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[Zabka]

They should have known. PC gamers have long desired cloth maps above all game-related items.

 

[Guri]

I think Witcher 3 has broken into the mainstream pretty well. It did win every single most anticipated poll I have seen, not just on neogaf but on mainstream sites like gametrailers, ign or eurogamer etc. And CDP's marketing has been, up until this one fuck-up, flawless. As I said before, I think this game will sell like hot cakes, and this deal might do more harm than good.

I sure hope it sells as much as you predict. They really deserve it and The Witcher is a RPG series that should be discovered by more people.

 

[Stratosphere]

Is there footage if the wild of the PS4 version? I'm curious as to how it compares and how the UI/gameplay is translated.

 

[JaseC]

It'd be against the ToS to use a VPN and buy them from the Russian store, then switch back. It's not against the ToS to trade items for games - otherwise they wouldn't let you trade game gifts in the first place.

Technically it's against the SSA to use a VPN at all, however to date there are no verified or reputable reports of Valve bringing down the account restriction hammer upon those who use one to unlock games early or activate a region-locked retail key. What draws Valve's ire is using a VPN to skirt region-specific pricing on the Steam Store itself, as you allude to.

 

[reptilescorpio]

They should have known. PC gamers have long desired cloth maps above all game-related items.

Yup. Really odd choice, I even remarked to a friend it was odd they dropped it from TW3 Ce in the first place! Should be the first thing you put in a CE for an rpg.

 

[curlycare]

I ain't even mad. I got the PC version for like $20.

Please tell me your secret! As in, how did you get it that cheap? Some unused credits?

 

[Ahzrei]

I appreciate their honesty, it's actually quite refreshing to hear someone come out and say "Money, we had to give them something." I'm not too upset about it. Cloth maps are cool, but so is that statue.

 

[ProcHoliday]

Yet you pay the same a get less

Actually because I own the first two games I'm paying less and getting the game that everyone else is getting. So....

 

[Nizz]

I really just care about getting the game at the same time on PS4. This will be my first Witcher game. Are these guys good at optimizing their games? It looks really good but I would also love to play at a solid framerate.

 

[Rembrandt]

I really just care about getting the game at the same time on PS4. This will be my first Witcher game. Are these guys good at optimizing their games? It looks really good but I would also love to play at a solid framerate.

Insanely good. I'm still amazed they pulled the Witcher 2 off on the 360.

 

[s_mirage]

Good PR answer at least.

That's a matter of opinion, it's still the typical guff that talks about "needing the support of our partners", rather than a more accurate appraisal that they accepted extra cash/free advertising in exchange for showing favouritism towards one platform. This is far from the worst example but I'm just sick to death of this "butter wouldn't melt" PR doublespeak that seems to come from all publishers these days. They all treat their customers as if they're idiots who can't see what's really going on.

 

[TheYanger]

That's a matter of opinion, it's still the typical guff that talks about "needing the support of our partners", rather than a more accurate appraisal that they accepted extra cash/free advertising in exchange for showing favouritism towards one platform. This is far from the worst example but I'm just sick to death of this "butter wouldn't melt" PR doublespeak that seems to come from all publishers these days. They all treat their customers as if they're idiots who can't see what's really going on.

I...what? They flat out said that MS has been a good partner to them monetarily and they are getting a big advertising push from them, so they need to give something in return. That language was plain as day.

 

[Americanmushroom]

I've never seen such a good and honest answer. I dont care for The Witcher game but their pr talk is really good

 

[Chance Hale]

I...what? They flat out said that MS has been a good partner to them monetarily and they are getting a big advertising push from them, so they need to give something in return. That language was plain as day.

Read between the lines man, there's so much more there! Conspiracy!

 

[Steverulez]

Ordered the collections edition for Xbox one at £140 from amazon. See if I can pay for it using amazon credit from finishing and selling the holiday games I buy.

The little extras are nice

 

[StarlordDial]

i only got the regular edition on steam D: cheap too when i bought it

sad for the peeps that pre-ordered the special editions on pc and etc

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Totally agree that's discrimination against pc/ps4 owners

Oh, that's rich. That will keep me lolling for days. Thanks.

