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Not unusual for THQ. I remember that I had to order my CE of Space Marine from them directly, as I don't think they distributed it elsewhere.
Dear THQ,
You're tanking, we can all see that. It's not your fault, you just couldn't handle the contracting software market as well as the bigger players. However, in light of the fact that the first Darksiders game did not sell gangbusters, I find it patently absurd that you would choose to double down and spend a ton of money developing DLC before you know whether or not the game will be successful.
It is this kind of wasteful spending that has landed you, and indeed many other publishers, in a heap of trouble. I hope you come to realize that curbing spending while casting a wider creative net would be beneficial before the NASDAQ drops you and you fade back into the gaming ether.
Sincerely,
Nostradamus
You're tanking, we can all see that. It's not your fault, you just couldn't handle the contracting software market as well as the bigger players. However, in light of the fact that the first Darksiders game did not sell gangbusters, I find it patently absurd that you would choose to double down and spend a ton of money developing DLC before you know whether or not the game will be successful.
It is this kind of wasteful spending that has landed you, and indeed many other publishers, in a heap of trouble. I hope you come to realize that curbing spending while casting a wider creative net would be beneficial before the NASDAQ drops you and you fade back into the gaming ether.
Sincerely,
Nostradamus
I already learned with their "season pass" from SRTT. No spank you. I'll adopt a wait and see strategy.
Cool, but after being duped with the crap that was the SRIII DLC I dunno if I'd bother with this one.
Or in other words, as with other 'DLC from the start' titles, you can have the complete game for regular price if you purchase it in the manner most convenient to the Publisher. Otherwise you'll get a copy with budgeted, pre-produced material chopped out and offered back to you at a profit. How generous!
Something about the combination of the words "season" and "pass" in a video game article that makes the contents of my stomach curdle.
Thank you, no.
Thank you, no.
Breaking news..: THQ has decided to scrap this as DLC. Instead they will roll the 3 together and release it as a full retail game.
Strategy.
Strategy.
Also for season pass holders the content will be a fly swatter, bag of horse shit and a garden hose.
@gravityboots - I think we see plenty who fall into the not liking/won't buy it thing.
It doesn't mean, however, that we have to be quiet about good studios putting a gun in thier mouth because the publisher told them to.
It doesn't mean, however, that we have to be quiet about good studios putting a gun in thier mouth because the publisher told them to.
@gravity: What people say when they have no argument against why people shouldn't be against it.
Darksiders 2 was one of the titles I was looking forward to the most this year. Is it to hard to actually sell a complete product anymore then make DLC? All this DLC announcements do is make me re-consider my options on gaming purchases.
Darksiders 2 was one of the titles I was looking forward to the most this year. Is it to hard to actually sell a complete product anymore then make DLC? All this DLC announcements do is make me re-consider my options on gaming purchases.
@seymour @silent
It's free if you get it from them though?
I mean, unless you never intended to buy it day one then his shouldn't even matter and neither does your comment.
You're paying exactly the amount you would somewhere else they are just giving you incentive to order it from the THQ store. Shocking.
Also, chances are they are just keeping the same plans they had in the beginning. New dude doesn't mean OVERHAUL EVERYTHING.
In summation: I still don't know why I read comments, so many "OH SHIT THE SKY IS FALLING' people.
It's free if you get it from them though?
I mean, unless you never intended to buy it day one then his shouldn't even matter and neither does your comment.
You're paying exactly the amount you would somewhere else they are just giving you incentive to order it from the THQ store. Shocking.
Also, chances are they are just keeping the same plans they had in the beginning. New dude doesn't mean OVERHAUL EVERYTHING.
In summation: I still don't know why I read comments, so many "OH SHIT THE SKY IS FALLING' people.
@Gravityboots000
Yeah, for the most part people don't buy it, which is why publishers like THQ aren't making money.
