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The Joykilling Culture Of 'AAA' Games (The Jimquisition)
- Thread starter Lashley
- Start date
fastballspecial
Member
I noticed it was $60 on Xbox game preview now. Yikes.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
That's everyone. Gearbox ain't special.
Hamster Plugin
Member
I thought that Gearbox was a "mid-tier" publisher, but in Europe they're charging 69.99 for the console versions....
What the hell is causing this price point? Sony is the only AAA publisher that regularly charges only 59.99 for their retail games on PSN, and that is also the price point for Steam AAA games. Retail copies of these same games are always at 55-60 on console.
When you can get Horizon Zero Dawn, an extremely graphically good looking AAA open world game, for 59.99 at launch on PSN, there is no reason any publisher can give to charge 69.99 also on PSN.
What the hell is causing this price point? Sony is the only AAA publisher that regularly charges only 59.99 for their retail games on PSN, and that is also the price point for Steam AAA games. Retail copies of these same games are always at 55-60 on console.
When you can get Horizon Zero Dawn, an extremely graphically good looking AAA open world game, for 59.99 at launch on PSN, there is no reason any publisher can give to charge 69.99 also on PSN.
hydrophilic attack
Member
Consider that Sony takes a cut of sales on every PSN game by a third-party publisher. So Sony probably makes about as much money with their games at 49 as third parties make at 59
Hamster Plugin
Member
Microsoft and Nintendo also charge 69.99 for their first party games. It's pretty much a Sony-only thing right now.
I just wonder why Steam, which takes the same cut as PSN, is 10 cheaper every time.
thehillissilent
Member
I started as a procedural generated survival game, but they decided to add a story because the way it was originally marketed made it seem like a Bioshock clone. Now, they have been making the survival options optional and are working hard on expanding the story mode, which what a lot of people would really care about anyway. The main issue that I have in addition to the price hike, it the season pass.
psychowave
Member
Damn, I wish I was Undertale canon 
OriginalPoe
Banned
OH come on don't act like Gearbox isn't the epitome of what's wrong with AAA dev right now.
I feel bad for the game's devs, but they signed the contract so whatever. Pretty sure this doesn't do a thing but harm the game for the price hike.
hydrophilic attack
Member
Nintendo don't need to make their games cheaper. The installed base on their platforms are mainly interested in Nintendo game, so they will pay up. (As evidenced by the fact that they bought their unusually overpriced hardware in the first place. Their excellent games are worth the premium to fans.) Customers on PC are not locked into Steam the way that customers on consoles are locked into the platform holders' stores. If Valve goes asking for as high a cut as Sony and Nintendo, someone else will come along and ask for much smaller cut, giving lower prices. Valve needs to take a lower cut to compete with other storefronts. As for the reason for the discrepancy between Sony and MS, I'm not sure. I think maybe Sony is more interested in building new IP, where lower price points help draw in new customers, while Microsoft is content to milk their already popular IP until they go out of the hardware business with a whimper.
The main issue seems less generic AAA gripes and more that the devs completed misrepresented their product when they were actually making something incredibly mundane in an astoundingly crowded genre.
I honestly thought this was a Bioshock type deal, from the initial marketing/reveals. Maybe my fault, but seems I'm not alone.
TheRazielim
Member
Who cares about the price. The publisher can put whatever price tag on their games that they want. If market is not willing to accept that, fine, and it will drop quickly enough.
Same with season pass. If you are stupid enough to buy into it, then it's your own fucking fault.
Same with season pass. If you are stupid enough to buy into it, then it's your own fucking fault.
Nope, you're not alone. I thought it was a Bioshock-type game as well. Even if people didn't get that vibe, I highly doubt anyone saw that initial media and thought "oh, this is definitely a jank-ass survival game!"
You're not the only one. Hell, even Giantbomb folks were hyped as fuck for this game when they showed it at Microsoft's console.
hydrophilic attack
Member
The E3 trailer was lit af
Barrel Cannon
Member
I played the early access and the game was incredibly boring. It showed no promise to me but I do see why the trailer seemed so good. Seems like a great concept but the execution was really lacking for it to be "worth" paying $60 for myself.
thehillissilent
Member
You aren't alone by any stretch. I totally lost interest when they announced that it was mainly a survival game with little to no story. They did grossly misrepresent the game during the initial reveal. It seems like they are trying to correct those mistakes but they are pissing more people off in the process. The season pass is the final insult.