 

[Denton]

The issue is that something relatively unimportant like this gets a bunch of crying over it, while something like Destiny exclusive content gets ABOUT the same outcry. Then you look at the whole Tomb Raider debacle and it's mind blowing.

The reason why people are angry/sad/disappointed about this as much as they are, is due to CDP's carefully built reputation as the most gamer friendly company in the industry. People simply expect much better from them. With Activision, they never pretended to be gamer friendly. They have always engaged in various exclusives deals and other assorted bullshit. That doesn't make it any better, of course.

I think this would have gotten much less attention and a general meh attitude (I guess barring huge PC fans of the series) if it wasn't right on the heels of tomb raider. With the amount of vitriol pointed at ms right now, it was a terrible time to announce this, no matter how mundane it really is

This too.

So they practically said "we're not going to invest in a PC CE because very few people will buy it and go for the GoG/digital PC version"?

Sounds fair.

Except the PC CE was sold out few hours after being put up for sale. Everywhere. 8 months before release.

 

[Leonsito]

I preordered the PC CE, I feel like they should have announced this when the CEs were announced to have identical content.

At least is not DLC or something ingame, that would be hard to swallow from CDP.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Hmm... I know the Witcher is a very popular game but I didn't know something like this would get people outraged. I admit that I never spend money on collector's editions so I am slightly biased. Whichever the case, as long as the base game comes to the system I have, I'm not exactly mad at this but I can see why the PC crowd is mad. CD should probably reconsider seeing as the PC community has dedicated a lot into the Witcher franchise.

 

[ferrasvansen]

Oh, that's rich. That will keep me lolling for days. Thanks.

I do not think it's funny, why should I have to pay the same price for a lesser product. I'm still buying it but still feel irked about it and rightly so. The same goes for other games too excluding first party titles, every gamer should be treated the same whether it's Wii U, xbox, ps4 and pc etc.

 

[jimmyd]

"What is the reason? Why are we doing this? We need the support of partners to make our game visible worldwide. This should hopefully translate to better sales, which will in consequence allow us to do what we have been doing for the last 10 years, i.e. reinvest this money to make more great RPGs, while still sticking to our values.
If you still consider that adding two decks of Gwent cards and a map of the in-game world to the Xbox One CE equals us betraying our values and not fulfilling our promises, well, it does make us sad, but the final call is always yours to make."

I see a lot of people saying "Whoop-dee-doo, a cloth map and a couple card decks." If the trend keeps continuing it's PS4 and PC players that are gonna feel betrayed. Imagine this big lineup of upcoming cross-platform games, they look great and you want to buy most of them, except all are missing a little something extra that only Xbox players get, yet you pay the same as they do. I'd feel a little bitter about that.

 

[s_mirage]

I...what? They flat out said that MS has been a good partner to them monetarily and they are getting a big advertising push from them, so they need to give something in return. That language was plain as day.

I not pissed off primarily at this statement in particular, I'm pissed off at the constant sugar coating that games companies employ when it comes to promotional/exclusivity deals, which just serves to insult everyone's intelligence. For example, use of terms like "partner". Unlike a word such as sponsor, the term partner doesn't necessarily imply that anything of value has changed hands, although it almost certainly has. It's a manipulation of language in order to make things sound more PR friendly. As I said, this is nowhere near the worst example although I could really do without the "oh but we're so good to you" opening to the statement. It also doesn't address the ethics of charging the majority of people the same for less.

 

[ferrasvansen]

I preordered the PC CE, I feel like they should have announced this when the CEs were announced to have identical content.

At least is not DLC or something ingame, that would be hard to swallow from CDP.

Exactly it's the late announcement of this that annoyed me, anyway what's done is done I still expect the game to be decent so I'm sticking with it. I still have my signed copy of Witcher 2 enhanced on xbox 360, and it was good but I decided I want the pc version for best frame rate and resolution.

