Shadow Dropping, is it a good idea??
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Muffdraul
Member
Shadow dropping consoles: bad idea
Shadow dropping games: I don't see the problem. If someone genuinely needs six months to a year or even beyond that to be able to budget whether or not they can afford a new game, I would question whether they should be buying any games at all in the first place. It would seem to me they have WAY bigger concerns.
I can't relate to anyone who claims to enjoy long waits and 'announcement of an announcement' bullshit. "I just love the excitement, the hype, the anticipation, it's so much fun, hee hee hee!" Yeah, you have fucking Stockholm Syndrome, my guy.
Shadow dropping games: I don't see the problem. If someone genuinely needs six months to a year or even beyond that to be able to budget whether or not they can afford a new game, I would question whether they should be buying any games at all in the first place. It would seem to me they have WAY bigger concerns.
I can't relate to anyone who claims to enjoy long waits and 'announcement of an announcement' bullshit. "I just love the excitement, the hype, the anticipation, it's so much fun, hee hee hee!" Yeah, you have fucking Stockholm Syndrome, my guy.
Pyral Phoenix
Member
I mean, I'd take Silksong shadow dropping any time
But seriously though, with gamepass and a week of marketing it should be a great strategy
But seriously though, with gamepass and a week of marketing it should be a great strategy
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Anyone know why shadow drop Apex Legends took off like it did? Ya, it was F2P. So are other games. But it seemed like overnight everyone wanted in on the action for that game.
yurinka
Member
It depends, for new games that need to be properly explained to convince people to buy them, as was the case of Hi-Fi Rush, it was a disaster and caused to shut down the studio.
But I think that things that need no explaination, like in this case a remaster of a very popular title, could perfectly be shadow dropped.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Gaming companies must have info that if you shadow drop a game, it might create a buzz with gamers thinking they all got to get into it asap like a swarm of ants.
I dont see how any big gaming company cant handle some time and budget to do traditional articles or YT videos promoting it. An assistant marketing newbie could handle that.
I dont see how any big gaming company cant handle some time and budget to do traditional articles or YT videos promoting it. An assistant marketing newbie could handle that.
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L*][*N*K
Member
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JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Totally different. Everyone knew there would be a 3rd man. People were turned in to see who. Nobody expected it to be Hogan and created interest for much more time.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
I just think wrestling (all drama) benefits from the unexpected if it's delivered properly.
That Stone Cold glass crash sound made a lot of people go nuts when they didn't expect it.
JimmyRustler
Member
Depends on the game I guess. For a Remake like Oblivion it's amazing. For a new IP? Likely not.
ByWatterson
Member
But who is even seeing this news except for the enthusiast crowd?
Grizzled Ghost
Member
Do you want them to run TV commercials or bus ads or something? This isn't that kind of release.
People will learn about this through advertising on game marketplaces, word of mouth, and enthusiast channels on YouTube/social media. With the difference being that it's an established, beloved classic that's available right now.
Fess
Member
I think it's a terrible strategy if there is no Xbox/Bethesda show or other gaming event where people tune in to get gaming news.
And they plan to do this 2 months before the summer event? Why? Did The Outer Worlds 2 snatch the extra show Bethesda wanted?
Do a proper unveil, post some teasers on X, use the extra time to polish it more.
Grizzled Ghost
Member
I feel like this might have been something they strategically kept in the hopper until the release schedule stagnated. 2025 is looking pretty packed, but right now there isn't a single big release until DOOM, (maybe Expedition 33, but that's not first party) a full month from now. Perfect time to surprise everyone with a big remaster of a legendary time sink of a game and capture the market's attention for a little while.
CastorSoze
Member
Imagine if GTA VI was shadow dropped. I'm sure with the date announced in advance people would be be booking time off for it.
And since there are people who don't like things not going their way with regard to games, they'll be annoyed if it suddenly dropped while they're at work. Everyone would suddenly develop a bad case of pneumonia or something.
But a short window between announcement and release is good.
And since there are people who don't like things not going their way with regard to games, they'll be annoyed if it suddenly dropped while they're at work. Everyone would suddenly develop a bad case of pneumonia or something.
But a short window between announcement and release is good.
