Rez Infinite Gets a Physical Release, Vinyl Soundtrack, Art Book, T-Shirt & More

What's wrong with them

"scum" is maybe a bit harsh, but their business practices with vinyl releases have been pretty shameful. Their releases get more and more expensive with each announcement, and all of them are above the typical price for vinyl albums. The cheapest 2xLPs in their store start at 35 bucks; the average price for a 2xLP from most labels is around 20 dollars. They operate under the assumption that people will pay out the nose for gaming collectibles simply because they're novel. $75 for a double album, nice packaging or no, is beyond audacious. It's practically highway robbery.

For some persective, here's a list I compiled when they announced the also-ridiculous $75 quadruple album for Hyper Light Drifter (by the way, noticing a trend here with these prices?)

For some comparisons, here are some the box sets/deluxe albums I own and what I paid (or for a couple that I bought second hand, the MSRP):


I Am The Center - $40

3 LPs housed in a hard box with full color print sleeves.

Mastodon - Remission anniversary edition - $40

2 LPs, hard box, art prints, full color photo book, CD

Star Wars Ultimate Vinyl Box Set - $180

12 (!!!!!) LPs, 6 gatefolds (!!!!!!!!!), full color prints

GZA - Liquid Swords Chess Box Edition - $25

2LPs, vinyl sticker sheet, unique padded box, chess pieces (pretty cheapo, but hey)

Dead Can Dance - Live 2012 - $40 (MSRP)

3 LPs, hard box, art print sleeves, lithograph collection

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - $30

3 LPs, triple gatefold, prints

Danny Brown - Old deluxe set - $40

4 LPs, box

75 bucks is a ludicrous ask for a 4xLP gatefold, cool video game soundtrack or not.

By the way, this isn't even mentioning their spotty record (no pun intended) of delayed releases and poor customer communication.
 
Can't seem to order the game on the UK site, there's a quantity field and then a white blank window you can type in, no add to cart feature.
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The Last of Us Remastered was $50

FFX HD included two games and retailed at $40.

(FFX HD was 49.99)

and people are still complaining about this limited edition physical release being 40$ so youre kinda proving my point... this is a 40$ physical release people are complaining over... almost every other HD remaster was this price or higher with a few exceptions... all i said is that i thought it WOULD be full price (and would be fine with that) because most HD remasters are in the 40-60$ range... yet people still complain even though theyre getting a full game... who cares that its 15 years old or has 360 hd remaster... does that automatically mean they should give it away for 10$ because XBL version is 10$? Do you know how much work was actually put into this version? no? so why automatically assume it should be priced as a budget title?
 
(FFX HD was 49.99)

and people are still complaining about this limited edition physical release being 40$ so youre kinda proving my point... this is a 40$ physical release people are complaining over... almost every other HD remaster was this price or higher with a few exceptions... all i said is that i thought it WOULD be full price (and would be fine with that) because most HD remasters are in the 40-60$ range... yet people still complain even though theyre getting a full game... who cares that its 15 years old or has 360 hd remaster... does that automatically mean they should give it away for 10$ because XBL version is 10$? Do you know how much work was actually put into this version? no? so why automatically assume it should be priced as a budget title?

Well, I never said it should be $10. And even though I think $40 is a bit high, I'm not really against it. I'm not even arguing that. I'm arguing that it doesn't make a lot of sense for a remaster to be priced at $60 and it's clear that the market agrees.
 
It's a geographical problem but iam8bit's shipping rates to North America always killed any potential orders for me. Guess I'm sticking with my disc of REZ HD on 360.
They released Rez HD on disc? Huh, had no idea.

It's not a huge artbook, it's a book stuck to the vinyl gatefold innards. It's been done hundreds of times before (for half the price):

Interpol-3_low-res.jpg


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Oh, that's what they're doing? Not an actual, separate book? (fake edit: just looked on their page, and yeah... in that case, hardly worth overcharging)

Side note: I have that Kavinsky vinyl! Never even looked at the sleeve to see if that book is a part of it or not.

