Oh wow a company is trying to make money. Clearly they are pond scum.

ON THE POINT OF BUNGIE, i beleive that arguments stating that they are sellout assholes, well, isn't true. They stretched the series as far as they have because KIDS and/or other Halo obsessed people asked for more content. They werent going to make halo odst until the fanbase whined and cried like little girls until they received their next feeding. Bungie did not sell out. As for halo reach, they have had this in production a looong time, coinciding with working with halo 3. Concerning ODST, they felt they didnt give enough content so they added the entire halo 3 multiplayer with all maps, and a beta for reach. I am not a halo fanboy nor do i wish to be, i just think you guys are underappreciating a company that works hard

thornussell:

Demented Teddy:
Uhm......they are a business.
Businesses are set up to make money.
Otherwise they would be called a "non-profit organisation"

Well yes i understand they want to make money but for an example, Bungie would be and example of a whore who uses the license for there game to create a massive revenue and really cares nothing about there fan base. Valve has been known to care alot about there fans and not just try to make money but try to make games that they want and to take care of there massive fan base.

Bungie is actually very dedicated to their fanbase. Their fanbase is however made up of people with less creativity than a brick.

Valve gives us free TF2 updates and the oh-my-god-that's-a-good-deal Orange Box. They are the most charitable company I know of.

thornussell:

In a business way of thinking with it being a cheaper game with small extras the amount gained from those suttle things in turn makes them earn more money. Also know as a simple marketing technique.

I think it's more of an exclusivity trend with games. I've noticed that Gamestop is the company generally offering these bonuses. In this case, a preorder would gaurantee a sale for both Gamestop and Valve, along with a small incentive for the customer. Games are incredibly expesive to make these days, around $15 million on average. Game companies have to ensure that their copy will turn a profit, just like any movie studio. If they have to include extras to get customers to buy a copy, then they will.

neilsaccount:
ON THE POINT OF BUNGIE, i beleive that arguments stating that they are sellout assholes, well, isn't true. They stretched the series as far as they have because KIDS and/or other Halo obsessed people asked for more content. They werent going to make halo odst until the fanbase whined and cried like little girls until they received their next feeding. Bungie did not sell out. As for halo reach, they have had this in production a looong time, coinciding with working with halo 3. Concerning ODST, they felt they didnt give enough content so they added the entire halo 3 multiplayer with all maps, and a beta for reach. I am not a halo fanboy nor do i wish to be, i just think you guys are underappreciating a company that works hard

Thank you, I agree completely. I've always been a fan of the Halo universe along with Bungie's other works, and I don't consider their latest releases as "selling out" in the least. Bungie is the type of developer that now has such a strong fanbase that they really don't NEED the Halo title on the game to sell units. Their newest releases and joint work with authors and other game studios simply expand the game's universe. It would be akin to bashing Gene Roddenberry for being a sellout because other people wrote Star Trek books.

Deef:

Bungie is actually very dedicated to their fanbase. Their fanbase is however made up of people with less creativity than a brick.

Hey... words hurt, man...

DjSehvun:
If memory serves me right, all of these "extras" you speak of are free. You also get the game 10% for pre-ordering it so it looks like you're saving money.

Wait, what's that? Valve wants you to buy their game so they're putting out incentives? Greedy whores!

The bastards! Well, they'll be getting none of my money for Episode 3! ;)

The Left2Dead 2 boychott is over.

Officially. Unofficially, I don't care to shell out another $50 on it after barely getting any play out of the first.

Drop the price to $20 and we'll talk about yearly released sequels.

thornussell:
(Clearly i despise Bungie for whoreing out the Halo series.)

Hate to be the one to tell you this, my friend, but Halo was a streetwalker from the beginning. The only things new and interesting that Halo brought to the table was the regenerating health mechanic. Even then, they half-assed it by leaving in a proper health bar and medkits. It was just a bunch of ideas lifted from other games mated to a generic alien invasion storyline.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the game despite being a PC nutter who is old enough to have played Wolf3d when it was new. It has that same je ne sais quoi sort of feeling that made Doom and Quake so much fun. It was never anything really original, though.

And no, the newer ones aren't any worse or more whorish than the first (unless you count that damn overpowered plasma sword).

geldonyetich:
The Left2Dead 2 boychott is over.

Officially. Unofficially, I don't care to shell out another $50 on it after barely getting any play out of the first.

Drop the price to $20 and we'll talk about yearly released sequels.

I want to buy it eventually as well. Planning on waiting for the first half-off steam weekend, myself.

Mr.Black:
This thread is dumb.

end of thread.