Bert Big Balls
Gold Member
It's an interesting question. And it's not just gaming where this happens. The band Northlane dropped their album Mesmer out of nowhere in 2017 and it nearly ended the band. They posted some cryptic shit beforehand then just released it one day with no announcement, nothing.
I think it definitely can work, it just depends on the game and the audience.
I think it definitely can work, it just depends on the game and the audience.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
That's the key. The Monday Night Wars did do that, but it never came at the expense of good matches in pay-per-views. Vince always made sure you knew what you were buying.
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
I think shadow dropping only works with established properties that already have an install base of fans that could channel from
Properties that may not have a deep established base of fans like something like Kingdom Come deliverance , Would need to have a long marketing window to establish themselves to get people interested
So shadow dropping cannot work for every property, the property must be something beloved, already known and deeply established in the medium.
Properties that may not have a deep established base of fans like something like Kingdom Come deliverance , Would need to have a long marketing window to establish themselves to get people interested
So shadow dropping cannot work for every property, the property must be something beloved, already known and deeply established in the medium.
ZehDon
Gold Member
This are my thoughts as well. We know what Oblivion is, there's no need to drag out a hype cycle. If it's a new IP, you need to build interest and communicate what it is your selling.
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
When was the glory magazine days, it could be done and the magazine itself cared to do the publicity just by talking of the game. Usually was just a little block with a few sentences, but it was fine
I remember Sunset Riders being nothing more than a image and "it's Contra, but in old times". No fuzz. I played and it was the shit!
Nowadays there's a chance that could broke the devs. Marketing is fierce as fuck. It's like two games per year that do fine now
I remember Sunset Riders being nothing more than a image and "it's Contra, but in old times". No fuzz. I played and it was the shit!
Nowadays there's a chance that could broke the devs. Marketing is fierce as fuck. It's like two games per year that do fine now
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Midway-AGNC-
Member
Not a really good a idea for new games from an already big franchise or a big renowned studio. I'm not a big fan of Nintendo leaving their audience in radio silence for months, for example, only revealing their games a few months, even weeks, before the release. It creates unnecessary anxiety and uncertainty under the excuse of "would you like to wait 4 years, then?"
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
I dont think you guys know what a shadowdrop is. This isnt a shadowdrop anymore, we know it, we saw screenshots, there is no surprise lol, they used you as free marketing. Shadowdrop is literally you wake up the next morning and you find a new game in the store out of nowhere.
Its a remaster, probably at $40 and its by Bethesda. I dont think they will sell even close the amount of the OG Elder Scrolls so they dont wanna waste millions on marketing. It was enough for someone say "shadowdrop next week" and it became free marketing, everyone talking about it, even making topics on it on Neogaf....thats gret marketing 101, they didnt even have to do anything because everyone knows its coming and will "shadowdrop" lol.
Its a remaster, probably at $40 and its by Bethesda. I dont think they will sell even close the amount of the OG Elder Scrolls so they dont wanna waste millions on marketing. It was enough for someone say "shadowdrop next week" and it became free marketing, everyone talking about it, even making topics on it on Neogaf....thats gret marketing 101, they didnt even have to do anything because everyone knows its coming and will "shadowdrop" lol.
March Climber
Member
A great idea for gigantic brands, as big musicians do this already and word of mouth spreads fast.
GTA 6 could easily shadowdrop for example.
A very risky idea for new and smaller I.P.
GTA 6 could easily shadowdrop for example.
A very risky idea for new and smaller I.P.
Rockondevil
Member
I think a week or so of marketing is better than a shadow drop for a game like this.
Durin
Member
I think shadow dropping works for:
- Games that have been heavily anticipated and teased, but not confirmed (usually a sequel, prequel or spiritual successor).
- Remakes/Remasters to established games that people fondly remember and still bring up.
- Has a big reveal at a big event with tons of eyes, and delivers a great trailer that shows the general gameplay structure so people know what they're getting.
- A good reveal for an indie game that does something unique to draw a cluster of people in, be a good game with no major bugs/performance issues, and then can grow sales over time (rather than just on the shadowdrop day).
Stevonidas
Member
Personally, I loved it when Nintendo shadow-dropped this gem:
Justin9mm
Member
I think specifically all remakes/remasters should shadow drop. There is always too much negativity talk around whether it should have been done, so just dropping the game lets it speak for itself.
