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Denver, 11:04 PM
Sun Nov 29
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/09/09
I understand that there's enormous amounts of PR money spent and that's scheduled around a release date, but all a street date broken by a few days does is create more buzz in the community, and more column inches, which the publisher should support, right?
Knowing Acti, I wouldn't be all that surprised to find out that they orchestrate broken street dates, or at the very least ship copy to stores a few days earlier, secure in the knowledge that some of them will break the date. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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GameStop knows this is a chance for them to tighten the noose on locking out the independents. If they can convince publishers and consumers by popular opinion that the small business game store is an "outlaw" so to speak, and "we all have to watch those street release breaking hooligans" then they have won their propaganda campaign to push out competition.
In my business it is impossible to sit idly by while other stores break street date. So it is a given that once another couple of stores "crack" we have to oblige. In most cases I see more of a marketing buzz for the game because it becomes conversation to the laymen also. This is the type of thing that another person, who normally wasn't interested gets the "I want that too" feeling. I have been in the game business and selling video games since it became a phenom in the eighties and this historically seems to sell more games overall.
I would think some people will still say you have to follow the street release rules (which are enforced mostly to support GameStop beneficial midnight promotions), then I would ask you in this economy with a corporate "goliath" like GameStop continually trying to extinguish your flame, what would you do? #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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One store sells early so Gamestop sells early. Best Buy 45 minutes away doesn't want to lose sales so they start selling to compete with Gamestop. Wal-Mart an hour away doesn't want to lose sales to Gamestop and Best Buy so they join in as well. etc, etc, etc.
My mother tells me two wrongs don't make a right and honestly, how many copies could a "mom and pop" store have? I doubt they even get 100. So the national chain Gamestop wants to keep a few sales so they take action into their own hands and break a mandated street date. Now they are taking sales away from all the other big retail chains and although they saw a problem with "mom and pop" screwing them they don't see anything wrong with sticking it in the rear of Best Buy around the corner.
I hope they get fined for being greedy and it cancels out the sales they are saving from "mom and pop" and stealing from every other retail chain. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
Why? Because the hardcore gamers that will seek out broken street dates are the same types that will reserve the game to ensure they play it as soon as humanly possible.
So if the 7-11 down the street decides to put their copies out almost a week early, than those gamers that have a copy reserved at GameStop are going to say "Forget that" and go buy it elsewhere.
GameStop could easily counteract the criticism by simply only breaking street date for those who had reserved the game prior to the date this decision came down.
That way you grab those who wanted the copy ASAP and don't lose their supposedly "guaranteed" purchase.
11/09/09
I consider myself huge CoD fan and I didn't preorder the game through Gamestop but I will be picking up a copy tonight at midnight from a local retailer. Trust me though, if the Gamestop close to me was selling early I would have gone and picked up a copy asap and wouldn't be going to another local store tonight. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
I would imagine the original store that broke street date will likely be punished by losing out on shipments of future titles.
But I really don't like the precident this sets...
And yes, I see the quote from Activision denying the conversations, but these days what the hell can you believe from them? This is the same company that has been sued TWICE for improper use of celebrity likenesses in the Hero franchise and both times actively denied something completely different.
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It always infuriates me in my area when I KNOW FOR A FACT they have the product I want to spend money on in the back but will not let me purchase it. The trouble is the stores here seem to release the day AFTER the 'official' release date. I've seen this for multiple releases from different publishers, and I still can't understand it. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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11/09/09
I keep reading in different places that brick and mortar stores are still vitally important to sales, but from my own perspective it's difficult to see it that way. I can order stuff on amazon and get it day of release, for relatively low shipping costs. Digital release means I can have it on steam day of (or at least 3pm or so when they get around to 'releasing' it).
It's like the marketing for the game is more important than the actual game itself. I just saw an article on Kotaku here that GT5 is being delayed for marketing. It seems that the publishers or perhaps advertisers have more say than the companies they are trying to represent. In a way, that explains a lot of the recent seemingly odd trends in gaming. It's definitely a bad thing. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
But for huge game releases like MW2, the game is shipped to the stores a week or more before release, so they will definitely have it for midnight launches, or on the morning of release day.
If a store decides to sell games early, all a publisher can really do is censor that store down the road, maybe not allocate them the amount of copies they need, or give them none at all, something like that.
The problem is Gamestop is soo huge that no publisher would date 'punish' them for breaking street date on a game.
As for the mom n pops selling early, well I guess they can be hurt by publishers for selling early, but many do it anyway, because thats one of the few ways they can compete against the 900lb gorilla that is Gamestop. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
So I"m not surprised or appalled, at all. It's not even a great business decision, it's simply a practical one. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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Honestly, the whole system is quite discouraging. For what it's worth, thanks, though. :) #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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For serious... #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
This *is* a business decision and a smart one at that. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
11/09/09
It's fair enough that Gamestop broke street date to make sure at least they got rid of their pre-orders rather than losing them but at the same time, they were never in any real danger so this may have been a good short tem business decision but they may have set a precedent that will come back and bite them in the arse. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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GS had better be fined for this. Though from what my co-host on our store's podcast said, it seems like some stores break street date anyways because the sales more than make up for the fine.
If they're making enough sales to cover a 10 grand fine, they can friggin' wait so that we can make our meager eighteen preorders. #callofdutymodernwarfare2
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11/08/09
While there is sometimes friction in the publisher-retailer relationship (particularly when used games are involved), the two entities in this circumstance rely on each other far to much to jeopardize their relationship. I would submit that upon realizing that certain establishments were breaking street date, Gamestop contacted Activision, presented the situation, and secured some kind of understanding to the effect that Activision would take no punitive action if Gamestop broke street dates at a limited number of locations.
Activision cannot be seen to publicly allow a particular retailer to break street dates lest other larger companies be encouraged to negotiate more advantageous release dates in the future. By dealing with the situation in private however, they are able to placate a major partner, preserve the overall integrity of their street dates, and perhaps gain a small amount of publicity as well. They should still be concerned about what kind of message a lack of retaliatory action sends to other retailers, but they may be able to prevent any further problems by making private assurances to larger partners as to the unusual circumstances surrounding this event, and the unlikelihood of a future occurrence.