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Prey's debut sales in the UK seem quite low
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Rexatality
Member
.... Bloody hell.
Basileus777
Member
The entire point is that those reviews aren't up yet.
Gamezone
Gold Member
This.
Megawarrior
Member
I didn't even know it was out until someone made the OT...was it advertised!?
Evil Monkey DTT
Banned
I actually liked the demo (other then the battle theme) but there's a part of me salty they used the prey name. It's a wholly original game, calling it prey feels gross to me and confuses people what this game is.
That's your fault then. Those reviews count just as much as a Gamespot or an IGN review.
Jawmuncher
Member
I had two friends ask me if it was a reboot. Was pretty funny.
Gamezone
Gold Member
Review copies for Prey before release would basically be free pre-release marketing.
I know they do, but I don't read those sites. So, how would I see them?
ScaryShark
Banned
The only thing I saw was the demo ad on the PS Store and it got a bunch of sponsored Twitch streams starting the Thursday before release. Very, very poor marketing.
I didn't even know there was a demo until a gaffer told me in a different thread.
By checking Metacritc and OpenCritic, or even the review thread on this very forum? Like everyone else does?
Allnamestakenlol
Member
Sad to hear. Game is honestly great.
psynergylover
Member
Bethesda best Praey to the Gods this game has great legs and word of mouth...
I'll leave...
I'll leave...
Because it's the worldwide standard people have been using for years.
Bits N Pieces
Member
I have seen the grand sum of zero TV spots for Prey.
Bethesda are usually pretty good at getting game ads on the TV here (UK). What happened, did they just send it out to die?
Bethesda are usually pretty good at getting game ads on the TV here (UK). What happened, did they just send it out to die?
This isn't the end, but it's close. It doesn't seem like the market is there for AAA immersive sims anymore. The sales don't come close to offsetting the actual costs + opportunity costs. I'm not even sure of any indies doing anything in this space either.
Jawmuncher
Member
I mean we are getting a System Shock 1 remake and a System Shock 3. So there are things in the pipeline
When the review thread opened there were 4 reviews, on Saturday I also saw 4 reviews. Haven't checked since then.
The game has been out for two days. The word of mouth is great, and Steam sales seem very positive. Let's wait a month and see where it's at.
Dont know if its the same in the UK but in America, 90% of the entertainement stuff comes out on Thuesday,except maybe Nintendo stuff...why did they decide all of a sudden that Prey will come out on a Friday...people look at what's out on Thuesday to plan stuff and may miss the out of nowhere Friday release...always found that strange to release on Friday...probably not the main reason lol but probably doesnt help either.
Not unexpected sadly. IMHO the following were all knocks against it:
Basically hot on the heels of Mankind Divided it's another expert lesson on how to limit and lower a game's chances in the market.
- very low level marketing impact (I saw big bill boards and TV ads but they really didn't convey much or connect at all)
- wrong title for the game (it's ironic given the saga around the use of the "Prey" brand but to be blunt it's an awful moniker for a System Shock styled game and I doubt resonated at all with that demographic - double irony the previous bounty hunting game intended to use the "Prey" brand would have fit it quite well)
- Average to weak word of mouth based on the demo. Demo was console only and had control issues on PS4 (the largest console install base this gen) - that's not good at all for starters. The demo also failed to showcase the main "gimmick" from advertising and instead only gave early peak when you're weak and the enemies feel like a pain. They should have either risked a contained demo from later in the game or released a custom level not from the actual game that included the mimic function and was designed purely to showcase mechanics
- The brand has little real sway - A variation on previous point but I don't get all the high jinks to use the Prey brand. It doesn't align to the game's direction, it's not that well known really and those that do know it would be expecting a sequel - in short they just confused everyone here : Wii U naming style snafu basically
- Holding back reviews - this game needed decent reviews out in wild ahead of launch. People don't just dive into System Shock style games cold. Their own policy hurt them here and prevented decent word of mouth from reviews reaching the demographics most likely to be interested in the game
Basically hot on the heels of Mankind Divided it's another expert lesson on how to limit and lower a game's chances in the market.
