A discussion on the NeoGAF forums here asked what upcoming games would bomb. I didn't do a count but it seemed to me that BioShock was mentioned more than any other.
There are some useful comments there about how to release BioShock for maximum commercial success that I hope the powers that be at 2K notice. As fans of the System Shock/BioShock type of game we ought to think about this and offer what suggestions we can to 2K to ensure the game sells well.
I'm not sure I'd choose the word BOMB,but i do think the game could struggle commercially for a number of reasons,one,many gamers I've spoken to,still have no idea of the games existence,BIOWHAT? is a frequent response i get,plus the overall timing of the game, in relation to other titles could easiliy overshadow it,and lastly-the gameplay, may be something of an aquired taste,more thoughtful and less frantic than your average FPS,and totally at odds with fragfests like Halo and Doom.
I also believe that the unwillingness to release a demo beforehand is a mistake,I'd have never purchased half the games in my collection,unless I'd had the oppotunity to sample the game first-and i own a LOT of games!
Last edited by splicer; 05-03-2007 at 03:18 AM.
I agree with you about the demo. I think it's essential to release a demo prior to the game going on sale.
I think we should start a petition-are you up for it?
yeah baby!!!
A petition for a demo? Are you serious? Like we have to explain such basic things to a multizillion dollar game publisher? If they can't figure that out for themselves then maybe they need another change of CEO. Now that I'll be up for!
please vote in the poll anyway,if we dont ask,we wont get,I also believe however big a company is,they must respond to what we consumers ask for,and not take it for granted that we will purchase anygame without a chance to sample it for ourselves..
I think the Bioshock video released on the 360 Marketplace might catch some peoples attention. Though it might not be enough.
I cant believe the game wouldnt sell better than Shock 2 though, it seems to be at the right space in this coming generation where people are looking for something new and interesting, aswell its being released in a relatively quiet month.
The multi-platform release also helps it reach more people, and gets people talking on both sides of the gaming scene.
Will it compete with Halo 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Grande Theft Auto 4?
Hell no. Youd be crazy to think so.
I do feel an inkling to go out and make Bioshock posters and post them all over my city though. Help raise awareness. Maybe the Fever would spread.
Yea I think the general concensus around the net is this game needs an ton more exposure than your getting. Even comments from the guys on 1up in a recent podcast seem to be echoing these thoughts.
I think release a demo 2 weeks before release date would be very, very beneficial to sales.
No amount of hype will help a game that sucks. Conversely, you don't need much hype if your game is great.
If anything, too much hype can raise expectations so high that the actual game will appear to stink, even if it's actually not that bad. Can you imagine if Duke Nukem Forever actually came out? It wouldn't matter if it made your CD-ROM brew coffee - your expectations would leave you thinking the game stank.
So, while I agree that a demo that shows off the game in a "live" environment is a good idea, I don't think the game will tank based on a lack of hype alone. It will tank if it's not fun to play. It might not sell millions of copies in the first week, but if the game really is as good as it's being billed, it will sell.
"Walk softly, and carry a big stick" - "Teddy" Roosevelt. A principle that applies to most things in life.
I wish i shared your opotimism,hope you are right
Demo is a good idea. I wouldn't play it (getting the game on day one and don't want anything ruined) but it would help the game get advertisement, plus boost sales.
When they shift the marketing machine into gear I'm sure it'll really pick up.
I think what people meant to say was that Bioshock would be THE bomb.
I'm sure marketing will contimue to grow as the release date closes. Also... Word of Mouth has been known to help sales too...
i don't think you guys should worry about people saying any particular game might bomb. that kind of stuff runs rampant on internet forums everywhere.
word of mouth is important, as well as reputable press and good assets to back it up. i think so far we've been delivering the goods and getting some people excited. i believe completely in this game, and i know that you guys do too. so tell your friends to check out what's out there and come here and tell me what they want to see more of, and that way we'll spread the word.
we are a cult, you know.
go forth and prosper.
don't worry, the heritics will have their heads on the end of pikes by nightfall
Bioshock Wins!!!
I just hope they time it right, so that they don't clash with other big releases such as Crysis or Half life Episode 2.
The System Shock series has had a really bad track record with properly timing their releases. For example, SS2 was overshadowed by people who were playing Half life.
But I'm sure that BioShock will blow away the market, it's already one of the most anticipated releases this year.
i SHALL BURN THEE NON BELIEVER!Originally Posted by BioShockWins
SWEET! *Grabs a Pitch-Fork and joins in*i SHALL BURN THEE NON BELIEVER!
wait for me i have crowbar
Go freeman..go!
bioshock will do anything but bomb it will be great but it'll probably bomb in the perspective of the casual gamer who wouldnt know a game unless it was advertized on tv or some other form of large media (excluding the internet or gaming websites) all in all bioshock will be awesome and we will lynch all the non beleivers
I disagree. There are dozens of great games that have flopped, and nearly every EA sports clone does well.That is true, and it is a fine line, but too much hype is better than not enough. People will by DNF, but they won't buy something they've never heard of.If anything, too much hype can raise expectations so high that the actual game will appear to stink, even if it's actually not that bad. Can you imagine if Duke Nukem Forever actually came out? It wouldn't matter if it made your CD-ROM brew coffee - your expectations would leave you thinking the game stank.Word of mouth is very powerful, even moreso these days, with the rise of broadband and sites like Digg and Slashdot, but word of mouth alone is not enough. Billons of dollars are still spent of advertising because word of mouth doesn't reach everybody, and even then you've got to actually engage people's emotions and imaginations, otherwise it's yet another game that Joe talked about in his lunch break.So, while I agree that a demo that shows off the game in a "live" environment is a good idea, I don't think the game will tank based on a lack of hype alone. It will tank if it's not fun to play. It might not sell millions of copies in the first week, but if the game really is as good as it's being billed, it will sell.
