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[MilkyJoe]

When the only way to get said 4 days is to buy a bundle with a season pass and "VIP" access in it, yeah it is a little bit wanky.

And my reply is "it's only four days" If it were 2 weeks or a month l'd understand. But 4 days is nothing and not worth shelling out 50% more and certainly not worth getting shirty over. It's stupid, but not on the same plain of existence as most of the other shit they try to pull.

 

[Tertullian]

I wonder if the people defending this would balk if publishers stopped pussyfooting around and actually committed to this stuff.

Every game launches at $10,000, then slowly walks down to $60 over the course of a month. Perfect price discrimination. Only the most famous and obnoxious youtubers can afford the game at launch. By the time you buy the game, it's already old.

 

[Maintenance]

It is bullshit the same way Deus Ex "Augment your Pre-order" was, but now more people are defending it.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

"We" are not paying extra for early access. "We" are paying extra for the season pass. Early access is a bonus.

Thanks for calling us idiots though. I think you are awesome!

Miss your old tag - it still suits you.

Who are you exactly?

Early access is a tiny portion of what you are paying for.. its just a bonus. You are pretty much paying for the season pass and game up front and the VIP portion kicks in day 1. Nobody is paying $40 extra and JUST getting early access..

If you aren't paying for early access, you would just buy the game and season pass separately.

You can spend your money how you like, but let's not pretend that playing early isn't the main attraction for people who buy into this. More fool them.

 

[DeputyVanHalen]

It's a little further off, but Halo Wars 2 is doing it too, though that ultimate edition is only $20 more and includes the season pass and a remaster of the original, so it's a bit less greedy I guess.

 

[RPGam3r]

i need my games on day one because i fear spoilers. imagine story games like last of us playing a week later. this would basically mean no internet for this time.

I never understand this. I use the internet all day for recreation and my job. I play games sometimes months to years after release and am rarely if ever spoiled. It is not hard to be online and stay away of spoilers.

 

[Peter Ian Staker]

Well it's a lot less harmful than microtransactions or dlc.
If publishers want to make more than 60 per copy(they kind of have to eventually due to inflation), let some guy with expendable pay the premium and play a bit earlier. Buying a game at launch is ill advised anyway.
The average consumer has nothing to lose from this practice unlike dlc or microtransactions.

 

[TNH853]

I never understand this. I use the internet all day for recreation and my job. I play games sometimes months to years after release and am rarely if ever spoiled. It is not hard to be online and stay away of spoilers.

i am consuming video-reviews and many weekly podcasts, they can spoil a lot and not to forget all the gaming sites. there are many more possibilities to get spoiled like youtube thumbnails etc.

 

[ambar_hitman]

Would you mind adding to the OP how many days early you get each game? It would be interesting to know if it's creeping up or not.

Done. Its variable. However, if you visit the preorder pages of these games, the "YOU GET TO PLAY EARLY"
is the most highlighted part of these editions.

 

[KTO]

I see it's a thing publishers are starting to do. I do not follow why you are mad about it.

 

[Dural]

I'm cool with it, in fact, I'd pay an extra $5-10 to be able to upgrade my preorder of Horizon 3 so I could play it this weekend.

 

[GamerJM]

It's kind of bullshit but it's not happening on a common enough basis to the point where it's affected any games I care about.

I think the worst instance of something like this was he Vita launch though, where the 3G version came out before the Wi-Fi one....

 

[Giftofgab24]

It is bullshit the same way Deus Ex "Augment your Pre-order" was, but now more people are defending it.

No, it's not at all. Quit comparing it. The Deus Ex one would unlock the game early for all of those that pre-ordered IF they hit a certain number of preorders. The early release was never guaranteed and they wanted you to actively peddle their scheme to your friends so they could meet that preorder number to release the game early. FH3 Ultimate contains everything FH2 Ultimate did AS WELL as 4 days early access. It's a bonus. Did it cause some people to buy the $100 edition just for the early access? Of course. The vast majority of people that preordered the ultimate edition were going to do so anyways because it provides a good value for the car pack releases.