Valve is a company. In the end, they are here to make money, and the do that buy selling their products. Offering preorder goodies encourages more sales. Which in turn, gets them more money!!

Do i care? hell no! neither should you. Just be happy with your awesome game and 10% discount.

thornussell:
With Left 4 Dead 2 being released Valve has been doing alot of hyping for it. Valve being one of my all time favorite gaming companies but with the release of all the extras for preordering L4D2 its starting to seem like they are going for money. Now this may be EA being the money hungry whores that they are but does anyone have any insight or information or just basic opinion (this is not for flaming about how L4D2 sucks and all that bullshit i want legitimate opinions and thoughtful points of views, not just douchers being douchers.)

its gamestop, they are the ones doing it for money and adding extras to preorders, not valve. gamestop wants more customers to come over there so they'll try to latch onto any sort of game just for publicity. valve doing commercials is normal, they are a BUSINESS. they have to do commercials from time to time.

First off, Bungie technically did not sell out, the best time to do that would have been under Microsoft. Now, about a better developer, Valve.(Just kidding! They're both cool)

Since Valve left sierra in 99'(was it 2000? Who gives a fuck about sierra.) There has not been a single game they have put out that did not have the fans in mind(Unless you count the 80 or so whores still playing TFC, those unhappy low-tech suns o' bitches.) Anyways, point being, Valve does not 'sell out' and anyways, the term selling out is way to applicable these days, I could say DiCE sold out(They so did, and you all know it, too.) and that BF2 BC and the new BF1943 was a slap in the face. But no, there is no single way that Valve ahs ever not given a damn about us.

Taht said, you can find an updated and you'll always see community request being met in each major update. Additonally, you should also go through the developer commentary, where various anecdotes about the communities response to the game itself, and how valve has addressed it.

Remember that not everyone can be pleased at once, so what seems bad for you, might be good for a thousand others.

Valve doesn't care about their fans, they do however care about having a large group of zealous followers that religiously spend money on their products. I've never understood this whole brand loyalty and the oh-my-god-the-developers-really-care-about-me sentiments that they inspire.

The truth of the matter is that fans only matter to gaming companies (and most companies outside gaming as well) insofar as they continue to spend money on their games, i.e. they are profitable. With a broadening audience, and consequently potential profits, the need for a loyal fanbase is significantly diminished. Valve does not care about you, or me, or anybody at all. They do, however, care about the dollars you represent, you are only useful as long as they feel the need to keep you happy and spending money. If there is an easier and far larger audience to be tapped, and for less aggravation, you better believe Valve is gonna go after them.

Companies are about making money, the delusion that they care about their consumers is one they perpetrate to keep a steady cash flow. But at the end of the day, you are expendable.

why do people think that if a company makes a sequel to a game they instantly think they are selling out? i just don't see the logic behind it honestly!

thornussell:
With Left 4 Dead 2 being released Valve has been doing alot of hyping for it. Valve being one of my all time favorite gaming companies but with the release of all the extras for preordering L4D2 its starting to seem like they are going for money. Now this may be EA being the money hungry whores that they are but does anyone have any insight or information or just basic opinion (this is not for flaming about how L4D2 sucks and all that bullshit i want legitimate opinions and thoughtful points of views, not just douchers being douchers.)

Heh. Even though they give us free stuff (TF2 anyone?) they're still a company which was made to earn money. The pre-ordering extras which you get with L4D2 are in-game items which don't really affect the gameplay and those shouldn't be reason alone for you buying the game! Those items are supposed to be a small bonus if you bought the game early and not why you bought the game.

I don't see how these things promote game sales. If you want a game, you'll get it. If you don't, you won't. They really only promote pre-orders. No one is going to see a L4D2 commercial promoting a special baseball bat deal and say "My negative opinion on that game is now completely swayed. That bat changes everything I ever thought about it." and pre-order it. God knows I didn't run out and pre-order Brutal Legend because of the Tenacious D guitar despite that I had been waiting for it's release since forever.

thornussell:

feather240:

Mr.Black:
This thread is dumb.

I agree.

How does giving away extras with a cheaper copy of the game make them greedy?

In a business way of thinking with it being a cheaper game with small extras the amount gained from those suttle things in turn makes them earn more money. Also know as a simple marketing technique.

Uh, yeah if it cost more,
but all you are doing is partially paying for the game in advance

Now i can see how things like the prestige edition of MW2 can be whoring, they charge more and include a small amount of content, and a souvenir of sorts.
But there is no additional fee for the bat or hat.
And neither are central to the game
So how are they making more money off of this?