Why would you ever pre order a digital game?

[threadysparrow]

I see no pros, other than some silly little DLC, to pre ordering digital games from Steam and Origin. You know why they want people to pre order right? The publisher will judge a game's success based on how many pre orders it gets. It is so much easier for a company to do that than to follow up with the game a few years down the line. Doing this hurts developers who make smaller games because the big games that get all of the pre orders also get more funding and backing by the publishers. Don't believe me? Look at COD. They keep pumping them out year after year because Activision knows, from pre orders, that it is going to sell. The only way they can do this is by judging pre orders. If they spent the time actually researching the data, they would not be able to crap out another one on time. They are strapped for time because a year is not that long. So they have to judge the success of their franchises based on pre orders.

 

Also, if you pre order a digital game and it turns out that the game receives horible reviews, then you didn't have a chance to think about your purchase. You can't return a digital game. You can return unopened physical CDs.

 

And you don't even need to pre order physical copies either. They are not going to run out of CDs.

 

On the other hand: I pre ordered the PS4 because I know they are going to run out by Christmas.

 

Some things like hardware are worth pre ordering.

 

I am not trying to make fun of people who pre order games. I do it sometimes too for physical copies because it's fun to go to Gamestop and put $5 down today and $10 down tomorrow.

 

Thoughts?

[Kirihuna]

Codes do run out from time to time. Doubt it'll happen for a pre-order. But say GTA V goes on Steam. Everyone waits to buy it instead of preorder. Steam can run out of codes. It's happened before with Steam running out of codes.

[pcexplosion]

I only pre order a game that i know I will like.

[Vitalius]

I see no pros, other than some silly little DLC, to pre ordering digital games from Steam and Origin. You know why they want people to pre order right? The publisher will judge a game's success based on how many pre orders it gets. It is so much easier for a company to do that than to follow up with the game a few years down the line. Doing this hurts developers who make smaller games because the big games that get all of the pre orders also get more funding and backing by the publishers. Don't believe me? Look at COD. They keep pumping them out year after year because Activision knows, from pre orders, that it is going to sell. The only way they can do this is by judging pre orders. If they spent the time actually researching the data, they would not be able to crap out another one on time. They are strapped for time because a year is not that long. So they have to judge the success of their franchises based on pre orders.

 

Also, if you pre order a digital game and it turns out that the game receives horible reviews, then you didn't have a chance to think about your purchase. You can't return a digital game. You can return unopened physical CDs.

 

And you don't even need to pre order physical copies either. They are not going to run out of CDs.

 

On the other hand: I pre ordered the PS4 because I know they are going to run out by Christmas.

 

Some things like hardware are worth pre ordering.

 

I am not trying to make fun of people who pre order games. I do it sometimes too for physical copies because it's fun to go to Gamestop and put $5 down today and $10 down tomorrow.

 

Thoughts?

Pre-ordering allows you to pre-download the game before it is released. Then it is unlocked the moment it is released. This allows you to avoid the haberdashery of trying to download the game when 100's if not 1000's of other people are downloading the games. Look at how Steam reacted to the Summer Sale. Downloads were flaky, at best. 

That is one positive I can think of. You cannot pre-download it without buying it.

[Mooshi]

Random free crap like soundtrack download, some special item in game or granted beta status to play before someone else.

[CoolBeans]

Ingame content that you can't get unless you preorder

[Kirihuna]

Steam running out, that's hard to believe, but yeah.

Happened with Fallout 3 over the summer

[berna]

My bf4 digital pre order comes with an extra expansion.

[jbr]

My bf4 digital pre order comes with an extra expansion.

 

You'll lose any benefit once you pay for the other DLC.

[Biased Opinion]

The obvious solution is to preorder the digital tittle one day before launch so that you can one, preload the game and two get any preorder incentives that come with the game

[berna]

You'll lose any benefit once you pay for the other DLC.