 

[Nipo]

So would everyone rather see a 10% increase in new game prices instead of this targeted price discrimination?

 

[Outrun]

I always viewed it as a perk of the premium edition.

5 days early access is not important. Isn't true that NA gets to play on Tuesday, while Europe waits until Friday?

 

[johnnydrama]

The Deluxe Edition, which costs $80, comes with a bunch of stuff but you can't play it early. The Ultimate Edition, which costs $100, comes with all that stuff plus a Car Pass that gives you 40+ cars over the course of a few months. On top of that you can play it early. I don't see the point of the outrage here. It's an added incentive to season pass (car pass) owners. They aren't charging you $20 extra to play early. Please do some research before starting threads.

 

[pretty done]

Better than Dark Souls 3, where you could only play it early if you're a streamer. I would have definitely paid money to play it early, but wasn't even given the chance! Greedy publishers.

 

[Gxgear]

Personally I use this trend as a reason to dissuade myself to stop preordering the games. If I have to pay a premium for the "privilege" of early access, then I'd rather not pay at all until it's on clearance.

 

[Giftofgab24]

Who are you exactly?



If you aren't paying for early access, you would just buy the game and season pass separately.

You can spend your money how you like, but let's not pretend that playing early isn't the main attraction for people who buy into this. More fool them.

It isn't. I'd say there's more people buying it for the car passes and other things. You know, like we did for the forza horizon 2 ultimate edition which had all of this stuff sans the early access. If you like the game enough to drop $100 dollars on it odds are that you want all the cars that will be available. Car packs are $5 each and you get 6. The VIP pass is $25 and you get that as well. So if you add that $55 to the base $60 you can see why it makes sense for horizon lovers to get the ultimate regardless of the early access. I'm sure some people will buy it just to play early, but I highly doubt it'll be the vast majority.

 

[ambar_hitman]

Point is, almost all these editions which have Early access, highlight the "Early Access" part the most.
Go to any of their product page.

Now why would companies do that? Wait I know it, because its the USP of that edition.

Literally every edition description starts with: Play this early or play this before release date etc.

 

[Giftofgab24]

i am consuming video-reviews and many weekly podcasts, they can spoil a lot and not to forget all the gaming sites. there are many more possibilities to get spoiled like youtube thumbnails etc.

Avoid those places then? Well I guess if you have absolutely no willpower it might be difficult.

 

[TNH853]

Avoid those places then? Well I guess if you have absolutely no willpower it might be difficult.

yeah thats what i said. i have to avoid the internet until i am done with the game. thats why i play games day1

 

[hunchback]

Battlefield 1 is doing it, too, and not just through EA Access. They even call it the "Early Enlister" edition.

Personally, I don't care for single-player games. It seems unfair to give some people an early headstart in multiplayer games, though.

I agree. Single player really isn't a issue. It's the multiplayer game's where you get upgrades and or experience. You're basically 3 day's behind. I'll be playing BF1 with someone that has had 3 day's to memorize every nook and cranny of a map.

I do realize though it is short term because you will catch up with the early players.

 

[SystemUser]

They charge more at a baseball game to allow you to sit closer to the field. It costs more to go to a movie at the theater than to rent it from redbox. This trend does not seem contained to games.

 

[KTO]

I agree. Single player really isn't a issue. It's the multiplayer game's where you get upgrades and or experience. You're basically 3 day's behind. I'll be playing BF1 with someone that has had 3 day's to memorize every nook and cranny of a map.

I do realize though it is short term because you will catch up with the early players.

But isn't that the rub? If you care that much about a three day head start pay the $20 dollars. if you don't care don't pay. It's clearly worth something to somebody I don't see why they shouldn't sell it without devolving into some slippery slope fallacy.

 

[Falchion]

Not a big fan, I like having the entire community jump in at the same time.

 

[Diablohead]

I personally do not have a problem with early timed trials but having the full game early for those who pay for the most expensive edition is a bit... eh.

Waiting for someone to tell me those are both the same thing.

 

[Vinsanity.]

For those that say No Big Deal, its just a Few Days..