How do you know who decided on the pricing? By that I mean iam8bit vs. the developers who probably have to pay a lot in licensing.
After the limited exchange I had with them on Twitter, the reason for the pricing is "It's a 2xLP + 7" + comprehensive retrospective heavily researched art book all-in-one". No mention of licensing. But I honestly hadn't thought of that factor, though I'd guess it's a relatively small one (certainly not $30+ per copy).
 
"scum" is maybe a bit harsh, but their business practices with vinyl releases have been pretty shameful. Their releases get more and more expensive with each announcement, and all of them are above the typical price for vinyl albums. The cheapest 2xLPs in their store start at 35 bucks; the average price for a 2xLP from most labels is around 20 dollars. They operate under the assumption that people will pay out the nose for gaming collectibles simply because they're novel. $75 for a double album, nice packaging or no, is beyond audacious. It's practically highway robbery.

For some persective, here's a list I compiled when they announced the also-ridiculous $75 quadruple album for Hyper Light Drifter (by the way, noticing a trend here with these prices?)



By the way, this isn't even mentioning their spotty record (no pun intended) of delayed releases and poor customer communication.

I've only bought from this site once but, i'm just going to throw my 2 cents out there. While the price is definitely a bit much, one has to consider just how niche this game is. If they charged a low price for it, it would likely still sell about the same and likely not justify the effort. When you're making a product for something as obscure as a Rez, you're likely to be faced with a mark up imo. Much like series like Earthbound or something, the fans are devout but very few.

If the option is to never have it exist, or to have it exist at a premium, I think i'd take the latter still.
 
How do you know who decided on the pricing? By that I mean iam8bit vs. the developers who probably have to pay a lot in licensing.

I can't speak for the game itself, but I've been in the vinyl hobbyist scene for years and can assure you that there isn't a licensing deal on the planet that would justify or require a double album to be $75, unless iam8bit are the worst negotiators on planet earth.

I've only bought from this site once but, i'm just going to throw my 2 cents out there. While the price is definitely a bit much, one has to consider just how niche this game is. If they charged a low price for it, it would likely still sell about the same and likely not justify the effort. When you're making a product for something as obscure as a Rez, you're likely to be faced with a mark up imo. Much like series like Earthbound or something, the fans are devout but very few.

If the option is to never have it exist, or to have it exist at a premium, I think i'd take the latter still.

Niche albums - far more niche and obscure than Rez - get released at normal prices every week. This is not an excuse. Vinyl MSRP is not based on merit. This is a sucker tax, plain and simple.
 
I've only bought from this site once but, i'm just going to throw my 2 cents out there. While the price is definitely a bit much, one has to consider just how niche this game is. If they charged a low price for it, it would likely still sell about the same and likely not justify the effort. When you're making a product for something as obscure as a Rez, you're likely to be faced with a mark up imo. Much like series like Earthbound or something, the fans are devout but very few.

If the option is to never have it exist, or to have it exist at a premium, I think i'd take the latter still.

The markup that everyone charges brings up the price to *at most* $40 on extreme cases with complicated licensing and premium packaging.

By the way, Earthbound's soundtrack came out on vinyl. It was $40.

There's no justification for $75, at all.
 
The markup that everyone charges brings up the price to *at most* $40 on extreme cases with complicated licensing and premium packaging.

By the way, Earthbound's soundtrack came out on vinyl. It was $40.

There's no justification for $75, at all.

Got a link? I'd be interested to see an EB vinyl, did it have more than 1 record?
 
By the way, "It's expensive because it's rare/niche!" is exactly what the company is trading on. It's the collector's edition mentality turned up to the nth degree.

If niche and legendary album reissues were all priced the way iam8bit prices things, punk and metal records wouldn't exist, for example. The Immortal reissue I picked up for 20 bucks a few months ago would be 50 bucks because it's a double LP with an embossed cover.
 
By the way, "It's expensive because it's rare/niche!" is exactly what the company is trading on. It's the collector's edition mentality turned up to the nth degree.