 

[walltowall]

Did CDPR just call out internet hypocrisy in these couple of sentences?


We are also providing special pre-order items for certain retailers around the world, including Witcher comic books, posters, steel books or medallions. Funnily enough, we did not notice any heated comments on the pre-order specials.

 

[d9b]

Did CDPR just call out internet hypocrisy in these couple of sentences?


We are also providing special pre-order items for certain retailers around the world, including Witcher comic books, posters, steel books or medallions. Funnily enough, we did not notice any heated comments on the pre-order specials.

They sold out and now they blame internet. Nice!

 

[CecilRousso]

Did CDPR just call out internet hypocrisy in these couple of sentences?


We are also providing special pre-order items for certain retailers around the world, including Witcher comic books, posters, steel books or medallions. Funnily enough, we did not notice any heated comments on the pre-order specials.

They're on a slippery slope when the say things like that . But that's expected when you try and market yourself by putting you on the highest of horses.

I have no real problems with myself, and I'm satisfied with them trying as hard as they can to make all versions equal. No one's perfect, and what they have done is a pretty sensible compromise. Just be more careful with how you use word CDP.

And as always, it's good to react. Many comments are way too much, of course, but people reacting will keep them from straying too far of the path.

 

[Wind's Howling]

A cloth map... Sure. Probably just a map like Oblivion/Skyrim with the visual look of a cloth map.

I never really liked CE stuff like statue's or a deck of cards but I can see how this would bother some.

 

[licktheenvelope]

When ms announce a new pc focus people had no idea that meant keeping tomb raider off pc and announcing xbox would be getting stuff but not the pc version of the witcher.

Never change ms....

Ya this is something i'm totally missing in Microsoft's game plan.

It feels like they think they can entice PC gamers to move from PC to console... but this seems like a new development.

Going by this logic I would guess Doom 4 would be their next target.

 

[Pikma]

I see a lot of people saying "Whoop-dee-doo, a cloth map and a couple card decks." If the trend keeps continuing it's PS4 and PC players that are gonna feel betrayed. Imagine this big lineup of upcoming cross-platform games, they look great and you want to buy most of them, except all are missing a little something extra that only Xbox players get, yet you pay the same as they do. I'd feel a little bitter about that.

Oh poor PS4 players, getting all oppressed by MS's wallet, if only Sony had an old MS partner they could give some of their $ to just so they could get timed exclusive content for a multiplatform game of theirs. If only...

 

[Pseudo judo]

I not pissed off primarily at this statement in particular, I'm pissed off at the constant sugar coating that games companies employ when it comes to promotional/exclusivity deals, which just serves to insult everyone's intelligence. For example, use of terms like "partner". Unlike a word such as sponsor, the term partner doesn't necessarily imply that anything of value has changed hands, although it almost certainly has. It's a manipulation of language in order to make things sound more PR friendly. As I said, this is nowhere near the worst example although I could really do without the "oh but we're so good to you" opening to the statement. It also doesn't address the ethics of charging the majority of people the same for less.

Lol, it's just PR, man. Let it go.

 

[Unreal Champ]

Lots of salt on GAF this week. It's quite entertaining seeing the meltdowns.

 

[KiraXD]

heres the problem:

Don't get me wrong, I do understand that these extra items might be desirable for Witcher fans playing the game on other platforms. However, as we are not offering any platform or retail exclusive DLCs or any other form of gameplay differentiation, we do have to find other ways to support our partners.


What is the reason? Why are we doing this? We need the support of partners to make our game visible worldwide. This should hopefully translate to better sales, which will in consequence allow us to do what we have been doing for the last 10 years, i.e. reinvest this money to make more great RPGs, while still sticking to our values.

The Fuck?

So they need to support their partner (MS) so they offer extra shit so MS supports them...


wut?

 

[Forsythia]

I do not think it's funny, why should I have to pay the same price for a lesser product. I'm still buying it but still feel irked about it and rightly so. The same goes for other games too excluding first party titles, every gamer should be treated the same whether it's Wii U, xbox, ps4 and pc etc.