 Why? if I buy another DLC I will get more content. And if I buy the premium edition they will discount the value from my free dlc, as they did on BF3. 

[kuddlesworth9419]

Only idiots pre-order any game. Unless it's Fallout 4 then it's ok because you get a lunchbox with the limited edition version which is worth it.

[fracking4oil]

Only game I ever pre-ordered was Borderlands 2, but not until the day before the release, still giving me the benefits of pre-ordering (free DLC). The reviews were already out and I knew the game was going to be good.

[threadysparrow]

I see many good replies but nothing in the little preorder DLC is worth buying a game before seeing the reviews.

 

I can't afford to buy a game until I read at least Gameinformer, IGN, and see their rating on Gamerankings.

 

I only buy the $60 full game if it gets good ratings. Otherwise I wait for a sale.

 

But we all have our reasons. I would just like it if the publishers didn't judge a game's success based on pre orders.

[R4STABAN]

I don't pre-order PC games because:

 

-6 months time they'll be half price on steam

-12 months time I can pick them up in a summer sale for something ridiculous like 72% off for everything, including all dlc (BL2!)

[threadysparrow]

Pre-ordering allows you to pre-download the game before it is released. Then it is unlocked the moment it is released. This allows you to avoid the haberdashery of trying to download the game when 100's if not 1000's of other people are downloading the games. Look at how Steam reacted to the Summer Sale. Downloads were flaky, at best. 

That is one positive I can think of. You cannot pre-download it without buying it.

Ok, I will give you this. But think about this:

 

Wouldn't you rather wait to see what the professional and user reviews say about a game? Or would you rather get it EXACTLY at midnight when it comes out?

 

You know how when you have to pee really bad you start to click your teeth? It happens in cartoons. I want Batman Arkham Origins so bad that I am like Cartman saying "Come on, come on!" and I combine that with clicking my teeth and pacing around.

 

BUT

 

I will only pre order it from Amazon if it has good pro and user reviews before release. I am willing to sacrifice the $10 Amazon credit you can get and the Deathstroke DLC if it means that I am reassured that it will be a good investment. If Gameinformer gives it a 6 or 7 and IGN gives it a 6 or 7 then I will wait until it is on a Steam sale.

 

I just think we should sacrifice the pre order DLC because most of the time you can get that later for like $3 or it will be included in some other DLC like the BF4 map that will undoubtedly be included with the premium service. I have never seen a game that had a pre order bonus that you could not easily get at a later date. (maybe the BF4 thing might be worth preordering but 99% of the time you don't get anything special like this). I forsee it becoming a big deal in the future and getting to the point where pre orders are the only ruler for measuring a game's success which in a way is happening now.

 

And that very rare instance where they don't have enough Steam Keys is one in a million and I don't think it is even worth getting scared over.

 

I am not asking for complete agreement on this issue although it would be awesome. But if you disagree then let me know. I am usually wrong with things in my life. The women in my life tell me so every freaking day.

[Lord Pantaloons]

Pre order digital games because: Reasons

[berna]

I don't pre-order PC games because:

 

-6 months time they'll be half price on steam

-12 months time I can pick them up in a summer sale for something ridiculous like 72% off for everything, including all dlc (BL2!)

 

That can be applied to single player games, but on a heavy multiplayer game based, like a MMO for example you will be really behind and automaticly playing "alone" because the player base is way ahead of you. And I pre-order BF4 so me and my friends can play all at the same time at the same level. So there are different points for different games.

[threadysparrow]

That can be applied to single player games, but on a heavy multiplayer game based, like a MMO for example you will be really behind and automaticly playing "alone" because the player base is way ahead of you. And I pre-order BF4 so me and my friends can play all at the same time at the same level. So there are different points for different games.