If niche and legendary album reissues were all priced the way iam8bit prices things, punk and metal records wouldn't exist, for example. The Immortal reissue I picked up for 20 bucks a few months ago would be 50 bucks because it's a double LP with an embossed cover.

If you run a business you will typically try to generate as much money as you can for a product, the market has to decide if something is inappropriate is all, and if this vinyl flops then that would be a good case, but I doubt it will because of the nature of what it is. I'm not saying I like it, just calling it scum and evil seems pretty excessive when we all know a company would charge 50 bucks for an apple if that would ultimately make them more, but it wouldn't.
 
Got a link? I'd be interested to see an EB vinyl, did it have more than 1 record?

https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/mother-2


Note that they licensed this from Nintendo, of all companies.

You are telling me licensing Rez would be more expensive?

If you run a business you will typically try to generate as much money as you can for a product, the market has to decide if something is inappropriate is all, and if this vinyl flops then that would be a good case, but I doubt it will because of the nature of what it is. I'm not saying I like it, just calling it scum and evil seems pretty excessive when we all know a company would charge 50 bucks for an apple if that would ultimately make them more, but it wouldn't.

I have zero problem with a company maximizing profits.

I have a problem with iam8bit playing up their passion on Twitter and justifying their pricing as if it's coming from the costs. Don't lie to us, that's all.
 
If you run a business you will typically try to generate as much money as you can for a product, the market has to decide if something is inappropriate is all, and if this vinyl flops then that would be a good case, but I doubt it will because of the nature of what it is. I'm not saying I like it, just calling it scum and evil seems pretty excessive when we all know a company would charge 50 bucks for an apple if that would ultimately make them more, but it wouldn't.

I mean, sure, it's naked capitalism. I'm not disputing that, I'm just calling it as I see it: shitty and harmful to support.

The thing is, in this case, iam8bit is charging 50 bucks for a green apple in a market where every other market stall around them is charging ten cents for every other kind of apple.
 
https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/mother-2


Note that they licensed this from Nintendo, of all companies.

You are telling me licensing Rez would be more expensive?



I have zero problem with a company maximizing profits.

I have a problem with iam8bit playing up their passion on Twitter and justifying their pricing as if it's coming from the costs. Don't lie to us, that's all.

Well the main point is the Rez probably has hardcore fans in the thousands, while something like EB might have fans in the 10s of thousands. If I want to do a project and know i'm going to be catering to a smaller but rabid niche, then I have to ask myself, can I raise the cost to make up for the lack of people that will buy this? If not, i'll just go put my time and energy into producing something that will make the money.

Obviously, I do not know the effort and work that goes into these things, just as an outsider it seems pretty clear to me that Rez is likely one of the most obscure things out there, almost no one on the planet knows or cares about it, even gamers. It touched a few of our hearts and that's about it.
 
I mean, sure, it's naked capitalism. I'm not disputing that, I'm just calling it as I see it: shitty and harmful to support.

The thing is, in this case, iam8bit is charging 50 bucks for a green apple in a market where every other market stall around them is charging ten cents for every other kind of apple.

Well then one has to hope the companies who do more consumer friendly prices pony up to capture more IP like this, like LRG charges fairly reasonable prices, they could get away with more in the short term but it might hurt their long term prospects. A business model needs to be sustainable, and I don't get the impression iam8bit is going anywhere, so I guess it works. I don't like the price of apple products either but people buy them.
 
Well the main point is the Rez probably has hardcore fans in the thousands, while something like EB might have fans in the 10s of thousands. If I want to do a project and know i'm going to be catering to a smaller but rabid niche, then I have to ask myself, can I raise the cost to make up for the lack of people that will buy this? If not, i'll just go put my time and energy into producing something that will make the money.

Obviously, I do not know the effort and work that goes into these things, just as an outsider it seems pretty clear to me that Rez is likely one of the most obscure things out there, almost no one on the planet knows or cares about it, even gamers. It touched a few of our hearts and that's about it.

Well, you are completely wrong. Labels constantly print 500, 300, even 100-copies pressing of records. It never reaches $75, not even close.

