radewagon
03-13-2010, 03:12 PM
Just this week, telltale games put the new Sam and Max Season up for pre-order. As a thank-you for my pre-order, I was allowed to download any episode from their catalogue for free. I got the first episode of Monkey Island. I was so impressed by the game, that I chose to order the season-upgrade for Monkey Island and was given a discount (because of the freebie that I already "purchased") and was also given the option to get a free DVD copy of the game (which will come with extra swag/content).
Earlier this week, 2K released a 5 buck piece of DLC which was already on the disc that I already paid 60 bucks for. The only response, so far, is a statement about keeping the multi-player balanced. A response which does not answer the question of why we are being made to pay for it. Balance issues can easily be dealt with or unlocked via free patches or free unlock codes. The real "why" behind this shinnanigan is quite simple. It's called exploitation.
Sure, it's a business. I get it. But there are ways to be loyal to your fans and still make money. Take, my Telltale example. By rewarding customer/fan loyalty, they scored extra sales. 2K, on the other hand, has done the opposite. They have decided to exploit their fanbase for a quick buck. I am left feeling rather like I have been took. This, unlike my telltale experience, will not cause me to buy more from 2K. In fact, it will make me buy less. It also has me considering selling by game back at Gamestop for 40 bucks.
I realize that 2K is making much more money than Telltale and I am sure that it is their business savyness that has a lot to do with it. But at what point does that savyness become cheap trickery. I fear that 2K has crossed a very fine line with this DLC nonsense. I hope that they will remedy it at some later date.
As my Telltale experience showed me, gratitude from my game distributor is much more potent a selling device than exploitation.
Earlier this week, 2K released a 5 buck piece of DLC which was already on the disc that I already paid 60 bucks for. The only response, so far, is a statement about keeping the multi-player balanced. A response which does not answer the question of why we are being made to pay for it. Balance issues can easily be dealt with or unlocked via free patches or free unlock codes. The real "why" behind this shinnanigan is quite simple. It's called exploitation.
Sure, it's a business. I get it. But there are ways to be loyal to your fans and still make money. Take, my Telltale example. By rewarding customer/fan loyalty, they scored extra sales. 2K, on the other hand, has done the opposite. They have decided to exploit their fanbase for a quick buck. I am left feeling rather like I have been took. This, unlike my telltale experience, will not cause me to buy more from 2K. In fact, it will make me buy less. It also has me considering selling by game back at Gamestop for 40 bucks.
I realize that 2K is making much more money than Telltale and I am sure that it is their business savyness that has a lot to do with it. But at what point does that savyness become cheap trickery. I fear that 2K has crossed a very fine line with this DLC nonsense. I hope that they will remedy it at some later date.
As my Telltale experience showed me, gratitude from my game distributor is much more potent a selling device than exploitation.