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The Rise Of Limited Edition Games

Posted by Zonk on from the when-everyone-is-special-no-one-is dept.

John Callaham wrote to mention a piece on Gamecloud discussing the emphasis on 'special' editions of new game titles. From the article: "Games that have some extras in limited releases have been a part of the industry for a few years now. Just last year limited collector's versions of the MMORPGs Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft were released that were packed with extra stuff, from art books to extra DVDs and more. Electronic Arts released a special edition of Medal of Honor Pacific Assault last fall with lots of behind-the-scenes material and an extra weapon not in the regular edition. Midway released a special edition of Mortal Kombat: Deception last fall with extra content as well as the full version of the first Mortal Kombat game. This fall, however, game publishers are releasing more special editions of games than ever before alongside the 'regular' versions of games and they typically cost at least $10 more and in a couple of cases even more than that."

37 comments

  1. What's wrong? by Walker_Boh_Druid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I see nothing wrong with this. Is someone wants to pay extra so that they can have some artwork, demos, developers notes, previews or "The making of:" videos, let them. If someone wants to leave all that stuff out, and just enjoy a game, that's fine.

    1. Re:What's wrong? by Deltaspectre · · Score: 0

      If i's just paying for that, then it's ok...

      BUT! Some of the examples shown had extra *game content* added in...

      --
      My UID is prime... is yours?
    2. Re:What's wrong? by Walker_Boh_Druid · · Score: 1

      Here is where you hit the nail on the head. When they start charging us extra for in-game SINGLE player content. That is when I get angry. Why should I have to pay $10 extra to get a new character? Why wasn't this character in the regular version of the game? It would not have cost them extra to put this character in both versions. This is the point where it starts to be another money-making scheme.

    3. Re:What's wrong? by cornface · · Score: 1

      This is the point where it starts to be another money-making scheme.

      Producing the game at all is a "money making scheme."

    4. Re:What's wrong? by JVert · · Score: 1

      The sale price of a video game has no relation to its production cost.

    5. Re:What's wrong? by cgenman · · Score: 2, Informative

      Can they leave out the manual, put it in a small cardboard sleeve, and shave off 10 dollars from the price? It seems like packaging should be either original and very, very cool, or dirt cheap. Where are the games that come wrapped in a bloody cloth from the game, or that are trapped in a chinese puzzlebox? Or at least have some cool pack-in... even stickers these days would be a rare treat. I never understood why publishers decided to stop with the cool free advertising of sticker pack-ins, but keep making 50-page utterly, utterly useless manuals that nobody ever reads. I know how to put a disk into my Playstation, thanks.

      --
      The ______ Agenda
    6. Re:What's wrong? by realityfighter · · Score: 2, Informative

      See, I remember the halcyon days when games were expected to come with extra material like this. Even the grail diary that came with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was part of a primitive form of copy protection, added to the game. You got to literally pore through the grail diary looking for clues, and taking in all sorts of gorgeous artwork and background info. (LucasArts was particularly good at designing these props - probably since they had some movie art designers in the house.)

      Extra content like credits, extra scenes, or "making of" stuff was unlocked by actually playing the game, maybe also entering a cheat code. (Actually, you can unlock DVD-like developer commentary in Sly Cooper by beating those gawddamn evil time trials. It replaces the level background music as you run through it.) I have no idea why, at the insane price point games have got to these days, we can't put more "premium" content in the box for everyone.

      --
      A strain of paranoid prevention can be worse than the disease, whate'er the intention.
    7. Re:What's wrong? by toad3k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah I agree with this. Extras are one thing. But when you change the gameplay...

      Supposedly black and white 2 is going to have extra creatures for people who buy the special editions. If that is the case, I'm not sure I want to buy a crippled version for the normal price. What if I like it, I'm not going to go out and buy the special version afterwards to get the full experience.

      And I definitely don't want to risk paying above and beyond the normal for a game that may not live up to its hype in the first place.

      When I see stuff like this happening, it kind of makes me want to sit on the sidelines and see where it all goes before I act.

    8. Re:What's wrong? by billcopc · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This brings up the lovely issue of piracy. Let's say you buy the "crippled" version, like it, and want to see what more is to be had from the special edition. You can either pay for the same game AGAIN with the "special" extras, or fire up a P2P app and download a cracked copy "for evaluation purposes only". You like the new stuff, and burn the cracked special edition to disc for safe keeping. At least you paid for the original game, so you're not 100% evil, right ?