As a 360 gamer, let's talk about all those Ubisoft and Batman games that had PS3 exclusive content. I'm sure there are other examples. I too paid €60,- for the game, just like PS3 gamers, and got less content for it.

If you're bothered by this, which is absolutely fair, wait until a price drop or shop around to get the game cheaper. I almost never buy a Ubisoft game at release for this reason alone, as I too find it unfair that I pay the same, but get less content.

Not that anyone gets the full package with Ubisoft games, but that's a different issue.

At least be glad it's not in-game content in this case.

 

[iNvid02]

Lots of salt on GAF this week. It's quite entertaining seeing the meltdowns.

that reminds me i really should get my blood pressure checked, pretty sure i've been a victim of second hand salt on here

 

[ferrasvansen]

As a 360 gamer, let's talk about all those Ubisoft and Batman games that had PS3 exclusive content. I'm sure there are other examples. I too paid €60,- for the game, just like PS3 gamers, and got less content for it.

If you're bothered by this, which is absolutely fair, wait until a price drop or shop around to get the game cheaper. I almost never buy a Ubisoft game at release for this reason alone, as I too find it unfair that I pay the same, but get less content.

Not that anyone gets the full package with Ubisoft games, but that's a different issue.

At least be glad it's not in-game content.

Yeah I was a 360 gamer, that was my main gaming platform for a long time and I agree the ubisoft and batman game deals annoyed me, as did the cod add on crap on my 360. It's about time third party gaming started being more equal.

 

[Ashler]

Between this and the Tomb Raider stupidity, Microsoft is really starting to get on my nerves. i'm pretty sure i'll never buy one.
I've also cancelled my Witcher's 3 CE. I refuse to pay the same amount for a gimped version of the CE.

 

[LurkerPrime]

heres the problem:



The Fuck?

So they need to support their partner (MS) so they offer extra shit so MS supports them...


wut?

They need the Xbox One version to sell (along with all other versions of the game) to support & sustain their studio. Offering exclusive incentives to buy a particular version of the game ensures that the platform-holder themselves will promote the game to its audience, almost certainly increasing sales. Physical incentives are also ideal, as they are the most benign type of exclusive content CDPR could offer.

It can be a bit of a bummer that they take this approach, but the continued success of CDProjekt and its subsidiaries (the developer CDProjekt RED and GOG.com) is overall more important than a cloth map and some cards.

Remember, folks: this is the developer that released a definitive edition of each of their two games as a free update for existing owners. They also scorn DLC and exclusive in-game content in general, and have always opposed DRM and microtransactions. They are a paragon example of what the gaming path the gaming industry should take, and, again, their continued success can only make others follow in their footsteps.

 

[robo]

Did CDPR just call out internet hypocrisy in these couple of sentences?


We are also providing special pre-order items for certain retailers around the world, including Witcher comic books, posters, steel books or medallions. Funnily enough, we did not notice any heated comments on the pre-order specials.

in uk all the retailers i have checked have all the same extra's, the stuff CDPR mentioned are part of the collectors edition over here, which makes their comment rather mute as it is this very thing this thread is all about with only the xbone getting the extra extra's.

 

[Serra]

Cloth map might have been sweet. Otherwise dont care, as I don't buy physical games any more.

 

[jimmyd]

Oh poor PS4 players, getting all oppressed by MS's wallet, if only Sony had an old MS partner they could give some of their $ to just so they could get timed exclusive content for a multiplatform game of theirs. If only...

I don't have PS4 or XB1, nor do I pre-order or buy collector's editions, but it seems like what you're saying is Sony has done the exact same thing. Doesn't matter who's doing it, it's shitty practice all round.

 

[Fuz]

bleh...

I collect collectors editions...I have over 40 different ones. I don't really care about in game stuff when buying them, they are all about the items for my mancave/game room displays.

This is even one of the coolest sounding CE items too, a deck of cards used to play a completely custom game taken straight from the minigame. I wouldve killed for something like this with FF8...

