Home Gaming GameStop's future pre-order bonus could involve exclusive portions of a game

GameStop's future pre-order bonus could involve exclusive portions of a game

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36

Batman-Arkham-Knight

In theory, pre-ordering a game should bestow on a player various bonuses for placing their faith in a developer at an early stage, while shaving a few bucks off the release price. In practice however, it usually results in merely some exclusive cosmetic content and buggerall else. That’s the approach that most games take these days. But what US gaming franchise GameStop has in mind just sounds completely wrong.

According to a report on GamesBeat, GameStop met up with investment company R.W.Baird to talk about the future, with one analyst speaking about the discussions that went on. “[GamesStop] indicated that software publishers are more enthusiastic about partnering with it,” Baird’s Colin Sebastian wrote.

“For example, by offering exclusive content on each major game release, and longer term, future models may include GameStop offering exclusive gameplay.” When pressed for further clarification as to what “future model” meant, Sebastion added that GameStop was thinking about “getting involved at the time of game development where there could be some content exclusive to [the retailer] included in the game.”

Sweet Atari, no. Look at Watch Dogs as an example of a game having far too many pre-order incentives. Just look at that horrifying list. Now imagine swathes of your upcoming favourite game, with levels locked to you unless you pre-order the GameStop version. Or the inevitable other levels that rival retailers will have when they adopt this model.

And when asked for a comment by GamesBeat, GameStop said that the reports were “accurate”.

“We are working with our [development] partners to build in a longer lead time,” GameStop public-relations spokesperson Jackie Smith told GamesBeat. “And we are working with them to get both physical and digital exclusives for our customers.”

This is all in the conceptual phase at the moment, mind you. But it sounds like the worst idea since someone said ‘yeah let’s take this suspiciously large wooden horse into Troy, statues are all the rage this season’.”

Last Updated: July 8, 2014

36 Comments

  1. Disgusting

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 8, 2014 at 11:02

      Just like Darryns microwave

      Reply

      • Kensei Seraph

        July 8, 2014 at 11:03

        Darryn’s microwave is probably cleaner.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          July 8, 2014 at 11:07

          But he microwaves his underwear in it

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief Fairburne

          July 8, 2014 at 11:16

          And THAT is saying a LOT

          Reply

      • Admiral Chief Fairburne

        July 8, 2014 at 11:16

        Euch, I forgot about that

        Reply

    • Greylingad

      July 8, 2014 at 11:05

      You said it man!

      Reply

  2. Umar Reborn XIV

    July 8, 2014 at 10:36

    Thing is right….What else are retailers to do with the impeding doom of digital looming over thier heads

    Reply

    • Viking Of Science

      July 8, 2014 at 10:41

      on console, physical is still, and will remain the de-facto medium (at least for a few more years). for every 1 person that buys digital, there are hundreds that buy physical discs…

      For reference Steam launched in 03/04? and really only started taking off around 2010ish….

      Gamestop wants all the US moneys…

      Reply

      • Umar Reborn XIV

        July 8, 2014 at 10:45

        True, I read it’s at about 20 percent now and in 2018 it will be about 50. If that forcast is right, thats a huge leap in such a short span of time..That is a scary fact for retailers. Obviously they’re gonna try dry running these models

        Reply

        • Viking Of Science

          July 8, 2014 at 10:57

          And I’m sure a high percentage of that 20% are games that are ONLY distributed digitally. would love to read that article if you have a link.

          Reply

          • Umar Reborn XIV

            July 8, 2014 at 11:00

            Will check if I can find it. Good point

    • konfab aka derp

      July 8, 2014 at 10:55

      I can foresee that retailers will become like comic book shops. Selling things like collector’s editions.

      Reply

      • Spaffy

        July 8, 2014 at 11:12

        Isn’t that already the case?

        Reply

  3. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 8, 2014 at 10:36

    Any dev/pub that does this will instantly lose any respect from me. Except for EA of course, that ship has sailed.

