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Burnout Paradise Bikes Hint At Looming Conflict Between Publishers And GameStop
helava says,
The rise of digital distribution will eventually mean the end of specialty retailers like Gamestop, and honestly, I couldn't be happier for it.
I despise those stores. I hate the fact that they make huge amounts off of used games, but the *creators* of those games don't see one red cent from their sale. I hate the crappy way the stores are organized, and the fact that they hire socially inept goons to staff the stores instead of knowledgeable professionals. I hate their preorder policy, I hate the way they push crap on you you don't need. I hate that they bother you when you're shopping there, and I hate that I still have to go to them to find some off-the-wall games that aren't carried by the larger retailers.
The only real problem with going to an all-digital-distribution model is that I worry about the lack of competition. XBLA games rarely go on sale or get discounted, and it's the same with WiiWare and PSN. Without competition from multiple distribution channels, the prices stay high for a good long while. Better for the developers, probably, but not so good for consumers searching for the best deal.
That said, I'll take that over the absolutely miserable current retail situation.
What the game industry needs, is a Starbucks of game retail. A place that looks nice, feels nice to be in, has good customer service, and provides a useful service in a pleasant, if unremarkable way.
I want a place that's comfortable to be in, where I can look at the things I'm interested in at my leisure, that'll then have those items in stock. A place where, if I was interested, I could talk to a knowledgable expert. Not some 16 year old who pretends to know everything, but someone who knows a hell of a lot, and isn't afraid to say when they don't. Someone who would give parents real, reasonable recommendations, and help them through the mass of confusion.
Such a business, unfortunately, would need much more overhead to run than a game section in a Best Buy, or the Gamestop, which hires incompetent buffoons for minimum wage. So it'd never survive. Game margins aren't too high to begin with, and the increased overhead of hiring competent staff, and building out a space that's pleasant to be in... it'd be difficult to stay competitive. Still, a guy can hope.
Article excerpt from kotaku.com —
"Bear with us. See, Criterion have gone all digital download crazy lately. First Burnout Paradise goes download-only over the PlayStation Network , then they go and release a big, free update over the same PlayStation Network . The former the kind of thing to stop you buying a game new from GameStop , the latter aimed - supposedly - at...
Read the full article at kotaku.com »
Read the full article at kotaku.com »
Posted 3 years ago
i've never liked racing games (bike or auto) on consoles or PC's. I just don't get them...
I guess the only racing game I liked was GTA IV.
I guess the only racing game I liked was GTA IV.
Anonymous
Posted 3 years ago
Are you serious? Starbucks is a plague on America. They ran out hundreds of smaller shops, then charge 8 bucks for a two dollar cup of coffee. They push all their merchandise off on you when you just want a simple cup of coffee. You really want a video game store that does the same. The creators of the game make their money off the original sale and make plenty off of it. Gamestop gives you a place to trade in games you no longer play in order to afford a new game you want. Games are getting higher and higher every year so this gives us a chance to get more games every year, which means more money for the creators. That is how retail business works and it provides plenty of jobs that wouldn't be there otherwise.
Posted 3 years ago
I'm not saying I want literally a store that has the same nasty business practices that Starbucks employs. But what makes Starbucks appealing is that you know that you're walking into a pleasantly designed environment, that the service staff isn't going to be a bunch of disaffected teenagers on a power trip, and that people in the store are knowledgeable about their product.
As for the money the creators make off the original sale, it's not "plenty." That's why almost every non-EA/Activision developer is struggling these days, because the costs of developing a AAA-quality game for modern consoles is extraordinarily high, and the returns are substantially diminished by used-game sales. Gamestop's revenues increase hand over fist every quarter because the margins on used games are exorbitant.
"More games" doesn't equal "More money for the creators" - in general, more games in the market equals *less* money for the creators, because even though the pie is getting bigger, it's getting sliced up into way smaller pieces. On top of that, the marketing money required to nab a substantially-sized slice of the pie is *so* vast these days that the marketing budget of a game like GTA FAR exceeds most total game budgets.
And obviously, if you actually read the details of my original post, I'm not saying all game retail should vanish - just the s**tty version of game retail that alienates people and provides the bare minimum (if that) of utility to its intended audience.