You need to decide if your argument is that the cost justifies the price, or that they are simply maximizing profits. These are VERY different lines of thinking.
 
Well the main point is the Rez probably has hardcore fans in the thousands, while something like EB might have fans in the 10s of thousands. If I want to do a project and know i'm going to be catering to a smaller but rabid niche, then I have to ask myself, can I raise the cost to make up for the lack of people that will buy this? If not, i'll just go put my time and energy into producing something that will make the money.

Obviously, I do not know the effort and work that goes into these things, just as an outsider it seems pretty clear to me that Rez is likely one of the most obscure things out there, almost no one on the planet knows or cares about it, even gamers. It touched a few of our hearts and that's about it.

I can guarantee you I have bought far more reasonably priced vinyl of albums far more niche than Rez.
 
Said this in the VG vinyl thread, but to sum it up in short quickly, iam8bit are kinda now like the GAME of vinyl releases. Awful company.
 
Well then one has to hope the companies who do more consumer friendly prices pony up to capture more IP like this, like LRG charges fairly reasonable prices, they could get away with more in the short term but it might hurt their long term prospects. A business model needs to be sustainable, and I don't get the impression iam8bit is going anywhere, so I guess it works. I don't like the price of apple products either but people buy them.
I see iam8bit as the High Voltage Software of the VGM record world. They get work because they're well known and possibly get the licencors good deals, but aren't known for their overall quality of service compared to smaller developers.

This does really feel like we're being exploited :/

Said this in the VG vinyl thread, but to sum it up in short quickly, iam8bit are kinda now like the GAME of vinyl releases. Awful company.
Possibly this too, but we don't have GAME here in Australia anymore. So I guess that makes them like EB Games then?
 
Realistically anything that doesn't come USPS is ideal. I've had issues with both my Mother 2 vinyl coming with a bent cover (got a replacement from STS luckily) and my SFII signed edition box set coming with a super-damaged corner - bent so badly that the sleeves inside are also bent (BW can't replace it but they did make me a super-generous offer which I still have to decide to accept or not.)

I'm convinced this is happening when things get relatively local since it seems like so few others have issues like this with the same releases, even friends who live nearby.

More to the point - loose discs suck but at least it's a Blu-ray.
 
They released Rez HD on disc? Huh, had no idea.


Oh, that's what they're doing? Not an actual, separate book? (fake edit: just looked on their page, and yeah... in that case, hardly worth overcharging)

Side note: I have that Kavinsky vinyl! Never even looked at the sleeve to see if that book is a part of it or not.


After the limited exchange I had with them on Twitter, the reason for the pricing is "It's a 2xLP + 7" + comprehensive retrospective heavily researched art book all-in-one". No mention of licensing. But I honestly hadn't thought of that factor, though I'd guess it's a relatively small one (certainly not $30+ per copy).

Why exactly does it matter if the book is bound-in or not to the packaging? From where I'm at I would think that's the smallest factor in the cost. It sounds like a lot of the content in the book is new which is probably not as trivial as creating 10-20 pages when something initially releases versus years after the original release, and everyone who worked on that needs to get paid.

I'm not saying this doesn't still feel really expensive for what it is - my wife buys tons of k-pop releases which are 10-20$ usually and come with MASSIVE COLOR photo books - but I don't think it's completely outside the ballpark for what it looks like they're putting together.
 
Why exactly does it matter if the book is bound-in or not to the packaging? From where I'm at I would think that's the smallest factor in the cost. It sounds like a lot of the content in the book is new which is probably not as trivial as creating 10-20 pages when something initially releases versus years after the original release, and everyone who worked on that needs to get paid.

I'm not saying this doesn't still feel really expensive for what it is - my wife buys tons of k-pop releases which are 10-20$ usually and come with MASSIVE COLOR photo books - but I don't think it's completely outside the ballpark for what it looks like they're putting together.

As has been mentioned multiple times in this thread, yes, it is completely outside the ballpark.

Approximately 2 times the size of the ballpark.
 