Bethesda always releases games on Friday. I actually prefer it, as it means more time to play.
Least we got Underworld Ascendant, System Shock 3, and Consortium The Tower. Hoping those turn out well.
So again, it's your fault for not looking.
On the indie side there is Consortium upcoming although it is tiny budget. Obviously there is SS3 coming as well, but that's about it.
Prey doesnt strike as a particularly expensive game though.
So because I didn't check for one day it's my fault I missed 21 reviews? Maybe Bethesda should give people review copies ahead of time so that the sites I do read can publish reviews at the same time.
Well, sure, the opinions those reviewers express are just as valid as any others.
But in terms of exposure or public impact, of course larger and more established review sources will have greater influence.
Anyway, yes these early sales are very bad.
I mean, yeah? More reviews are going to be published as time passes.
Yeah Bethesda's review policy sucks, but it's still on you to go and find those reviews that have already been uploaded.
7DollarHagane
Banned
Arkane is gonna end up being one of those studios that makes classic all time favorite games and closed because nothing they make sells, huh.
Sucks. Buy more 2k basketball i guess.
Sucks. Buy more 2k basketball i guess.
I pin most of my hopes on System Shock 3 as both Warren Spector and Sheldon Pacotti are involved, very important members of the original Deus Ex development team.
It's all about you huh? Please pass on a list of sites you read to Bethesda
And yes it's your fault - the chance is there - just read the review thread. It's obvious it will be updated.
eXistor
Member
A damn, if predictable, shame. Game is great. If it wasn't for Zelda it would be my favorite game of the year (until Mario). Nintendo isn't giving us a proper 3D Metroid, yet here it is in Prey.
I tend to use Pathfinder for these kind of games.
Yeah I don't agree with this moniker at all. It's an immersive game for sure, but it's not a sim.
I tend to use Pathfinder for these kind of games.
If people have to go looking for reviews/PR then the game's most likely totally fucked at retail. The point of effective marketing/PR is you don't have to go looking.
Let's not make excuses for a stupid policy that most likely played a part in hampering awareness of the game in the marketplace.
You're being weirdly aggressive about this. Very few of the major sites have reviews of the game yet and not everyone scans the reviews thread multiple times a day so I don't think it's that out of the ordinary for someone not to notice the reviews coming out.
I'm not making excuses for the policy, it is stupid, but if you're moaning about not having any reviews to read when you can easily look on Metacritic or the review thread on this very website that links to every single review, then it's your fault that you're not informed.
InsaneTiger
Member
That's good but YT is huge. Unless I just get those tailored ads about Red Lobster or Carvana.
Magic Mushroom
Member
Just read the GAF OT.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
They can't drop this game with zero reviews and word of mouth and except good things. It worked for Doom, but Doom is a much better game and also didn't have to compete with the first four months of 2017 dropping constant excellent games every other weak.
There's cool things in Prey but they didn't showcase a lot of it. Apparently that demo didn't do any favors.
I also think the total lack of optics on the game is causing people to oversell it (just look at that Zelda thread.) It's more of a Singularity kind of game that does a lot of cool gimmicks to make up for its flaws. The shooting is pretty weak, but the powers are cool. So it is a real successor to Bioshock I guess!
There's cool things in Prey but they didn't showcase a lot of it. Apparently that demo didn't do any favors.
I also think the total lack of optics on the game is causing people to oversell it (just look at that Zelda thread.) It's more of a Singularity kind of game that does a lot of cool gimmicks to make up for its flaws. The shooting is pretty weak, but the powers are cool. So it is a real successor to Bioshock I guess!
GinoFelino
Member
Bethesda deserves this for their bullshit.
Arkane does NOT deserve this. They make amazing games that respect your time and your intelligence.
Arkane does NOT deserve this. They make amazing games that respect your time and your intelligence.
Resistance100
Member
everything releases on a Friday in the UK.
You can pick it up after work then have all weekend to play