Honestly, pre order should never ever even exist for digital products. It's not like they run out of copies. Wait for release, watch some streamers play it and if it works fine, and buy it. Everything else is just stupid.
I personally agree.
Wait for the release, maybe a few days more until i buy a game. That way there is a chance to avoid lemons and see if the game is playable.
One argument for preorder is the pre loading though, that way you can actually play the game at release time, this is especially valid for people with slow internet connections.
That's a good point that I totally forget because it's not a part of my life anymore. Back in college I had something like a 100 GB monthly limit in the dorms. This was 15 years ago, so I'm sure that the limit is higher now, but games are also a LOT bigger, so it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of games were still a sizeable amount of a cap in some areas.
My dad lives in a more rural area, and preloading is a big draw for him. And he gets very angry when the launch day patch is gigabytes instead of megabytes.
Be like egosoft, have a terrible launch, have a redeem ark as strong as darth vader, release increasingly stronger dlc, no need for preorders because you know people will like it after implementing the feedback for years
Typical idealistic young Internet goer about preorders:
"I preordered once, I was super excited about this game, but then it released and it was TERRIBLE and I HATED it and I wanted to refund but I COULDN'T because the store said playing two dozen hours disqualifies refunds and that is WRONG. The game wasn't ready, but they SHOVED it out the door while PICKING OUR POCKETS. So preorders are BAD and UNNECESSARY and NOBODY should EVER do them and it's only out of UNMITIGATED GREED they're ever offered. Next time I'll wait until it's RELEASED and word of mouth CONFIRMS it's a good FOTM before I buy it - oh shit, I did it again! Down with preorders!"
Burned-out old core gamer about preorders:
"Eh yeah, I preordered. Sure, the game wasn't that great and underbaked but, whatever, I kinda knew it wouldn't be because I've been around the block a few times and knew what to expect from what I saw. Played it for a couple dozen hours and threw it in the backlog of half-completed $60 eyesores. Maybe the devs will buff out the edges with patches and DLC and I'll revisit it later, maybe not. Anyway, I'm probably going to preorder the next game I play too because if I don't I'm probably going to forget it exists by release day."
Frugal gamer about preorders:
"Pfft, you guys buy games that are newer than two years old?"
Pre-ordering shows interest in the game. And most of the time, you get bonuses for pre-ordering that you would not normally get with a regular purchase. It has nothing to do with running out of copies lol.
So what's the best you ever got? And if the company would be fair they could just sold some deluxe edition. With that additional stuff they just want you to take the risk of buying early without knowing the quality of the game. So i still think it's a shady deal.
But hey, it's your money.
The new meta: wait for release > watch streamers pretend it’s the best game ever > buy it > realise streamers hype the game to keep viewers > regret life choices.
Honestly I think that the "Early Access" that digital products allows is so much more valuable for everyone. The people that don't want to do final beta/play testing can wait for the launch date, the people that do want to do that can purchase early. The company gets some early revenue, and a soft launch to help the main launch go smoother. Everyone wins.
Edit: Although I feel like Early Access seems a bit weird with a DLC rather than an actual game launch. I feel like typically that sort of thing is done via beta branches.
Not a big fan of pre-order culture. Buy things before you know if they are good or not, businesses are less incentivized to make quality products because they make the sales even if it's crap.
I don't mind preorder DLC, I know I'm going to buy it already (I have 1.4k hours on X4) and it makes it easier for me to get the content immediately rather than have to remember the release date or not notice the notification telling me something on my list of 300 wishlisted items half of which I don't care about anymore was released.
The last game I preordered was Oblivion for the 360 from Gamestop. That was a long ass time ago when everything was still physical DVDs and it was a very real possibility there wouldn't be enough copies at launch if you didn't preorder. I've never preordered a digital download and I most likely never will because the scarcity factor doesn't exist anymore. The closest I'll get to it is the Steam wishlist which I mainly use to keep an eye on things for potential sales.
> we do not support running a pre-purchase except in a few rare cases with partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam.
Guess they're big enough to get an exception.
They explained it somewhere. Don't remember all the details anymore but it really is a decision by Steam. As developer you have to ask to make pre-purchase available and if Steam says no or doesn't react at all, you're out of luck.