I have no way of ever playing the vinyl so it would be purely for display purposes and that's an easy skip. I don't want to support this company but I want a physical game copy plus the Level 1 shirt =/
 
Is the physical copy exclusive to these people? Anyone know what the delivery cost is to UK & EU on that site? I don't give a shit about the extra fluff, just the game.

yes, exclusive. I dunno about their vinyl quality but there's no way they can fuck up the physical release for the game.
 
Why exactly does it matter if the book is bound-in or not to the packaging? From where I'm at I would think that's the smallest factor in the cost. It sounds like a lot of the content in the book is new which is probably not as trivial as creating 10-20 pages when something initially releases versus years after the original release, and everyone who worked on that needs to get paid.

I'm not saying this doesn't still feel really expensive for what it is - my wife buys tons of k-pop releases which are 10-20$ usually and come with MASSIVE COLOR photo books - but I don't think it's completely outside the ballpark for what it looks like they're putting together.

It is completely, totally, and utterly out of the ballpark. They're playing a different sport entirely. There is absolutely nothing that makes this any more special than any other more reasonably priced premium vinyl release, it's just that they're preying on people who like Rez and don't know anything about records.
 
As has been mentioned multiple times in this thread, yes, it is completely outside the ballpark.

Approximately 2 times the size of the ballpark.

Everyone seems to be fixating on the price of the physical object, not the actual cost of the labor that went into that book. What did it cost to put the author in Japan to get those interviews? How much time was spent interviewing? That's an interesting shot of the scramble crossing on the item page - did they pay a photographer to go with the author or is it a stock photo or...? Was the author fluent in Japanese or were there translators involved?.......

I think that so much comes out around the same time games are initially released now kind of spoils us (especially when we look at things done for western games - the DICE studio parts of the original Mirror's Edge guide come to mind among other things) and it's real easy to just look at that or the cost of just printing a book without taking a second to think about what's gone into it.

Edit: Just for the hell of it I looked through some past Kickstarters I backed for some perspective as to my own spending on similar things:

- Ray Barnholt's Scroll 10 Kickstarter took in around $15k to send him to Japan to conduct a couple interviews with Kaz Ayabe. As he handled pretty much every aspect of the design of the magazine himself, I'm sure he saved there, but also spent a lot on physical rewards (as it actually cost him more to get physical copies of the past issues for people who backed at those tiers)
- Anamanaguchi's Endless Fantasy Kickstarter (and we're not going to talk about what a disaster it was on a lot of levels because I still love those dudes) had an $80 tier (that I backed at) that got you the album on 2x splatter vinyl, a USB key with all their material, a small poster (designed by Cory Schmitz as well), a guest t-shirt (by Brian Lee O'Malley and Maré Odomo), and a digital download for the album. Which I would consider pretty comparable to what's on offer here (but yes, still a better/more reasonable deal.)
 
Everyone seems to be fixating on the price of the physical object, not the actual cost of the labor that went into that book. What did it cost to put the author in Japan to get those interviews? How much time was spent interviewing? That's an interesting shot of the scramble crossing on the item page - did they pay a photographer to go with the author or is it a stock photo or...? Was the author fluent in Japanese or were there translators involved?.......

I think that so much comes out around the same time games are initially released now kind of spoils us (especially when we look at things done for western games - the DICE studio parts of the original Mirror's Edge guide come to mind among other things) and it's real easy to just look at that or the cost of just printing a book without taking a second to think about what's gone into it.

Ok, I can play this game.

How much does it cost for a full band to compose and record brand new music over multiple years, and still release double LPs at $20 or $25?

How much does it cost to hire additional musicians, studio space?

Did they pay someone to design the album cover? Did they have to clear any samples?


None of your arguments holds water under a few minutes of scrutiny, because the whole industry has been doing things much more expensive and complicated and still releasing albums at half the cost. The pricing is completely off by any metric.
 
Ok, I can play this game.

How much does it cost for a full band to compose and record brand new music over multiple years, and still release double LPs at $20 or $25?

How much does it cost to hire additional musicians, studio space?

Did they pay someone to design the album cover? Did they have to clear any samples?


