Comments on: Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss.

By: spitfire

spitfire — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:48:40 +0000

/shrug. Retail always costs more than DLC, regardless of DLC fees, as you’re paying a ton of money to the middle-man (Wal-Mart in this case). If that wasn’t the case games like Braid or Penny Arcade Adventures would be available at Game-Stop.

If all things were equal cost in the distro models, the Dr. Feelgood album available next week for Rock Band 2 via DLC which costs $16 should be priced the same as the AC/DC album available at Wal-Mart, and they’re not.

We might be able to argue that AC/DC is charging more for licensing, but it’s unlikely that’s the case. They’re not exactly Metallica or Led Zeppelin.

Besides, the point here isn’t the cost, it’s the exclusivity vs. Activision’s claims that videogames pwn the music industry.

By: Zack

Zack — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:30:14 +0000

DLC still requires full testing and still requires publishers to give huge gobs of cash to first party.

And the cost is marginal in taking their existing engine and moving it over to a standalone title. They did it with “Rocks the 80s” for almost no money at all.

By: spitfire

spitfire — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:31:55 +0000

Geoff, if it’s exclusive to Wal-Mart, then they were in on the deal. These things don’t happen by happy accident.

The only player larger than them in the brick and mortar side of the industry is GameStop, and GameStop isn’t an audio CD retailer.

This was a package deal. Pay for the exclusivity, get the new AC/DC CD exclusive, get the Rock Band exclusive. It’s not a coincidence that they’re both only at Wal-Mart.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:43:31 +0000

I’m not sure I see the rationale for your complaint. According to the linked Joystiq piece, the deal was between AC/DC and MTV, not Wal-Mart… it seems just as plausible that Wal-Mart paid a consideration to carry the exclusive content as it does that they locked up the music in advance. Is there any proof that this was the intended strategy?

By: Dastardly Josh

Dastardly Josh — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:48:18 +0000

Fuck Walmart.
Seriously, I don’t care how desirable their exclusive content is. I’d rather distributors realize that consumers don’t want to have to go to one of the largest bastions of censorship in America.
There are very few brick and mortar places I’m willing to shop for video games. I don’t care about having to wait extra time to get a game, I’d rather not deal with the ingrates at Gamestop/EB that try to force me to preorder, as well as Walmart.
I’m very much pro digital distribution, mainly becuase it reduced costs and increases profits for developers instead of publishers. Games I would otherwise never touch I’ve picked up via Steam. Most games offer nothing from getting a boxed edition. There are exceptions. The Collectors Editions of World of Warcraft are outstanding and worth owning. The vast majority of games don’t include any extras that entice people to purchase physical copies.
It’s actually part of the reason I feel music stores are going out of business. There’s no reason to get a CD with a piece of paper stuck in the case.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:25:16 +0000

I got a question…I realize its probably not developers jobs to ad the neat doo dads to the product to make it more enticing, but couldnt someone figure out a way to make downloading a title more enticing? like, give people exclusive concept art or something. Afterall, isnt that what you usually get with collectors editions and stuff? Admitedly, its nice to have a book or something tactile, but most of the stuff is something that you’ll look at for 5 minutes, then throw in the corner.
…None of which has anything to do with what youre talking about…1 more thing, why’s there DLC thats exclusive to retailers? Like LBP’s costumes and stuff. I know theres something about pre-orders thats important and determines how many copies a retailer stocks, but I remember the halo 3 launch, and it seemed like everyone around here was overstocked for months.

I’m rambling, sorry.

By: Sean Beanland

Sean Beanland — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:25:45 +0000

Like you said, you could get it on their website. So walking into Wal-Mart isn’t strictly necessary!