(Shocking) News!!!!!

Tim Brooks · #1 March 8th, 2005, 04:37 PM

Quote:

I gather Strategy 1st does business like everyone else in the retail industry? That is, will the game drop in prices once it has been available for a few months? If so, it will be another matter: I would expect many sales of SEIV to have been made months or even years after the game was first published, and those were still profitable. SEV is unlikely to get that kind of window of time while nearing games selling much more quickly.

Alneyan, this is the retailers' bad and there isn't much the publisher can do about it. If a game doesn't hit a certain turn level (so many copies per week), then the retailer either wants the publisher to take it back (free the shelf space for something that turns faster) or reduce the price (bargain bin it). The publisher can't pay to bring the games back from retail, then turn them around again to get them to the consumer - it would be a losing proposition. So there only option is to reduce the price.

It is why retail is so undesirable for niche games. They can't do the numbers quick enough to keep them out of the bargain bins. They aren't allowed to develop a following, the shelf space is too precious to the retailer.

You should read our blog on "Why Traditional Retail and Niche Games Don�t Work" - posted on 2/24/2005 - for the scary numbers.

Puke · #2 March 8th, 2005, 04:43 PM

The only reason I walk into retail stores anymore, is to see which of last year's great niche games i can pick up for under 10 bucks.

Its sad, really.

tesco samoa · #3 March 8th, 2005, 04:51 PM

well guess i will see people here and there....

tesco samoa · #4 March 8th, 2005, 04:53 PM

3 posts.

Either way. It was a good time for aaron here and I wish him luck on his new adventure with SEV.

If I like the game I will support the game as much as i can.

Strategia_In_Ultima · #5 March 9th, 2005, 07:46 AM

Whoah..... leave this thread alone for just one night and you immediately get over 30 replies! Wow!

deccan · #6 March 9th, 2005, 08:10 AM

Wow, interesting news. Curious that there's so little information on Malfador's site.

And hey, everyone who wants to thank Shrapnel, buy Dom3 when it comes out!

DarkAnt · #7 March 9th, 2005, 09:16 AM

I take back those strong words in my previous post. I guess we just don't like change. It was a knee jerk reaction. David has reassured me that Aaron still is in 100% control of the game and everything will be alright. I hope he's right.

Evil_Duckie · #8 March 8th, 2005, 04:55 PM

There's only a small number of computer games that manage to grab, and hold, my attention for a longer period of time. SE4 is one of them (as well as the SimCity and Civilization series, I keep going back to them). Unfortunately, they're not really the kind of games that sell well. If SE5 is going to go retail, it'll have to compete with the 3D shooters, sports and race games that are so popular at the moment. Tough job.

Coincidentally, a Belgian pc games magazine (imho the best on the Dutch market, as it focuses only on pc games) reviewed 3 games published by Matrix Games last month. 2 of the 3 were similar to SE: stat-heavy strategy games for the 'serious' gamer. They got mediocre scores because of the low-tech graphics and the 'lack of action'.

I don't think the general public will become excited about SE5 and I seriously hope this won't affect a possible SE6 (or the community) in a negative way.

Alneyan · #9 March 8th, 2005, 05:12 PM

Strategia => A translation is a mod will not be enough to break foreign markets (speaking of France at least): a translated manual could help, but there is little inside the files that can be a problem for the users. The explanations about what *is* an APB aren't needed to play the game; knowing how research works is, though I have found SE to be easy enough to understand. The main use of a translation is to make it easier to sell a game in those countries were foreign languages have a harder time (it would be much less of a factor in Scandinavia).

Tim => I should have been clearer. Does Strategy 1st go into "cheaper sales" as quickly as other publishers? Some publishers wait for a lot longer before dropping the prices of their games, while other publishers are much more willing to go to the magic $15 price tag. There may be a difference between the US market and here however: can the same edition of a game have a decreasing price in the US? Almost all games stick above $30 here when first published, and only drop to $15 in a new box, with even lower prices requiring another edition. Or is it just a matter of removing the manuals and changing the boxes, with the unsold full price CDs filling the "$15 edition" boxes?

Hmm, that wasn't any clearer, was it?

Tim Brooks · #10 March 8th, 2005, 07:33 PM

Alneyan, sorry I misunderstood. This is a European thing, I know Ubisoft (that's a French Company, correct?) does this - they did it with Ghost Recon 2 here in the states - I think it lasted about 6 months or so before the repackaging and drop. I know Empire Interactive (British) did this over here with my title 101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy. Most US publishers don't repackage with the price drop. Strategy First is Canadian, so I'm not sure how they handle this.