So yea, for someone like me this is pretty devastating. Last time something like this happened was when tomb raider came out for PC digital only. I wanted that CE so bad for the Lara figure. When that happened I just waited and bought the game on a steam sale instead, I guess I'll do the same here.

I wish people who don't buy collector's editions just stop saying that's not an issue...

 

[Heshinsi]

Why would they? Last time I checked the xbox version of destiny is the same price as the Playstation version and it's getting less content at launch.

What is up with the double standards on this forum?

Last time I checked Dragon Age:Inquisition, Call of Duty:Advance Warfare, and FIFA 15 were the same price between PS4 and X1. Yet Playstation fans have to either wait longer for DLC (DA/CoD) or not even have elements of the game included (FIFA ultimate team legends). But yes, tell me more about this double standard.

 

[erawsd]

I wouldn't take this so literally. "need exposure to sustain company" almost makes it sound like they would go bankrupt without this deal, which is I think not the case. They just did it to get some free marketing by MS, hoping to sell more copies, but I honestly think this game will sell gangbusters even without any deals like this. It has won every most anticipated game poll I have seen, including here on neogaf, everyone is raving about it, and it comes out on three platforms simultaneously. I predict at least 5 million copies sold in first month, which will probably more than pay for itself, twice over.

Yet, you take the "no exclusives for anyone" literally? Even though they were def talking about in-game content, that is also addressed in the statement. As far as it selling 5 million in the first month? Its obvious that you are much more confident about that than CDPR is.

 

[iceatcs]

Wow that PR. It is annoy unaware of them.

 

[Alpende]

Oh well, wasn't going for the CE anyway.

 

[TheYanger]

I don't have PS4 or XB1, nor do I pre-order or buy collector's editions, but it seems like what you're saying is Sony has done the exact same thing. Doesn't matter who's doing it, it's shitty practice all round.

It is, but read most of the posts within the last few days and it's beyond clear that most people only care about it when they're on the negative end of a deal. Instead of "M$ IS SO MEAN" people should probably be looking at the industry and show equal disgust at Sony when they do it, or vice versa (specifically this example for the moment but it could go the other way too). But they won't.

Last time I checked Dragon Age:Inquisition, Call of Duty:Advance Warfare, and FIFA 15 were the same price between PS4 and X1. Yet Playstation fans have to either wait longer for DLC (DA/CoD) or not even have elements of the game included (FIFA ultimate team legends). But yes, tell me more about this double standard.

The double standard is the crying about it that is suddenly going on from PS4 fanboys. It's been happening for my entire console gaming life (32 years) but NOW suddenly it's an issue.

 

[erawsd]

in uk all the retailers i have checked have all the same extra's, the stuff CDPR mentioned are part of the collectors edition over here, which makes their comment rather mute as it is this very thing this thread is all about with only the xbone getting the extra extra's.

In the US it looks like Gamestop gets a keychain+poster. Amazon gets a comic book. Best Buy, Walmart, and ToysRUs have nothing.

On PC buying Steam gets you 5 gifts. A GOG purchase gets you 11 gifts. Both give you a 20% discount if you own the other games. The game isnt up the console digital stores yet, but itll probably end up being nothing.

heres the problem:

So they need to support their partner (MS) so they offer extra shit so MS supports them...


wut?

I don't have an MBA but I'm pretty sure thats how business is suppose to work. MS does something to benefit CDPR because CDPR does something to benefit MS -- its a mutually beneficial agreement.

 

[jimmyd]

It is, but read most of the posts within the last few days and it's beyond clear that most people only care about it when they're on the negative end of a deal. Instead of "M$ IS SO MEAN" people should probably be looking at the industry and show equal disgust at Sony when they do it, or vice versa (specifically this example for the moment but it could go the other way too). But they won't.

I think people have a right to be pissed about it no matter what side they are on, we are human after all. I think the problem is no one knows where to turn, the easiest thing to do is complain about it here, but energies should be directed at those more responsible; Sony, Microsoft etc...

 

[OdysseusVA]

They had to issue a statement over a deck of cards and a cloth map


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