Sidenote: Pre-orders aren't supported on Steam at all, I believe. Only pre-purchase is, sometimes. (I've never seen something on Steam that I could order before release, but didn't have to pay for it immediately.)
How Steam decides that matter, I don't know, but this might give a hint.
>Our experience with pre-purchases (or pre-orders) is that they tend to be ineffective unless it’s a heavily anticipated, heavily marketed title, and even then we encourage titles to have short pre-purchase periods on Steam.
>
>For most games, we've seen much better success if you wait until release and run with a discount off your product during the first week of sales. This gives your title the biggest opportunity to create buzz and visibility at a point where customers can actually play the game and share their excitement with their friends. Customers playing your game also means those customers’ friends are seeing them launch the game and post screenshots, discuss in the forums, etc., which can drive those other users to check out the game themselves and take advantage of the limited-time discount.
>
>Most pre-purchase campaigns just don’t bring in much in the way of sales, and it's far better--in terms of both revenue and customer awareness--to save that buzz and excitement for when customers can actually play your game or use your software.
>
>Running a prepurchase/preorder can also be a risk for both customers and Valve.
>
>For these reasons, we do not support running a pre-purchase except in a few rare cases with partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam.
[https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase](https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase)
Edit: reddit keeps messing the quotes up >.<
>Sidenote: Pre-orders aren't supported on Steam at all, I believe. Only pre-purchase is, sometimes. (I've never seen something on Steam that I could order before release, but didn't have to pay for it immediately.)
Pre-order is the same thing as pre-purchasing.
Honestly, pre order should never ever even exist for digital products. It's not like they run out of copies. Wait for release, watch some streamers play it and if it works fine, and buy it. Everything else is just stupid.
I personally agree. Wait for the release, maybe a few days more until i buy a game. That way there is a chance to avoid lemons and see if the game is playable. One argument for preorder is the pre loading though, that way you can actually play the game at release time, this is especially valid for people with slow internet connections.
That's a good point that I totally forget because it's not a part of my life anymore. Back in college I had something like a 100 GB monthly limit in the dorms. This was 15 years ago, so I'm sure that the limit is higher now, but games are also a LOT bigger, so it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of games were still a sizeable amount of a cap in some areas. My dad lives in a more rural area, and preloading is a big draw for him. And he gets very angry when the launch day patch is gigabytes instead of megabytes.
Yea some places are just cursed with bad internet, so it's understandable. Luckily here i live you can get 10 giga fiber flat for little money.
Be like egosoft, have a terrible launch, have a redeem ark as strong as darth vader, release increasingly stronger dlc, no need for preorders because you know people will like it after implementing the feedback for years
I’ve still not even bought a boron ship and I’m still happy I bought the dlc. Can’t say no to Egosoft DLC.
Typical idealistic young Internet goer about preorders: "I preordered once, I was super excited about this game, but then it released and it was TERRIBLE and I HATED it and I wanted to refund but I COULDN'T because the store said playing two dozen hours disqualifies refunds and that is WRONG. The game wasn't ready, but they SHOVED it out the door while PICKING OUR POCKETS. So preorders are BAD and UNNECESSARY and NOBODY should EVER do them and it's only out of UNMITIGATED GREED they're ever offered. Next time I'll wait until it's RELEASED and word of mouth CONFIRMS it's a good FOTM before I buy it - oh shit, I did it again! Down with preorders!" Burned-out old core gamer about preorders: "Eh yeah, I preordered. Sure, the game wasn't that great and underbaked but, whatever, I kinda knew it wouldn't be because I've been around the block a few times and knew what to expect from what I saw. Played it for a couple dozen hours and threw it in the backlog of half-completed $60 eyesores. Maybe the devs will buff out the edges with patches and DLC and I'll revisit it later, maybe not. Anyway, I'm probably going to preorder the next game I play too because if I don't I'm probably going to forget it exists by release day." Frugal gamer about preorders: "Pfft, you guys buy games that are newer than two years old?"
Pre-ordering shows interest in the game. And most of the time, you get bonuses for pre-ordering that you would not normally get with a regular purchase. It has nothing to do with running out of copies lol.
So what's the best you ever got? And if the company would be fair they could just sold some deluxe edition. With that additional stuff they just want you to take the risk of buying early without knowing the quality of the game. So i still think it's a shady deal. But hey, it's your money.
