Your Wallet Hates You
It’s the last week of October, and we’re now squarely in the midst of the annual fourth-quarter crush of video game releases. These past two weeks alone have seen me spend upwards of over $400 on new games, and there’s still a ton of stuff that I’d like to be able to buy… if I only had money left over. Granted, my purchase of Guitar Hero: World Tour ran me close to $200 alone, but I also spent money on Bioshock, Rock Revolution, and Rock Band 2 for my PlayStation 3 plus Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for my Nintendo DS. There’s still Fallout 3‘s release this week, plus Resistance 2, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Call of Duty: World at War, and several more titles for the PS3 alone by year’s end.
Holy crap.
The big concern, as it always is this time of year, is how some games can stand out from the pack in order to get noticed. Especially considering that we’re all but in a recession this year, it becomes a bigger gamble. How do gamers decide which games to get and which ones to pass up? How can publishers and developers ensure that their games are the ones that consumers can’t be without for the holiday season?
I have another question. Why do publishers feel the need to release most of their strong releases in a 2-3 month span?
Times have changed, folks. More video game players are adults than they are children, so it’s no longer as vital for publishers to release so many titles for the holidays. I do realize that the holiday shopping season is important, but consumers likely have at least some disposable income during the other 9-10 months of the year. It’s perfectly acceptable to release a potential killer app in March, or May, or July.
[Editor's Note: Our friends at the Goozex Report have a strong argument about why Fallout 3 should have been a summer 09 title, for example...]
If you’re buying games for yourself, all you have to do is look at the potential price tag for all of the games you want. Use my example; I spent $400 in two weeks, and that’s not nearly everything that I would have liked to have bought. That means, very likely, that the other games I mentioned are going to have to wait a few weeks at least. Had Fallout 3 or Resistance 2 come out a bit earlier, I might have spent money on those instead of other games. Obviously, fans of those games will find the money to buy them (if they haven’t pre-ordered and paid them off in full already), but less serious fans of those franchises might have to make cuts elsewhere.
CAPCOM Gets It Right
Look at Capcom. They have the right idea. They have two potential huge releases slated for the first quarter of 2009, rather than trying to compete for what’s sure to be limited spending cash for this year’s holiday rush. Street Fighter IV is likely due in January or February, and then Resident Evil 5 hits in March. While I am sure that both of these titles would have at least held their own this season, holding off on releasing these games ensures more of the spotlight when they do land on store shelves and less competition from tons of other software.
I realize that this argument comes up every year, but the reality of the situation has hit me harder this year than in any year in my recent memory. With a tighter cash flow for many consumers, there are going to be more surprise losers in terms of sales this season than there will be winners.
Are there any games you’ll just have to pass up this year?
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