What if more and more people are willing to pay for the few days of early access, so publishers decide to offer it a week earlier or a month earlier for even more money? At what point does it make a difference to those that say No Big Deal? We all know that publishers will bleed something dry that makes them a few more bucks...

$10 - week early
$25 - month early

Don't say it will never happen...it all started with horse DLC.

 

[Kintaro]

The Deluxe Edition, which costs $80, comes with a bunch of stuff but you can't play it early. The Ultimate Edition, which costs $100, comes with all that stuff plus a Car Pass that gives you 40+ cars over the course of a few months. On top of that you can play it early. I don't see the point of the outrage here. It's an added incentive to season pass (car pass) owners. They aren't charging you $20 extra to play early. Please do some research before starting threads.

There doesn't have to be a point for there to be outraged. Outrage is now its own form of entertainment. Instead of playing the games, be outraged about them!

This is a nothing thing. Has not affected anything and it's simply "Those guys get to play earlier than me!"

For those that say No Big Deal, its just a Few Days..

What if more and more people are willing to pay for the few days of early access, so publishers decide to offer it a week earlier or a month earlier for even more money? At what point does it make a difference to those that say No Big Deal? We all know that publishers will bleed something dry that makes them a few more bucks...

$10 - week early
$25 - month early

Don't say it will never happen...it all started with horse DLC.

Oh shit! It's the What If game! I can play that too.

What If Publishers see the success that NBA 2K has had doing this for the last THREE YEARS and just decide for all their games "Hey, simply pre-order and you just get the game early! That's it!"

BTW, Early Access is a THING and people pay full price to play the game years before it's even DONE.

Stop this.

 

[| Praxis |]

Not a big fan, I like having the entire community jump in at the same time.

Yep. Just another way of squeezing as much money out of consumers as possible. Understandable if you're a shareholder, should be abhorrent to the average person buying games.

 

[RPGam3r]

i am consuming video-reviews and many weekly podcasts, they can spoil a lot and not to forget all the gaming sites. there are many more possibilities to get spoiled like youtube thumbnails etc.

Yeah me too, stop watching reviews or casts that spoil crap, or skip ahead of the parts you don't want spoiled on. Again not hard.

Albeit part of me feels like you are part of the hypersensitive spoiler group.

 

[Petrae]

So would everyone rather see a 10% increase in new game prices instead of this targeted price discrimination?

If we buy into the popular inflation argument, everyone should be paying at least 10% more for new games these days in order to offset cost increases due for developers and publishers. According to savings.org, $60 in 2006 equals more than $72 today based on inflation alone. Games probably should have gone up to $70 MSRP for Gen8.

 

[RPGam3r]

Yep. Just another way of squeezing as much money out of consumers as possible. Understandable if you're a shareholder, should be abhorrent to the average person buying games.

As a consumer I understand these are companies that want to stay profitable, and I as a consumer want them to be profitable too.

 

[drotahorror]

I really don't care much about microtransactions, loot boxes etc.

But spending $40 extra to play early? Naw. Not cool (I'm aware it comes with other things in Forza's case). I do feel like it's a cool incentive if it was for ALL preorders. I typically don't care about pre-order bonuses. But a 'play early' bonus would be a nice one.

Instead this is just a pay more and play early bonus.

 

[johnnydrama]

I really don't care much about microtransactions, loot boxes etc.

But spending $40 extra to play early? Naw. Not cool (I'm aware it comes with other things in Forza's case). I do feel like it's a cool incentive if it was for ALL preorders. I typically don't care about pre-order bonuses. But a 'play early' bonus would be a nice one.

Instead this is just a pay more and play early bonus.

But it comes with a full season pass, and a bunch of extra shit. If you buy all that stuff separately it would probably cost you as much too.

 

[Bits N Pieces]

Mountain meet Mole Hill, Mole Hill meet Mountain.

People can spend their money freely on whatever they wish, its not for you or anyone to tell them otherwise.

 

[TylerDurden4321]

I'd like to know how you guys think the GAF |OT| should handle these editions.
Should the OT be live the day the standard edition releases or the day the early-edition releases?

