Shadow Dropping, is it a good idea??

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With all this talk about Oblivion Remake getting shadow dropped next week, is it a good idea? Hi-Fi Rush shadow dropped and I am pretty sure it hurt its potential, do you think shadow dropping will work for any game?? The only one I could think of is if Valve decided to shadow drop Half-Life 3 on the front page of steam on a random friday and that will have the most impact on the chatter online.
 
I find it incredibly fun, exciting, almost like a gift to the hardcore gaming community. It's one of the few remnants we have left that reminds me of E3 days. I love it.

Marketing in general is really only useful for casual gamers. Hardcore gamers that read forums are plugged in and will hear about something on Gamepass, or from an event, or a shadow drop. If a game is more geared for a hardcore audience then a shadow drop absolutely can make sense. If a game has potential for more broad, mainstream appeal then a larger marketing campaign makes sense. Some people are so disconnected from gaming they will literally see a commercial on TV and that will be the first time they heard of something. I can't imagine that personally, but that's the only type of person worth marketing to. This is why I'm a bit skeptical Oblivion is a shadow drop because it does have broad appeal. I guess we'll see. Something like Hi-Fi Rush is 100% niche and the shadow drop isn't the problem. For hardcore gamers, it does increase hype and good will which is valuable, can increase impulse purchases, and can even skip letting the media and reviews process build the narrative in advance and just get a good game in the hands of players instantly. That also has value if it's a good game.
 
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Not the best idea for all games, but it can work for some and it should work well with Game Pass. Marketing budgets are often gigantic or wasted on dumb things. The same cash could've been spent on other things to make the actual game better.
 
For a remake like this, it might make sense. A lengthy marketing strategy wouldn't add much IMO. There's not much to reveal and show off before release. I think this is a fun surprise that gets people more excited than they would have been normally.
 
Yes I like this kind of stuff. No stupid waiting for 4 years, no delay etc etc...

And where is the pool? You need a pool with a thread like that, here you go:

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Hope some of you got the reference at least
 
Depends on the game. Strange for something like Oblivion though. That seems like it would be a big deal. Microsoft doesn't like spending money on marketing though.
 
Depends on the game. Shadow dropping Persona 4 Golden on Steam was a huge success.
I bet it enjoyed additional sales from curious onlookers when it suddenly started trending.
 
It operates on the same psychology as those sketchy infomercials.

"And now, if you order in the next 10 minutes, you'll recieve 2 pieces of junk instead of one!"

It leverages your peaked emotional state to fork over cash because they don't believe a long term, more rational view of the product will lead to more sales.
 
Jim Cornette told a story about how Vince McMahon was against surprises in most cases. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, surprises only matter to marks. If you promote something beforehand it helps boost ratings and sell more tickets. That's what the business is all about. Don't be a mark.
 
The 'One More Thing' should not be used for games. Shadow drops should only be used for things that all your customers will receive.
Like OS, or UI upgrades or addons.
A free pack in game for everyone? Shadow drop it.
Allowing Steam on your console? Finally putting folders on your home page? Shadow drop it.
Forcing U2 albums in everyones libraries? Shadow drop it (And then wait for the fallout)
But shadow dropping a game that people have to pay for? Not a good idea.
 
Maybe for smaller titles.
Personally I wouldn't do it for something somewhat relevant like an Oblivion remake/remaster.
Having that hype buildup is important IMO even if it's just a couple of months from announcement to release.
 
The difference between Hi-Fi Rush and Oblivion is that Oblivion is a well known IP already. It was beyond stupid to shadow drop Hi-Fi but it might work here if they do a good job advertising Oblivion.
 
I think it's kind of a feeling, for something like Hi-Fi Rush it's rare. That was kind of the perfect game for it. Something a vast majority of people would like. Another good game would be something you feel in the undercurrent of online discussion, what people keep talking about and saying "I wish they'd make that game" or "There needs be a sequel or remaster". If you can execute that, it's awesome. Otherwise I think a little hype is good. Maybe a "leak" ahead of time to get people talking about it first.
 
Shadow-dropping is terrible and inherently appeals only to the very tuned-in game crowd, which in the core gaming space is a 5-10 million, tops.

So you're dramatically limiting your potential audience.

Terrible idea.
 
Jim Cornette told a story about how Vince McMahon was against surprises in most cases. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, surprises only matter to marks. If you promote something beforehand it helps boost ratings and sell more tickets. That's what the business is all about. Don't be a mark.
I'm not so sure that Vince McMahon hated surprises...