    Reply

    • Kensei Seraph

      July 8, 2014 at 10:41

      This implies that Ubisoft still has respect from you?

      Reply

      • Sith JJ

        July 8, 2014 at 10:59

        They’re on really thin ice with me. I haven’t installed Splinter Cell Blacklist yet, and I suspect that’s what’s going to push Ubisoft into my rubbish bin with EA.

        Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        July 8, 2014 at 11:12

        A bit, not much. EA was just the lucky winner because I can’t buy their new games through Steam.

        Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 8, 2014 at 10:58

      sailed and sunk.

      Reply

  4. Jonah Cash

    July 8, 2014 at 10:37

    Read this last night while lying in bed….

    Reply

  5. Milesh Bhana

    July 8, 2014 at 10:38

    i don’t actually have an issue with this.
    if Gamespot wants to fund the development for an extra level, then why not? It’s never going to be an essential piece anyway.

    it’ll be like the Catwoman levels in Arkham City. Those who preordered got it, but while it was a nice addition, you didn’t actually miss much if you didn’t have it.

    Reply

  6. Kensei Seraph

    July 8, 2014 at 10:41

    I was sorting some of my gifs and found this one.
    It describes the situation perfectly.
    http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/aqmzrzj_460sa.gif

    Reply

  7. Hammersteyn

    July 8, 2014 at 11:01

  8. Sith JJ

    July 8, 2014 at 11:05

    As you say Darryn, pre-orders (and actually early access also) should give the person willing to take that risk and who’s that much of a supporter something extra, because they do deserve it.

    Reply

  9. FoxOneZA

    July 8, 2014 at 11:10

    Congratulations GameStop on looking at every means possible to keep disc based gaming alive.

    Now we all know why you made such a huge fuss over online DRM so you can just have your own way with disc based DRM.

    Well played but we the gamers, we’ll be the ones not playing games in their entirety in the future thanks to GameStop.

    Reply

  10. Greylingad

    July 8, 2014 at 11:10

    You know… I get that they want to have “branded” exclusive content, but it’s really ridiculous, the wart dogs thing proved that it’s stupid, why still try and force everything into that direction, there is one thing about consumerism, where you get what you pay for, but having exclusive content and having to buy, I dunno, 80 copies of the same game to get access to all of the content is just ridiculous….

    Reply

    • Milesh Bhana

      July 8, 2014 at 11:44

      it’s only an issue for completionists. The game without this extra level will still be complete, the content would be an extra.

      it would be really kuk if they linked an achievement/trophy to retailer exclusive content. But i don’t think any dev is that stupid.

      Reply

      • Greylingad

        July 8, 2014 at 11:47

        True!! but I won’t be amazed if they do start giving achievements for exclusive content, it is after all the next step…

        Reply

  11. CAE9872

    July 8, 2014 at 11:30

    I checked to make sure it wasn’t April 1st…I was wrong.

    Reply

  12. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    July 8, 2014 at 11:43

    Mmmmmmm….. Capitalism! Doesn’t it just make your heart swell with pride and joy?

    Reply

  13. Craig Lotter

    July 8, 2014 at 11:51

    It would be interesting to know how such an arrangement would benefit a game developer? Suspect it would mean that GameStop guarantees a minimum purchase order – which in that case is good news for the developer if the requested ‘exclusive’ isn’t a hell of a lot more work.

    Reply

  14. HisDivineOrder

    July 8, 2014 at 12:01

    Don’t worry. They’ll sell it to you post-release as DLC. For $9.99.

    Reply

  15. Consumer of Little Rabbits

    July 8, 2014 at 12:10

    Bodes well for no man (or woman)

    Reply

  16. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    July 8, 2014 at 13:04

    (The other Jim says it best)

    http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/9516-EA-Ubisoft-A-Cycle-of-Perpetration-and-Apology

    This is why I’m still not convinced that Dragon Age Inquisition will deliver….

    Reply

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