 

[Maintenance]

I'd like to know how you guys think the GAF |OT| should handle these editions.
Should the OT be live the day the standard edition releases or the day the early-edition releases?

|OT - for Tier 1 owners|

 

[ultrazilla]

Nobody is forcing me to buy it.

That said, I don't like the trend. It *really* bothers me how much younger generations of gamers are being taken advantage of. You have a choice of course but obviously these
shady practices(huge day 1 patches to fix the game because it was still broken), paid DLC that usually splits online multiplayer bases, micro transactions, active internet connections to "activate" a game among others just makes me sick.

Let's face it. Games are $100 now if you want full access to a game. Almost all games announce season passes/DLC before a game ships.

I swore off Early Access(after the finished ARK DLC and DayZ fiascos) and I'm ready to swear off current gaming.

I've found myself going back and retro gaming with my Retron and playing cartridge games where I plugged and played and got the full game. No internet or DLC required.

 

[Caayn]

I'd like to know how you guys think the GAF |OT| should handle these editions.
Should the OT be live the day the standard edition releases or the day the early-edition releases?

|OT| Whales edition.

 

[danowat]

We really need two OT's, one for the Princes and one for the Paupers!

 

[jmizzal]

I have no problem with this, people are gonna buy those editions anyways, if they get it early, whats the issue?

NBA 2K gives you the game early for the same price, EA access gives you the games early but access has a lot of great other features too.

Day 1 paid DLC now that I dont like

 

[Petrae]

Nobody is forcing me to buy it.

That said, I don't like the trend. It *really* bothers me how much younger generations of gamers are being taken advantage of. You have a choice of course but obviously these
shady practices(huge day 1 patches to fix the game because it was still broken), paid DLC that usually splits online multiplayer bases, micro transactions, active internet connections to "activate" a game among others just makes me sick.

Let's face it. Games are $100 now if you want full access to a game. Almost all games announce season passes/DLC before a game ships.

I swore off Early Access(after the finished ARK DLC and DayZ fiascos) and I'm ready to swear off current gaming.

I've found myself going back and retro gaming with my Retron and playing cartridge games where I plugged and played and got the full game. No internet or DLC required.

Pretty much where I'm at. All power to those who want to stick with modern console gaming and don't mind the changes... but I'm pretty much done. I enjoy just popping a cart or disc into a console and having it just work-- no updating, no DLC warnings, no need to be online.

Conversely, there's an entire generation of console video game players who grew up with DLC, waiting for patches and installs, and the need for online connectivity. They don't know any different and accept console gaming for what it is now. It's fine for them, and that's great.

 

[TylerDurden4321]

We really need two OT's, one for the Princes and one for the Paupers!

I know in which one I'd feel better, no matter which edition I've bought. (for what it's worth, I bought the FM6 Ultimate Edition that also had early access and gonna stick to the Standard Edition for FH3)

 

[TheRed]

I'm actually okay with this instead of raising the base price of all these games that are becoming more and more expensive to make and keep the studios afloat. As long as it stays within a week I'm pretty cool with it and it guarantees seeing some unbiased impressions before the standard release to help decide to buy or not and not have to rely on reviewers that usually gloss over important things.

 

[Nirolak]

I'd like to know how you guys think the GAF |OT| should handle these editions.
Should the OT be live the day the standard edition releases or the day the early-edition releases?

OTs should go up with the early releases.

 

[ElNino]

It's not that. The game is actually ready on 23rd and without this scheme that would have been the release date. They just want to push the date and get people to pay more.

Not really. The game would still cost the same, and come out on the normal release date (27th) without this incentive.

 

[spawnsniper]

Just wait till you get half the game on the cheaper version, and the full experience on the expensive one...until all games start being priced higher.

 

[Novocaine]

Really don't have a problem with it personally. Honestly it seems like a better preorder bonus than access to a games alpha or beta, or some garbage ass skin i'll never use.

 

[failgubbe]

Release date being pushed back is the dummest argument i've seen on this site. It's borderline r/gaming bad