Maybe I should not come into this swinging a bat at people who pre order. Maybe I should say that for the most part and for most people, pre ordering is pointless. I know there are people who have good reasons to pre order like you who want to play it with your friends at release (don't get your hopes up of playing on a good server at launch). But most of us don't. And if pre ordering keeps getting to be this big ass hype of a thing, then pre orders will be the only sign of success for a game in the future.

[ghostly65]

Although I don't really pre-order games I have seen on steam where they give bonuses for when enough people pre-order games so that is one reason you may pre-order

[threadysparrow]

Although I don't really pre-order games I have seen on steam where they give bonuses for when enough people pre-order games so that is one reason you may pre-order

I personally think we should all boycott that because it is making you purchase the game beforehand with no guarantee of getting the bonuses.

 

Plus, think of why they are trying so hard to get people to pre order the stuff. There has to be a reason why a company is willing to give players a free $10 credit or a $10 game. The only reason that I can come up with is that the publishers, not the developers, make their estimates on success based on pre orders. And the guys that make a great game that do not get a bunch of pre orders but might end up selling games down the line, they do not get more funding for another project.

 

I understand gaming is a business but we don't owe it to them to buy their game beforehand just so they don't have to do the hard work and hire someone to look at their quarterly sales numbers. Publishers are pretty much panhandling at this point and begging you to buy their game before it comes out.

 

Only with games is the idea of pre ordering so in your face. Sure, you can pre order movies, but that is because you are pre ordering a physical disc and not digital... crap.

[Legend932]

If you know you're going to buy a game on release or shortly after release, why not? You get the pre order exclusive dlc, you get to pre load the game a day or so before release avoiding all traffic that will hit Steam on a big game's release, and also get TF2 HATS! AWW YISS!

 

Also sometimes pre order offers are just too good to pass, Bioshock Infinite from Greenmangaming for example, that was a GREAT offer, I bought Infinite just because of that offer to be honest, I don't buy many AAA games on release (especially not singleplayer, i usually wait for the GOTY edition or whatever, with all of the DLC included), but that one in particular was just too good .

[Legend932]

Although I don't really pre-order games I have seen on steam where they give bonuses for when enough people pre-order games so that is one reason you may pre-order

I hate that, whoever is responsible for pre order offers can do whatever they want, I don't really care but  locking pre order content I dont agree with, it's not kickstarter.

Either do a generous offer or don't, I don't see anyone complaining that a game's pre order offer wasn't good enough.

[ghostly65]

I personally think we should all boycott that because it is making you purchase the game beforehand with no guarantee of getting the bonuses.

 

Plus, think of why they are trying so hard to get people to pre order the stuff. There has to be a reason why a company is willing to give players a free $10 credit or a $10 game. The only reason that I can come up with is that the publishers, not the developers, make their estimates on success based on pre orders. And the guys that make a great game that do not get a bunch of pre orders but might end up selling games down the line, they do not get more funding for another project.

 

I understand gaming is a business but we don't owe it to them to buy their game beforehand just so they don't have to do the hard work and hire someone to look at their quarterly sales numbers. Publishers are pretty much panhandling at this point and begging you to buy their game before it comes out.

 

Only with games is the idea of pre ordering so in your face. Sure, you can pre order movies, but that is because you are pre ordering a physical disc and not digital... crap.

I think you have made a good point. like I said I don't pre-order games but I can see how having a bonus would give someone the incentive to pre-order. I agree with you that they are basing success on pre-orders which they shouldn't do because like someone else said how successful a game is should be based on the long run and not just pre-order

[ghostly65]

I hate that, whoever is responsible for pre order offers can do whatever they want, I don't really care but  locking pre order content I dont agree with, it's not kickstarter.

Either do a generous offer or don't, I don't see anyone complaining that a game's pre order offer wasn't good enough.

That's a good point it is true thatt noone is going to complain that the pre-order offer isn't good enough which is probably because noone would complain about getting something free. So I agree with you that if they are going to do something generous that they just should and not make it a reason to try and get more people to pre-order a game because if the person is like me that won't work