 
With all this talk about Oblivion Remake getting shadow dropped next week, is it a good idea? Hi-Fi Rush shadow dropped and I am pretty sure it hurt its potential, do you think shadow dropping will work for any game?? The only one I could think of is if Valve decided to shadow drop Half-Life 3 on the front page of steam on a random friday and that will have the most impact on the chatter online.
Works for me. I will take the game as soon as they make it available.
 
It depends on the release window - in a quiet week, it is a great idea and can really help boost a game, as the shadow drop gets it high in the news at the point of release. That Ninja Gaiden one the other week is a good example. I have never played a Ninja Gaiden game and would really have no interest in a new one, but the burst of hype got me interested.

Doing it, say, the same day as GTA VI and or COD would be suicide.
 
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Shadow-dropping is terrible and inherently appeals only to the very tuned-in game crowd, which in the core gaming space is a 5-10 million, tops.

So you're dramatically limiting your potential audience.

Terrible idea.

I disagree in this case. Elder Scrolls has built in clout, and this is just gamepass filler anyway. Concentrating all of the hype for this kind of nostalgic known quantity into a slow period like right now will increase the fomo to maximum levels and drive sales on other platforms.
 
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I'm not so sure that Vince McMahon hated surprises...


That's WCW run by Ted Turner and Bischoff. Not Vinny Mac.

I put "in most cases' because there are exceptions. You don't need to promote a surprise at Wrestlemania because that show will draw regardless. A random Monday Night Raw though? You need to promote when Brock Lesnar will be there in most cases. Otherwise you're leaving money on the table.
 
Yes, Nintendo shadow dropped Hollow Knight at a direct. That was a good day. I seem to recall MS shadowdropped hifi rush. Good stuff. I love shadowdrops when they are good. That metroidvania game just shadowdropped the other day and it has great metrics.
 
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Jim Cornette told a story about how Vince McMahon was against surprises in most cases. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, surprises only matter to marks. If you promote something beforehand it helps boost ratings and sell more tickets. That's what the business is all about. Don't be a mark.
What about lames?

So I get it, easy marks are easy marks. Marks are out to trade money for a good time.

But what about lames?

Lames sacrifice their personal experience and enjoyment in order to make money when they already have a pile big enough for their lifetime. So what about lames?

Lames hate shadowdrops but marks love them. I'm a mark. They can shut up and take my money for the next shadowdrop, Nintendo Switch 2, or Playstation Pro, or Nvidia video card. True it only caters to a small number of knowledgeable individuals like myself but brotha, it sure feels good to be catered to. Come to think of it, I just replayed Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma Black after getting it when it shadow dropped. Great times!
 
I don't think so, although it depends on the game, but it makes no sense for Oblivion which is a really well known Bethesda game, it's like they are trying to hide something!!, and don't want to show it off to the world, strange.
 
Yes, Nintendo shadow dropped Hollow Knight at a direct. That was a good day. I seem to recall MS shadowdropped hifi rush. Good stuff. I love shadowdrops when they are good. That metroidvania game just shadowdropped the other day and it has great metrics.

Hollow Knight wasn't shadow dropped. Hi Fi Rush isn't a good example considering MS closed Tango after its released.
 
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No, never a good idea.

Give your upcoming games the respect they deserve. Give them the limelight, build the hype, support it with good marketing, and treat it as a PREMIUM product.
 
Not when it leaks before the shadow drop so it isn't a shadow drop. And not when it isn't part of a show so most people don't see the unveil.
 
I think having a short announce window is far better.

There is nothing worse than announcing a game 3-4 years early. Give me a max 12 month window.

Oblivion isn't quite shadow dropped. We have been pre-warned and there are leaked screenshots.
 
It depends. If you mean shadow drop like they just put it out on digital stores with almost no marketing and rely on only word of mouth? I think that is a dumb idea.

I do think shadow dropping could work if they just came out next Tuesday and released Oblivion remake with a huge marketing blitz.

I also wonder if it wouldn't work in Oblivion's favor. If you gave the hardcore fans a year to nitpick every screenshot/trailer all this does is add to bad publicity. Gone are the days when nerds would geek out over every little dribble of information, nerd/geek culture is now making 100 weekly 30 min videos where you shit on whatever company x does. By just shadow dropping this it would basically neuter all the Digital Foundry analysis videos shitting on the performance/bugs, The AVGN/RLM wannabe youtubers making hate content, etc. All there would be would be hype from people who would probably impulse buy it.
 
You would think for a game like Oblivion it would be a marketed approach, unless they half assed the remaster/remake then it's obvious why they're doing it. They're hoping the name alone will have many insta buy without checking into quality first in some reviews.
 
Shadow dropping is fine. If your game is great, interesting, or unique, gamers will do all the marketing for you. That's why so many indie games on Steam gain so much popularity with little to no marketing.
 
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