      Six months later, another game comes out with the same crippled/premium edition distinction. Rememorating your experience with the previous title, you decide to leech the premium edition from Kazaa right away, because you know the standard edition is a rip-off. Game company makes zero, and you're a dirty rotten foul-smelling groggy pirate from hell. Boo hoo.

      If the game companies insist on charging for the additional content, then maybe they could release a single version of the game in stores, and then offer an add-on as a downloadable purchase. Black & White 2, for 50$, and buy the extra creatures for 10$ from the company's web site. The irony is that they would probably make as much profit from the add-on as they do from the retail game, as they are cutting out the middle-men.

      I will never cease to be shocked at the ridiculous costs of gaming. I remember many years ago when I was a young overpaid techie, I popped $500 on a PS2, and happily forked over another $50-60 for each game, until I realized I had invested well over two thousand dollars into something that provides merely a few hours of entertainment per week. That same money could have afforded me hundreds of nights at the cinema, many many music albums, or a healthy serving of any other conventional form of entertainment. The music industry is certainly healthy enough to heavy-hand every other artist on the planet. The film industry is happily giving billions away to Scientology year after year. Why is the game industry collapsing ?

      I think the game industry is failing because it is trying to mimic its older siblings in the entertainment business. You can't sell a game like you would a movie or new artist. You can't just flash T&A, throw in a dash of racism and gang violence and make it into a blockbuster hit. You can't follow the same marketing principles and practices and expect to make money.

      Let's make it simple: if games cost half what they cost today, I would buy more than double, in part because I would feel less monetary guilt for every purchase. Look at what goes into the retail price, trim off the fat and restrategize. Do I really need to walk into EBGames to see the pretty boxes ? Does the experience add to the game itself ? Not at all. Do the cinematic frame grabs on the back of the box give me any idea how much fun I will be having ? Often the contrary. Does the flashy embossed T&A on the cover make it a better product ? Sorry, I don't get off on triangle-boobed high-elf priestesses. Now stop laundering the publisher's money and give me what I want for a change.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    9. Re:What's wrong? by servognome · · Score: 1

      If the game companies insist on charging for the additional content, then maybe they could release a single version of the game in stores, and then offer an add-on as a downloadable purchase. Black & White 2, for 50$, and buy the extra creatures for 10$ from the company's web site. The irony is that they would probably make as much profit from the add-on as they do from the retail game, as they are cutting out the middle-men.

      They already do that with Neverwinter Nights. I'm sure you'll see more and more companies do this

      You can't sell a game like you would a movie or new artist. You can't just flash T&A, throw in a dash of racism and gang violence and make it into a blockbuster hit. You can't follow the same marketing principles and practices and expect to make money.

      But those are the games that are making money. The "innovative" games tend to be hit and miss. The industry has matured to the point where to justify the costs you have to use similar marketing principles to get sufficient sales volumes.

      Let's make it simple: if games cost half what they cost today, I would buy more than double, in part because I would feel less monetary guilt for every purchase

      How many people would buy more than double the games? The game companies are greedy, if they could make more profits by lowering the price of a game they would. Prices of games fall, so eventually they will be in your price range, only difference is that they've maximized their profits by selling for a higher price to early adopters.

      Look at what goes into the retail price, trim off the fat and restrategize. Do I really need to walk into EBGames to see the pretty boxes ? Does the experience add to the game itself ? Not at all. Do the cinematic frame grabs on the back of the box give me any idea how much fun I will be having ? Often the contrary. Does the flashy embossed T&A on the cover make it a better product ? Sorry, I don't get off on triangle-boobed high-elf priestesses. Now stop laundering the publisher's money and give me what I want for a change.

      What about the parents and grandparents who buy games for their kids, or the casual gamers. The ones who don't do research on the net, and who look at the box and screenshots for their decision. Which do you think they would buy, the one in the cheap cardboard box, or the one with amazingly brilliant screenshots.

      --
      D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
    10. Re:What's wrong? by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

      Another reason to come out with additional "content" (I hate that word, thank you Valve) after the release of the game is to attract gamers who might have passed up the game upon it's first release. Multiplayer mods such as Team Fortress or Counter-Strike are good examples of this. Or the "new" features might have been elements that were cut out of the origional release to meet a deadline, and are now just being put back in.