Replace it with a competent, pleasant version of same, and THAT will provide both plenty of jobs, one that helps game creators get a fair share of the used game market, and it'll be an inviting, welcoming place for gamers (and their parents, and their casual gaming friends) to shop.
Wouldn't that be great.
As for the money the creators make off the original sale, it's not "plenty." That's why almost every non-EA/Activision developer is struggling these days, because the costs of developing a AAA-quality game for modern consoles is extraordinarily high, and the returns are substantially diminished by used-game sales. Gamestop's revenues increase hand over fist every quarter because the margins on used games are exorbitant.
"More games" doesn't equal "More money for the creators" - in general, more games in the market equals *less* money for the creators, because even though the pie is getting bigger, it's getting sliced up into way smaller pieces. On top of that, the marketing money required to nab a substantially-sized slice of the pie is *so* vast these days that the marketing budget of a game like GTA FAR exceeds most total game budgets.
And obviously, if you actually read the details of my original post, I'm not saying all game retail should vanish - just the s**tty version of game retail that alienates people and provides the bare minimum (if that) of utility to its intended audience.
Replace it with a competent, pleasant version of same, and THAT will provide both plenty of jobs, one that helps game creators get a fair share of the used game market, and it'll be an inviting, welcoming place for gamers (and their parents, and their casual gaming friends) to shop.
Wouldn't that be great.
Posted 3 years ago
I really don't know what Starbucks you are going to, Jason. I get an espresso drink for $3 plus change (*coffee* is only $2). I've never had anyone push any sort of merchandise on me. I agree with the putting other coffee shops out of business part, though. But to be honest, you don't have the same number of mom and pop game shops anymore. Hardly any, in fact. The current game shops already took care of that part, so I would *love* to see a more competently run big chain take over the market, to helava's point.
As for the "games costing more and more," you're right in one sense. Games are *MUCH* more expensive to make, so every sale is huge. Granted, the mega hits make a ton of money, but those are very few and far between. Game companies are spending 3~5x as much on games this generation than last, yet revenue from a single game sale has only gone up by about 20% (revenue, not profit). It is making it so that only a very select number of publishers can reasonably expect to stay in business for long.
Oh crap, helava's already made all the other points I was going to make. A hex on him!
As for the "games costing more and more," you're right in one sense. Games are *MUCH* more expensive to make, so every sale is huge. Granted, the mega hits make a ton of money, but those are very few and far between. Game companies are spending 3~5x as much on games this generation than last, yet revenue from a single game sale has only gone up by about 20% (revenue, not profit). It is making it so that only a very select number of publishers can reasonably expect to stay in business for long.
Oh crap, helava's already made all the other points I was going to make. A hex on him!
Posted 3 years ago
What I love is when the gamestop idiots try to act like they know some secret bit of information that they cooked up while sitting in their one room apartment waiting for their "chirp" to be answered by people who hate them more than they hate themselves.
Example(and yes, I actually heard some guy say this)
"Mark my words, but by 2010 Sony and Microsoft are going to be one company."
Yes. And Nintendo is going to stop making Mario games.
Example(and yes, I actually heard some guy say this)
"Mark my words, but by 2010 Sony and Microsoft are going to be one company."
Yes. And Nintendo is going to stop making Mario games.
Posted 3 years ago
unsensitiVe said:
"Yes. And Nintendo is going to stop making Mario games." OMG WHO TOLD YOU?! There's a leak! ;)
I get so incensed when I hear bad advice being given to parents, in particular. The parents are clearly trying to make an involved, educated choice about what kinds of game they want to have their kids play, but the information they are given by the staff of many stores is worse than if I randomly made up stuff.
I get so incensed when I hear bad advice being given to parents, in particular. The parents are clearly trying to make an involved, educated choice about what kinds of game they want to have their kids play, but the information they are given by the staff of many stores is worse than if I randomly made up stuff.
Posted 3 years ago
If you're looking for a way to get more games per year, try selling them on ebay or a website like Gametz. Sure, that money still isn't going to the game companies, but both the seller and the buyer will end up with better deals in the end. Plus, you wouldn't be helping the prolong the existence of the disease that is Gamestop.
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About helava
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