One of the time honored traditions of the music, video, and game world is that of a street date. Your product that has to come out at the exact moment and exact day for the marketing blitz. As someone who has worked (and has a love for) the independent retailer realm, the other time honored tradition is NOT sticking to that date.
You know what? If you are one little neighborhood store competing against a hundred Best Buy’s, Gamestop’s, and every other chain known to man (even the local 7-11), I don’t begrudge anyone who begins to sell a game the moment the distributor is stupid enough to send it to them. Maybe I’m jaded and cutthroat anymore, but if the distributor is stupid enough to send the game early, and the retailer is stupid enough (if you feel that way) to offer it early, I am stupid enough to buy it!
I got a great kick out of what Rock Band 2 put in their game, a message on the Main Manu congratulating the player on scoring the game early. This of course would fit the spirit of a game about Rock & Roll, and is really refreshing. Hey, it’s a sale, and to them, getting that game in your hands and getting you to buy some DLC is the end goal. Who cares if you got it three days early? Go you!
This however sets up where the new street date will commence, and you can’t do anything about this one: digital content. No one is going to be able to get that download until the company posts it for you (and if you’re getting it early, it isn’t because you bought it early, it is because you pirated it early). With more and more stuff going DLC, even companies are changing their entire offerings from hard media to DLC (D3 Publishing this week for the PSP). The day everything goes digital is not a day I look forward to. While I enjoy the variation of having some stuff live on real media, and its extendability with DLC, I do not look forward to the day that everything is digital and the independent stores I love so much lose that feel. Thank goodness for older used systems to help it live on!
So, have you ever bought a game pre-street? I have a couple of times (not a ton since I try and avoid the new price anyways), but I have certainly done so. Post your thoughts in the comments.
The end (and beginning) of Street Dates.
One of the time honored traditions of the music, video, and game world is that of a street date. Your product that has to come out at the exact moment and exact day for the marketing blitz. As someone who has worked (and has a love for) the independent retailer realm, the other time honored tradition is NOT sticking to that date.
You know what? If you are one little neighborhood store competing against a hundred Best Buy’s, Gamestop’s, and every other chain known to man (even the local 7-11), I don’t begrudge anyone who begins to sell a game the moment the distributor is stupid enough to send it to them. Maybe I’m jaded and cutthroat anymore, but if the distributor is stupid enough to send the game early, and the retailer is stupid enough (if you feel that way) to offer it early, I am stupid enough to buy it!
I got a great kick out of what Rock Band 2 put in their game, a message on the Main Manu congratulating the player on scoring the game early. This of course would fit the spirit of a game about Rock & Roll, and is really refreshing. Hey, it’s a sale, and to them, getting that game in your hands and getting you to buy some DLC is the end goal. Who cares if you got it three days early? Go you!
This however sets up where the new street date will commence, and you can’t do anything about this one: digital content. No one is going to be able to get that download until the company posts it for you (and if you’re getting it early, it isn’t because you bought it early, it is because you pirated it early). With more and more stuff going DLC, even companies are changing their entire offerings from hard media to DLC (D3 Publishing this week for the PSP). The day everything goes digital is not a day I look forward to. While I enjoy the variation of having some stuff live on real media, and its extendability with DLC, I do not look forward to the day that everything is digital and the independent stores I love so much lose that feel. Thank goodness for older used systems to help it live on!
So, have you ever bought a game pre-street? I have a couple of times (not a ton since I try and avoid the new price anyways), but I have certainly done so. Post your thoughts in the comments.