      Let's make it simple: if games cost half what they cost today, I would buy more than double, in part because I would feel less monetary guilt for every purchase.

      Yup. The next time you're in Wal-Mart, just check out the people flocking around the DVD bargin bin. Most of whome obviously weren't intending on buying movies when they came in. Who can pass up Baseketball or the odd Jackie Chan movie for $5.50 each? I wish I could force music industry execs to watch this in action; piracy would never have taken off to the degree that it has if every album were five bucks.

    11. Re:What's wrong? by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

      But those are the games that are making money.

      Only the games that don't depend on it. GTA does not depend on screwing and killing hookers to be a good game. If it's good, it's good, and if it's bad, its bad. T&A does not make a game one or the other.

      How many people would buy more than double the games?

      Easy: make the games more episodic. I'll use the origional Half-Life as an example. Say the game had been divided into three parts: the first deals with your initial struggle just to survive, and trying to find a way out of a collapsing base. The second could have been trying to save your scientist friends from the marines and aliens, and the third chapter would involve going to the aliens homeworld.

      Same thing could work with GTA: San Andreas. First chapter: your home city of Los Santos. Then the sticks and San Fierro, and finally Las Venturas and the return home.

      This could be very beneficial to the game companies for several reasons. First, $20 for a chapter is much more of an impulse buy than $50 for a full game, and by the time they're done, they've made another $10 off the game. Secondly, it would give companies more time to get bugs worked out of games, and we could get higher quality releases. Rather than having to get all the quirks worked out of a 50 hour game, they could concentrate on the first 16 hours, then have a couple of months to work on the next 16, and so on.

    12. Re:What's wrong? by MBraynard · · Score: 1

      Actually, as this is a competitive market, it has exactly half to do with the sale price. Production cost factors the slope and Y-intercept of the supply curve.

    13. Re:What's wrong? by phxbadash · · Score: 1

      I honeslty think this is the way that many games will go. Especially with the higher availability of broadband. With storyline based games Episodic content is the way to go, for many of the reasons you already stated.

      It will not work for some types of games but is ideal for others.

  2. Not surprising at all. by Xizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    DVD "special editions" have always raked in the cash, so it's not surprising the game industry is copying this formula. Every industry copies things from another. I'm just worried that special editions may start containing too much extra stuff and the regular editions of games may end up being half-assed.

    1. Re:Not surprising at all. by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      I can't remember a game where the limited edition is truely a different game binary than the original.

      What if there were more guns in half-life2 or special playmodes online for quake. Or a special class in WoW. People will flock to the limited edition then. Wouldn't even think twice.

    2. Re:Not surprising at all. by Haeleth · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What if there were more guns in half-life2 or special playmodes online for quake. Or a special class in WoW. People will flock to the limited edition then. Wouldn't even think twice.

      Would WoW really be more fun if the first thousand people to preorder the game got a special class to use? Nope, it would just mean that anyone using the special class got special attention from griefers.

      Adding fundamental gameplay advantages to a limited edition will only alienate customers who missed out on it.

      Besides, I wasn't aware that Blizzard were left with warehouses full of the limited edition as it was. Seems to me they judged it about right.

    3. Re:Not surprising at all. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1

      "What if there were more guns in half-life2"

      If singleplayer, then people would complain even more about the lack of guns and valve expecting us to pay extra to counteract this defficiency.
      If multiplayer, then you'd pretty much lose your entire fanbase giving people an unfair advantage for paying more.

      "special playmodes online for quake."
      Lets see, I can DM/TDM with everyone, or play Hunt The Golden Goose Egg of Stupid Hypotheticly Named Game Modes That Would Be Restricted To Special Edition Owners (Or, HTGGESHNGMTWBRTSEO) with the ~2 other people that would be on at the same time as you and ping well to your server.

      "Or a special class in WoW."
      Just more attention and people trying to hijack your account. Though overall, definately the best example. You really cant seperate them entirely from normal players, nor can you give them a real advantage. Stuff like custom skins would work best.
      In the Sven Coop HL1 mod everyone who paid to register got their wonids hardcoded into the game so that they would get Electric Crowbars and Golden Uzis.

      Of course, then valve switched to steam, everyone got new ids with no way to show what steamid belonged to what old wonid, and I have no clue what they did then.

