

    That is just simply no longer the case anymore. I dont remember one game that has sold out in probably 5-8 years or maybe more.

    That's why I don't see the harm of preorders if it's a game you know you were going to pick up anyway when it released. The extras would just be a bonus to get you through the door of whatever store you went to. That's also why I thought the article was making a stronger argument for not buying games at all(or waiting for a price drop) rather than not preordering them. I agree with him as far as speaking with you wallet. I preordered Total War Rome 2 and Simcity 2013. Had nothing to do with advertising or any bonuses, but just off the strength of SimCity 4 and Shogun 2. I'll sit on my wallet for atleast two years after the next Total War game and I won't buy another SimCity since Cities Skylines should be in discussions for GOTY.

    Far as collector's editions. I'd say that's a toss up. If I couldve caught it at Bestbuy, I would've picked up that pipboy edition since it was $30 more than just the game. That homemade one looks nice as hell too but I'm less likely to consider it since it's probably pushing $150. I see value in both though. Going by the article, he thinks the cheaper one is garbage. For me, thats up to whoever picks them up.
  • Melanin_Enriched
    Melanin_Enriched Members Posts: 22,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Instant gratification....


    ? aint thinking, just trying to keep up with folk that dont give a ? .

    Alls it is.

    Same reason ? gota have new j's day one like it some how matters.
    Or the ? that buy every cod game that come out day 1, check there stats and they got like 1 day total of playing time. No disrespect of course to those this applies to.
  • AP21
    AP21 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 17,743 ✭✭✭✭✭
    AP21 wrote: »
    Don't see a valid argument against preorders in there. Came across as more of an argument for not picking up games at all if a previous release from ::insert a developer:: was garbage. No idea why he even tossed in the bit about Collector's Editions in there, that just sounded like rambling.

    really fam?

    well, if the purpose of the preorder was to guarantee you that you would get a copy of a game that had the potential to sellout is no longer the case, why still preorder games?

    Forget about all the "extra" ? thrown in. The original intent of preordering was to make sure you got a copy before the game sold out.

    That is just simply no longer the case anymore. I dont remember one game that has sold out in probably 5-8 years or maybe more.

    That's why I don't see the harm of preorders if it's a game you know you were going to pick up anyway when it released. The extras would just be a bonus to get you through the door of whatever store you went to. That's also why I thought the article was making a stronger argument for not buying games at all(or waiting for a price drop) rather than not preordering them. I agree with him as far as speaking with you wallet. I preordered Total War Rome 2 and Simcity 2013. Had nothing to do with advertising or any bonuses, but just off the strength of SimCity 4 and Shogun 2. I'll sit on my wallet for atleast two years after the next Total War game and I won't buy another SimCity since Cities Skylines should probably in discussions for GOTY.

    Far as collector's editions. I'd say that's a toss up. If I couldve caught it at Bestbuy, I would've picked up that pipboy edition since it was $30 more than just the game. That homemade one looks nice as hell too but I'm less likely to consider it since it's probably pushing $150. I see value in both though. Going by the article, he thinks the cheaper one is garbage. For me, thats up to whoever picks them up.

    good counter fam, but like i said in a previous post, the extra content that you get from preordering a game exists on other discs at the store so you dont have to preorder it at all. You will get access to the same exact stuff a dude who preordered the game will. Just try it. Go on day 1 if you feel like you just gotta have the game and watch if a dude preordered the game. They get your disc from the same place as his b/c they have the same stuff on it.
  • Melanin_Enriched
    Melanin_Enriched Members Posts: 22,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Its true Ive got pre order content without pre ordering by just walking in on day 1
  • achewon87
    achewon87 Members Posts: 5,464 ✭✭✭✭✭
    That custom pip boy is dope

    Word...

    That official one is just a smart phone case cover lmao...

    If I want the collector's edition I pre order if not I just wait...
  • reapin505
    reapin505 Members Posts: 4,009 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agreed, that said if I had the money I'd preorder the ? outta the mgsv ps4
  • jee504
    jee504 Members Posts: 6,945 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I mean if you got the money and can do it then go for it. As for how cheap I am I'll wait for a game like a greatest hits or game of the year edition. Nowadays to me games just aren't worth $60. I rather play the games I haven't played in a while and go shop around for deals. Multiplayer, extra skins, etc. don't appeal to me at all.
  • T-Rel
    T-Rel Members Posts: 2,875 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't pre order, and not interested in dlc for most games.
  • kzzl
    kzzl Members Posts: 7,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
    AP21 wrote: »
    i agree that the masses will still buy ?

    thats why people gotta start talking with their wallets

    My whole point for being anti-preorder is b/c it no longer serves a purpose.

    Also, I aint paying full price for a game ever in life again, so whats the purpose of pre ordering? I aint one of these "day 1, ? i gotta have it" dudes either. I have other ? going on in life so it might be a month or two before i really have time to sit down and actually give it my undivided attention. By that time, i will have gotten it for at least 30%-50%. Not bad a bad tradeoff

    And let me let you in on a lil secretfam. A lot of the day one extra skins ? is already apart of the games that ship. I can go into gamestop literally the same day as you, and get the extra incentives you did without preordering. They dont just keep a pallet of discs with the games that contain the preorder bonuses and a pallet with non preorder bonuses.

    Gotta cosign the last part. I haven't preordered in years. Last three games I got from Wal Mart, just snatched it off the shelf, and they all had the preorder bonuses for that game in the box.

    There's definitely some truth there.