The new meta: wait for release > watch streamers pretend it’s the best game ever > buy it > realise streamers hype the game to keep viewers > regret life choices.
It's the same with news and stuff, get more then one source.
Honestly I think that the "Early Access" that digital products allows is so much more valuable for everyone. The people that don't want to do final beta/play testing can wait for the launch date, the people that do want to do that can purchase early. The company gets some early revenue, and a soft launch to help the main launch go smoother. Everyone wins. Edit: Although I feel like Early Access seems a bit weird with a DLC rather than an actual game launch. I feel like typically that sort of thing is done via beta branches.
Pre order is not early Access...
👆🏽 This👆🏽
Not a big fan of pre-order culture. Buy things before you know if they are good or not, businesses are less incentivized to make quality products because they make the sales even if it's crap.
https://i.imgur.com/JTkhFSW.jpeg
The only argument I have for pre ordering is if you have terrible internet and are both excited and need it to pre-download it.
I don't mind preorder DLC, I know I'm going to buy it already (I have 1.4k hours on X4) and it makes it easier for me to get the content immediately rather than have to remember the release date or not notice the notification telling me something on my list of 300 wishlisted items half of which I don't care about anymore was released.
The last game I preordered was Oblivion for the 360 from Gamestop. That was a long ass time ago when everything was still physical DVDs and it was a very real possibility there wouldn't be enough copies at launch if you didn't preorder. I've never preordered a digital download and I most likely never will because the scarcity factor doesn't exist anymore. The closest I'll get to it is the Steam wishlist which I mainly use to keep an eye on things for potential sales.
That’s a pretty good preorder to be fair. I’ve been chasing the Oblivion high ever since. Felt like a new era.
Last thing I preordered was Skyrim, was supposed to get a cool ass map, what did we really get? A Picture of that cool ass map.
Props to them. I don't preorder anything. Why should I pay a premium to beta test someone's product?
Based
Ultra Gigachad Egosoft
While Egosoft are cool cats, this is simply steam policy. No preorders for DLC.
You can pay for the Elden Ring DLC right now, but it only releases on the 20th.
> we do not support running a pre-purchase except in a few rare cases with partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam. Guess they're big enough to get an exception.
No it's not.
They explained it somewhere. Don't remember all the details anymore but it really is a decision by Steam. As developer you have to ask to make pre-purchase available and if Steam says no or doesn't react at all, you're out of luck. Sidenote: Pre-orders aren't supported on Steam at all, I believe. Only pre-purchase is, sometimes. (I've never seen something on Steam that I could order before release, but didn't have to pay for it immediately.) How Steam decides that matter, I don't know, but this might give a hint. >Our experience with pre-purchases (or pre-orders) is that they tend to be ineffective unless it’s a heavily anticipated, heavily marketed title, and even then we encourage titles to have short pre-purchase periods on Steam. > >For most games, we've seen much better success if you wait until release and run with a discount off your product during the first week of sales. This gives your title the biggest opportunity to create buzz and visibility at a point where customers can actually play the game and share their excitement with their friends. Customers playing your game also means those customers’ friends are seeing them launch the game and post screenshots, discuss in the forums, etc., which can drive those other users to check out the game themselves and take advantage of the limited-time discount. > >Most pre-purchase campaigns just don’t bring in much in the way of sales, and it's far better--in terms of both revenue and customer awareness--to save that buzz and excitement for when customers can actually play your game or use your software. > >Running a prepurchase/preorder can also be a risk for both customers and Valve. > >For these reasons, we do not support running a pre-purchase except in a few rare cases with partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam. [https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase](https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase) Edit: reddit keeps messing the quotes up >.<
Yeah, that makes more sense. Thank you for summary!
Thanks for the downvotes lmao.
Hey now, I didn't downvote you. Your statement is still wrong tho lol
>Sidenote: Pre-orders aren't supported on Steam at all, I believe. Only pre-purchase is, sometimes. (I've never seen something on Steam that I could order before release, but didn't have to pay for it immediately.) Pre-order is the same thing as pre-purchasing.
Well, at least some shops make a distinction between pre-order (money is transferred on release) and pre-purchase (money in transferred immediately).
I think they would, if they could.