      Another HL example is Natural Selection. Coders, Testers, an Constelation Members (people who paid), and people that played in the first season of the Cal-NS competition all got a special icon next to their names on the scoreboard.
      No gameplay change, just something to show off. Of course then server admins got jealous of everyone having pretty icons and wrote a metamod plugin to be able to set anyone as any icon.

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  3. Episode 2 by AcheronHades · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I would be more willing to pay extra for additional game content. For example the extra multi-player maps for Halo 2. That was nice.

    And then big wigs in the game industry are talking about serializing games. Think of Eternal Darkness where a new scenario comes out every month, each one costs $10.

  4. The oldest trick of marketing. by SupremoMan · · Score: 0

    For a small price give them too little. For a slightly higher price, give them more than they can chew. It's classic marketing for you. Most of this "Extra" content isn't worth the paper its printed on.

  5. Extra content can be worth a slight premium..sure. by shakezula · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why not? I've bought a few of these "limited" type games in the last few years, the first being the "Collector's Edition" of Diablo 2. The most recent was the afformentioned Mortal Kombat Deceptions. The Diablo box set was well worth the extra $12. It contained enough junk that I later sold and recouped 80% of the original purchase price via eBay and kept the actual game cds/keys.

    I think the extra stuff is a nice premium IF its not just cheesy extras and cut-scenes on the same media as the game install. Physical trinkets make the $10 or so worth spending if you are really in to the game you are purchasing. Then again, I'd gladly pay $10 or so less for JUST the game for two thirds of the titles I consider purchasing.

    --
    I know what you're thinking. Did I forward 65,535 packets or 65,536 packets?
  6. Limited Ed = OK, Exclusive pre-order content = NO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't mind seeing special limited edition games in stores these days as long as they provide something worth the extra money you pay.

    What is really starting to annoy me though is the "Pre-order this otherwise normal version of the game for the same price as someone who doesn't pre-order, but get this exclusive (insert something interesting) that people who don't pre-order the game will NEVER be able to access."

    Sure, a reward for pre-ordering makes sense... but people who didn't pre-order it payed for the same content.

    Ie.

    Order Black & White 2 and receive an Exclusive Creature, The Tiger! You will receive a code with instructions in your shipment confirmation emails. If you choose In-Store Pickup for this game, please contact the store for bonus item availability.

  7. Catching up to Japan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Looks like gaming companies here are finally realizing that giving away limited edition swag in games will boost sales.

    It's been working in japan for years.

    Look at Skies of Arcadia for the dreamcast when it released in Japan.

    You got a Leather strap with a logo from the game, a bandana that is an acctual item in the game, a cell phone strap, an art book, and some limited edition artwork as well.

    Or look at Gran Turismo 4. You could buy a limited edition that came with a pair of Nike Sneakers! http://www.jp.playstation.com/game/granturismo/

  8. Think that's bad? by UltimaL337Star · · Score: 1

    http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=&product s_id=7103 Tho, being an absolute FF freak, I'm still very much tempted. In fact I would trade my soul if it came in English.

  9. Re:Limited Ed = OK, Exclusive pre-order content = by lightspawn · · Score: 1

    Order Black & White 2 and receive an Exclusive Creature, The Tiger! You will receive a code with instructions in your shipment confirmation emails. If you choose In-Store Pickup for this game, please contact the store for bonus item availability.

    I don't believe the versions are ever physically different; these are just codes, which are always available online. The only game I can think of that's close to your scenario is the GBA remake of Super Mario Bros 3 - the wal*mart version (I think) had two e-reader cards that could be scanned for extra levels or items or something. Want it now? Sorry.

    A similar tactic was used in the Hulk - watch the (then-newly released) movie and look for codes to be used in-game. Or just look them up on gamefaqs.

  10. Catching up to Japan-Infocom. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Looks like gaming companies here are finally realizing that giving away limited edition swag in games will boost sales."

    It also makes piracy less attractive and harder. Besides "swag" is nothing new. Infocom before they got absorbed use to do it.

  11. You mean the American industry right? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Because they have been a standard of Japanese games since the SNES. We've been missing out!

  12. Sid Meier's Pirates by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

    Pirates was a game that I bought the limited edition version of. I mainly wanted the game on a DVD, but the DVD version also had some making of videos and interviews. But the real beauty of the package was that it was the same price as the regular version.