MrS
Banned
While he raises some valid points about We Happy Few, which doesn't need to be $60 and doesn't look good value for $60, it's hard for me to take his praise of Hellblade seriously after he gave the game a 1/10 review score. His praise of Hellblade in today's Jimquisition comes across as grovelling and backhanded compliments because he still hasn't issued what I would say is a proper, honest apology.
compulsiongames.com/en/news/138/we-are-coming-to-xbox-one-pc-and-ps4-on-april-13-2018!
I want to keep believing in the game and the team and while us Backers will get all DLC for free, this is still a shady situation.
Stone Ocean
Member
MrS
Banned
He addressed his bullshit review, yeah, but he back pedalled because the game was receiving stellar reviews elsewhere and because he knew his video was a bad look that made him look petty. He didn't apologise to the devs for trying to sabotage their launch.
ronaldthump
Member
good video mostly but Jim rallying multiple times behind Senua felt a bit hollow (even if he is right).
I didn't like WHF. it was a bit blerg
I didn't like WHF. it was a bit blerg
The difference is in retail.
A console licencing fee is paid for every disc printed. That's what makes the cost difference between console and PC retail games about 10€.
And those prices are those you see digitally too.
Sony as a first party obviously doesn't have to worry about licensing fees.
MrS
Banned
-To the devs for trying to sabotage their launch with an absurd outlier review which he has since tried to distance himself from.
-To his viewership for publishing a bullshit 'revenge' review which was not well thought out and wasn't a fair representation of his time with the game.
He made a non-apology apology in his Hellblade rereview which was actually quite galling.
I hate the fuck konami bit for this episode to be honest. I know his story with covering Konami started by covering their awful PR, but that's a department where they've got substantially better in (hell I think they're starting to go in a little too far, they retweet basically anything positive and I think it'll backfire at some point).
In his video he explains himself that he got angry at the game and was basically lashing out with the score. Later he regretted it because giving the game a 1/10 puts it on the same level as something like "Life of black tiger" which Hellblade simply isn't. I don't know how much he apologized to the devs but it was quite unprofessional and felt especially bad since Hellblade is an indie project. The success of the game was very much dependent on good reviews.
When that trailer was playing I was incredibly confused because I remembered seeing the game on Kickstarter and that was not what it was. It was surreal to see them present it that way; I know there's going to be a story in the fully released version but that's bizarre to promote as if it's the focus of the game.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Wait what? What is this game suppose to be? I only saw that first trailer with the drug thingy and delusions...
It's a roguelike survival game.
LinkSlayer64
Member
Am I the only one who even after seeing the xbox trailer, did not believe the game was story centric?
Diprosalic
Banned
That's a very simplified view of the publishing industry.
Human Trashcan
Banned
Gearbox also thought it was okay to charge full price for a spit-polished Bulletstorm, so this is seems up their street. They're desperate. Desperate? Desperate.
MatthewMungall
Member
...I honestly forgot that came out this year.
UserDoesNotExist
Member
I agree that his initial review was petty (as did he, hence the redo) but I don't know how many times this needs to be repeated in the enthusiast community: reviewers and consumers owe absolutely NOTHING to developers. They are businesses trying to make a profit, not your friends. Yes, even indie darlings like Ninja Theory.
ronaldthump
Member
Exactly. TBH with the hellblade review. It was pretty embarrassing and JS should have thought better before publishing it. Maybe contact the devs so they can send him a new save and/or find a way to help him get past it. I know that's not the issue, he did get himself into a game ending bug but a 1/10 was just sloppy.
I watched that video and I normally dont mind Jim but it made my respect/like drop a whole heap.
yeah didnt buy that either. I have it on one of the prior consoles maybe PS3. Can't even get into it but a rehash for full price. lol
I wonder if Gearbox had put the "We Happy Few" developers up against a wall to go full price on a game that has been in the game preview for some time now. I mean, I could understand if the game launched at $30-40, but how do you justify the $60 price tag (and a season pass on top of that)?
Really hope this wasn't a "Deal with the Devil" situation. Last thing we need is to see another Kickstarter go south when it launches.
Really hope this wasn't a "Deal with the Devil" situation. Last thing we need is to see another Kickstarter go south when it launches.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
The game is probably gonna go through extensive changes now that they have funding. Maybe it will now resemble close to the E3 trailer than a simple rogue-like survival game. The game got a bad first impression so the devs really have nothing to lose the more I think about it.
Mass Effect
Member
Wow I completely forgot about this bullshit.
newtypepilot
Member
LOL that Fuck Konami plaque.