Actually I did NOT considered buying this game...sure a retro world under the sea, the water looks great, a new direction in how to play a FPS...but now Im the first one buying it at my local EB Games because and just because of the Limited Edition Cover Contest. I mean...I submitted an entry, but I researched so much that it began to grow on me, and now Im hyped and cant wait for it. Contests like this bring awareness, and awareness brings people that maybe you would normally not appeal to....
And by the way, Bungie is doing something like this too, with Halo 3. A contest of sorts!...But between Halo 3 and Bioshock I would pick Halo 3 AND Bioshock, they are worlds apart! Two worlds to visit soon!
haha...i was talking to a couple of guys from different EB's yesterday and they pretty much said they have more copies of bioshock on order then GTA and halo3 right now so yeah...i dunno i dont think this game will bomb, but it will definatly be overshadowed by SOMETHING just like poor system shock 2. which sucks, because that game was the best rpg/fps i played then and since
QFE, I couldn't agree more. Not wanting to point out the obvious here but SS1 didn't do all that well (admittedly in part due to the min specs), it coincided with the release of Doom and was simply out hyped. SS2 Again poorly publicised and pretty much failed ("break even in the long term" is the best I'd heard about it). If these and other games had sold better perhaps Looking glass wouldn't have been buried and we might be talking about SS3 now instead of Bioshock.
Great games can and do fail to sell, people need to know they are there or they won't leave the shelves. It's all very well asking the community to get the word out, and I do evangelise about this game to anyone and everyone I know, but I did that with SS1/2 and they didn't sell that well... I just hope Irrational/2K do a better job than their predecessors I'd hate to be mourning the loss of another good development company a few years hence.
Gift.
Last edited by Giftmacher; 05-04-2007 at 02:34 AM.
im sure the developers know what they are doing... i mean they are paid to make their game sell
So this is my second post, but I'm a little worried. I know this game will be great, as I was a fan of SS1 and SS2. But as I make my way around the internet. It seems a lot of people just do not understand this game, storyline or how deep these games go. I see a bunch of mindless posts saying that it's just a typical FPS. We all know this isn't the case. But the buzz seems to me that people aren't informed enough of how special these games are. They just want to kill kill kill. I don't know, maybe I'm worried for no reason. I've been excited for Bioshock since the beginning, so it's already a must by. I really hope these guys get this game out there... there have been ideas of a street team etc... I think it's great. Maybe there can be a Rapture myspace and so on. Anyways, enough of my rant. Can't wait for the game!
No, they are paid to make the game that is designed by creative well. It's the job of Marketing/Advertising to sell the game on its merits to a wide audience. A lot of developers would create whatever they like and wonder with furrowed brows why it didn't sell like hotcakes, hence the need for PR.
bioshock will be the bomb! if it flops, my friend at uni will forever laugh at me. therefore it will be the bomb (as you cannot laugh forever, unless you're in heaven
Considering the odd and mysterious nature of the game, I think a viral ad campaign would work best for 2K at this point. Wouldn't it be cool if they got someone like Banksy (the british graffiti artist) to do some stencils of big daddies and little sisters on the streets of London? Or have some creepy "faux" television commercials about the benefits of genetic engineering and self-improvement. Send street crews out to put up bizarre, ambiguous posters. THAT would really get people talking.
They're wrongSeems many people feel BioShock will bomb
Just as long as they don't do that in Boston, or a video on YouTube where two rappers sing "All I want for Xmas is BioShock."
let's do it start some kind of viral campaign it would be cool, and yeah Bioshock will not bomb.
ouch! thats cold!
The only way to change that is to let people play it,because they are certainly not going to risk £50 on a game they know nothing about
Last edited by splicer; 05-06-2007 at 05:35 PM.
Tossing a few more 'Shock videos on XBL market place wouldn't hurt either.
And I think that this has been mentioned before too, but putting System Shock 1/2 on arcade would help with popularity. (It would be pretty sweet too!
I agree.As much as we are passionate about the game,our impact on the games mega-status and commercial success is going to be negligable.Exposure is everything,and you can only really do that by letting gamers experience it for themselves.Screens and videos are fine as in themselves,but they dont let the gamer get involved in the drama.
50 quid! Are the insides of Game stores gold plated these days? Damn. People really need to discover internet retail.
Gift.
Yep,gold plated with diamonds and rubies!-Also if EA had been publishing it,more like sixty quid!
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