    I also bought the special edition Half Life 2 release. Again, because I wanted the game on a DVD. But I later regretted the decision a little, as the Gold steam package is just a little bit pricier, but includes a lot more goodies.

    1. Re:Sid Meier's Pirates by snuf23 · · Score: 1

      I liked the inclusion of the old Pirates Gold game in the special edition. It was cool to have a little bit of nostalgic game history in the box.

      --
      Sometimes my arms bend back.
  13. Doom 3 on XBOX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The limited edition of Doom 3 on XBOX had the most valuable extras imaginable: (Ultimate) Doom and Doom 2, with splitscreen for 2-4 players!

    A cheaper alternative for similar functionality would be Xbox-linux + PrBoom / doomsday / whatever, but at least you can finally own (have license) to those .WAD files. Definetly worth the extra 10 euros (althought Doom 3 itself being worth the 60 first euros is questionable...)

  14. GTA hot coffee edition ;) by TheLink · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thing is, which one is the limited edition? The new one or the old one? :)

    --
  15. It makes sense by Psykechan · · Score: 1

    Publishers want people to buy a game before any reviews can negatively affect sales and also to show retailers that this is a quick moving item that needs to be restocked. They push for pre-orders and limited editions to make that first week's sales as high as possible because that is what is most important.

    I've seen it backfire though. If it's a game that I'm really interested in, I'll likely shell out the extra bucks for the LE version but if it's a game that's not on my must-have list, then I won't buy it at all although I would've bought it if it didn't have an LE version.

    I would've purchased MK:DA and Halo 2 if they hadn't had an LE bonus. I also will not buy Guild Wars should it ever be released for the Mac if they don't also re-release the LE version.

    1. Re:It makes sense by NeuralClone · · Score: 1

      How does the existence of a LE make you not want to buy the regular, cheaper edition of a game that isn't on your "must-have" list? No one is forcing you to pay for a limited edition. If a game isn't on your "must-have" list, why would you care about a few extra, meaningless goodies?

      --
      find . -name "noobs" -print | xargs rm -rf && echo "pwnd."
  16. "Limited" can mean more than one thing. by H0NGK0NGPH00EY · · Score: 3, Funny

    One time I was browsing through the bargain bin at the local electronics store and I saw a copy of Deus Ex. This was a few years after it had come out, and I hadn't played it still, but I had heard it was pretty good so I figured I could spring $10 for it. Better still, it was a "Limited edition."

    So I bring it home and fire it up, only to discover that what is "limited" about it isn't the number of copies they published, but the amount of the actual game that was on the CDs. It was essentially a 1-level demo version. I was pretty pissed that they would use the phrase "limited edition" like that.

    At least the story has a happy ending, because I just threw away the CD and downloaded the full version over p2p.

    --
    Do not read this sig.
  17. Hardly a new thing... by bluemeep · · Score: 2, Informative
    It's not like this is a phenomena that sprung up overnight...

    Four years ago, I bought the special edition of Morrowind, which netted me a soundtrack, pewter figurine and art book. Back in high school, I bought the limited Might and Magic 6 box. Came with the entire series up until that point, maps and an entry form for an enormous lithograph of the cover art (which I won :D). And back in elementary school, my grandpa bought me the special trilogy pack of Hugo's House of Horrors, which came with hand-printed hint books.

    Basiclly, if I really like the game/series, I'm probably going to shell out a little more for little goodies like that.

  18. Special editions by thrill-ki1l · · Score: 1

    Call me stupid, but I never played half-life until about 2 months after HL2 came out. When I finished playing HL 1 I ran out that same day and bought HL2 at my local Best Buy. I had no idea that there were different versions of the game. I hadn't even heard of steam until I installed HL2. I would have gone for the Silver or Gold package if I had known about it, and now there is no way to upgrade to Silver or Gold. I think that if a company is going to make different versions of the game they should get the word out better. At my local best buy they don't even put out the special editions. You have to ask them to go look in the back to see if they have it.

    If I were a gameing company I would put a sticker or something on the box of the basic version of the game telling people that there is a special edition. It is just plain buisness sense. The sticker will cost them about a penny and if only 2 out of every 1000 people buy the special edition (I'm sure that more than 2/1000 people will buy it) because of the sticker they will have made back the cost of the sticker plus some extra money. Money! Isn't that the point of a buisness.