None of your arguments holds water under a few minutes of scrutiny, because the whole industry has been doing things much more expensive and complicated and still releasing albums at half the cost. The pricing is completely off by any metric.

I edited some stuff into that last post but to put it another way - I think you're looking at maybe 10 to 20 USD of bonus markup they're pocketing, not the 35 - 40 USD that I think a lot of posters seem to believe. (This would be after everything besides shipping - materials, design, writing, etc. SECOND EDIT: and a normal profit margin) Obviously I'm in a minority there, and that's okay.
 
Ok, I can play this game.

How much does it cost for a full band to compose and record brand new music over multiple years, and still release double LPs at $20 or $25?

How much does it cost to hire additional musicians, studio space?

Did they pay someone to design the album cover? Did they have to clear any samples?


None of your arguments holds water under a few minutes of scrutiny, because the whole industry has been doing things much more expensive and complicated and still releasing albums at half the cost. The pricing is completely off by any metric.

Who buys vinyls for the music?
 
I edited some stuff into that last post but to put it another way - I think you're looking at maybe 10 to 20 USD of bonus markup they're pocketing, not the 35 - 40 USD that I think a lot of posters seem to believe. (This would be after everything besides shipping - materials, design, writing, etc. SECOND EDIT: and a normal profit margin) Obviously I'm in a minority there, and that's okay.

You're just being purposefully obtuse at this point and are making an argument of pricing on the margin by including fixed costs, and without even knowing what the size of the pressing actually is.

I'm moving on. The fact is that equivalent products have been half price in the past. Deal.
 
ITT: People who are justifying highway robbery and don't know much about vinyl.

I've purchased some crazy vinyl in the past, but I've never paid more than $50 for any of it. That one purchase was a crazy Flaming Lips box set of some experimental music. Low print run, but a ton of music.

As much as I love Rez (and I LOVE Rez) I would never buy the soundtrack for $75.
 
Everyone seems to be fixating on the price of the physical object, not the actual cost of the labor that went into that book. What did it cost to put the author in Japan to get those interviews? How much time was spent interviewing? That's an interesting shot of the scramble crossing on the item page - did they pay a photographer to go with the author or is it a stock photo or...? Was the author fluent in Japanese or were there translators involved?.......

I think that so much comes out around the same time games are initially released now kind of spoils us (especially when we look at things done for western games - the DICE studio parts of the original Mirror's Edge guide come to mind among other things) and it's real easy to just look at that or the cost of just printing a book without taking a second to think about what's gone into it.

Edit: Just for the hell of it I looked through some past Kickstarters I backed for some perspective as to my own spending on similar things:

- Ray Barnholt's Scroll 10 Kickstarter took in around $15k to send him to Japan to conduct a couple interviews with Kaz Ayabe. As he handled pretty much every aspect of the design of the magazine himself, I'm sure he saved there, but also spent a lot on physical rewards (as it actually cost him more to get physical copies of the past issues for people who backed at those tiers)
- Anamanaguchi's Endless Fantasy Kickstarter (and we're not going to talk about what a disaster it was on a lot of levels because I still love those dudes) had an $80 tier (that I backed at) that got you the album on 2x splatter vinyl, a USB key with all their material, a small poster (designed by Cory Schmitz as well), a guest t-shirt (by Brian Lee O'Malley and Maré Odomo), and a digital download for the album. Which I would consider pretty comparable to what's on offer here (but yes, still a better/more reasonable deal.)

This isn't a Kickstarter, this is a fully funded company selling a product.

And again: there is nothing special about Rez that makes it any different from any other cult release. Equally lavish sets have been sold for far less for albums far more obscure and niche than this.
 
I don't know how long he's been a mod, but I've gotta say, XANDER CAGE is quickly becoming my favorite.

This is such a scummy deal they're hocking. I'm glad a mod here isn't having any of their shit.
 
Rez is an all time favorite game but 40 is probably a bit much for a physical.. fuck it. Gonna cop tomorrow.

Think it'll sell out quick?

Edit: if shipping takes it over 50 I'm out for sure
 
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