In all honesty, I'm starting to warm up to the idea of remasters for good games whether it be a small upgrade for free or for a small fee if you already own the game. I started playing Mafia 3 on my Pro as I dropped it when it was newer because it didn't gel with me at the time. I have to say, the gunplay and hit animation of enemies is some of the best I've ever seen. Story and characters are decent but the missions are so boring and repetitive and the image quality is terrible, it really needs a new lick of paint.
In all honesty, I'm starting to warm up to the idea of remasters for good games whether it be a small upgrade for free or for a small fee if you already own the game. I started playing Mafia 3 on my Pro as I dropped it when it was newer because it didn't gel with me at the time. I have to say, the gunplay and hit animation of enemies is some of the best I've ever seen. Story and characters are decent but the missions are so boring and repetitive and the image quality is terrible, it really needs a new lick of paint.
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bitbydeath
Gold Member
I'd rather hear about a game as soon as it enters production, and info drip fed through the entire development cycle.
Syphon Filter
Member
terrible idea.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Yeah, it's a pleasant surprise if it's something unexpected.
HF Rush and NG2 Sigma were both nice surprises.
The Oblivion remaster isn't really a surprise anymore so not sure if we can even call it a shadow drop at this point, lol.
HF Rush and NG2 Sigma were both nice surprises.
The Oblivion remaster isn't really a surprise anymore so not sure if we can even call it a shadow drop at this point, lol.
Lord Malachite
Member
It works best if your game is priced under $20 IMO. For most people, games are not an impulse buy--especially when they tend to cost $70 - $100 depending on platform, format, and edition.
Most people don't just spend $70 at the drop of a hat and may even plan a game purchase out. If a game is shadow dropped for say $10 - $20, it's much more in the impulse buy category which means it's far more likely to be mass adopted and not require tons of marketing to remind everyone when it's coming and that they're gonna miss out if they don't buy it (FOMO).
FOMO is a huge part of marketing, especially in gaming. Almost every major game campaign has a element of it--especially in games that have a strong multiplayer or live service component.
Most people don't just spend $70 at the drop of a hat and may even plan a game purchase out. If a game is shadow dropped for say $10 - $20, it's much more in the impulse buy category which means it's far more likely to be mass adopted and not require tons of marketing to remind everyone when it's coming and that they're gonna miss out if they don't buy it (FOMO).
FOMO is a huge part of marketing, especially in gaming. Almost every major game campaign has a element of it--especially in games that have a strong multiplayer or live service component.
MrCunningham
Member
Shadow dropping hardware is pretty disastrous, especially if you don't give the retail outlets a heads up in advance and supply them all with ample stock... you wouldn't want to pull a Sega and get shunned out of the retail market... On a side note, that announcement happened during the very first E3; May 1995? We're creeping up on the 30th anniversary of that and Sony's '299' announcement.... fucking hell...
Maybe if it was a AAA retail release, you would have to give a few months leeway to Walmart and the other (barely hanging on) retail chains. But, shadow dropping a digital release for a game is not that big of a deal, really... unless it causes an overload of traffic on the hosting servers...
Lord Malachite
Member
iD and Nightdive Studios have shadowdropped remasters of legacy content--Quake Remastered, Quake II Remastered, DooM & DooM II Remastered.
These releases didn't just update these ancient products for modern PCs and consoles, but have collected every official expansion ever released for the titles, and then added a newly developed expansion to each one on top of that. Plus you get cross-platform matchmaking. And they've all shadow dropped at the sweet spot of $10. They're simply too good a value not to purchase, and very easy to grab on impulse since the price is so low. These releases, IMO, are perfect examples of how to do a shadow drop correctly and win over the hearts and minds of everyone--gamers, platform holders, storefront holders. There's no one who gets the short end of the proverbial stick.
These releases didn't just update these ancient products for modern PCs and consoles, but have collected every official expansion ever released for the titles, and then added a newly developed expansion to each one on top of that. Plus you get cross-platform matchmaking. And they've all shadow dropped at the sweet spot of $10. They're simply too good a value not to purchase, and very easy to grab on impulse since the price is so low. These releases, IMO, are perfect examples of how to do a shadow drop correctly and win over the hearts and minds of everyone--gamers, platform holders, storefront holders. There's no one who gets the short end of the proverbial stick.