The problem? If we don't buy it, like Darksiders, they'll double down on the spending and hope that works, like Darksiders 2. It certainly didn't work for Dead Space, and look what EA did with that.
Yeah, for the most part people don't buy it, which is why publishers like THQ aren't making money.
The problem? If we don't buy it, like Darksiders, they'll double down on the spending and hope that works, like Darksiders 2. It certainly didn't work for Dead Space, and look what EA did with that.
@Konnery
The sky is falling, dude, if this is the kind of thing that constitutes that. We're not going to have a crash like we did in the early 80s, but shit like this? It only takes a quick look at the numbers to understand that move like this don't work, and haven't worked. A contracting market being held together by digital services? They don't just want everything to have DLC, they fucking need it to.
THQ is a perfect example of this, and they're tanking because of it. Just because it's what companies have been doing for years doesn't mean it's successful. The numbers prove that it's quite the opposite.
The sky is falling, dude, if this is the kind of thing that constitutes that. We're not going to have a crash like we did in the early 80s, but shit like this? It only takes a quick look at the numbers to understand that move like this don't work, and haven't worked. A contracting market being held together by digital services? They don't just want everything to have DLC, they fucking need it to.
THQ is a perfect example of this, and they're tanking because of it. Just because it's what companies have been doing for years doesn't mean it's successful. The numbers prove that it's quite the opposite.
@OneRed
Psst, as much as it would suck..the game industry isn't the only thing that exists. If it happens, it happens. Also, I fail to see how THQ giving incentive to order from their store is the end of all things to come. It's like saying I'm going to have a heart attack because I ran today and my hearbeat is faster than it's resting pace.
There's really no exact science to businesses, if they can't keep up..they fail. It's all based on the consumer. If THQ tanks, their bad more or less, but at the same time thinking that "You can Pre-Order from our store and get ALL the cool stuff" or you can pre-order elsewhere. It may seem skeezy to some people but it's business. I see absolutely nothing wrong with them introducing some incentives to order from their store.
Also, if you hadn't noticed, everything is going digital. That's just how it works. Ease of access and distribution are big dollar signs. Businesses change little by little to try and cope with the changing market. I could rattle off industry leading audio companies 10 years ago that are now shut down because they were all analog and tape machines and now everything is digital. It's the way of the world.
So while 90% of the people on this site flip their shit the second DLC is mentioned or some kind of pre-order incentives; I see a company trying to successfully cope with a changing and fluctuating market in a shitty economy.
Psst, as much as it would suck..the game industry isn't the only thing that exists. If it happens, it happens. Also, I fail to see how THQ giving incentive to order from their store is the end of all things to come. It's like saying I'm going to have a heart attack because I ran today and my hearbeat is faster than it's resting pace.
There's really no exact science to businesses, if they can't keep up..they fail. It's all based on the consumer. If THQ tanks, their bad more or less, but at the same time thinking that "You can Pre-Order from our store and get ALL the cool stuff" or you can pre-order elsewhere. It may seem skeezy to some people but it's business. I see absolutely nothing wrong with them introducing some incentives to order from their store.
Also, if you hadn't noticed, everything is going digital. That's just how it works. Ease of access and distribution are big dollar signs. Businesses change little by little to try and cope with the changing market. I could rattle off industry leading audio companies 10 years ago that are now shut down because they were all analog and tape machines and now everything is digital. It's the way of the world.
So while 90% of the people on this site flip their shit the second DLC is mentioned or some kind of pre-order incentives; I see a company trying to successfully cope with a changing and fluctuating market in a shitty economy.
@onered: If you don't mind me asking where do you get your numbers from? I'm only asking cause I'm curious myself XD.
I did buy SR3 direct from them and got the season pass for free. Now knowing what the DLC was I never would have bought it or played it separately. Getting it for free was quite good even for just the ghenki bowl shit. I hope the Darksiders 2 DLC isn't as flimsy. Darksiders is their strongest IP I'n my opinion and I will buy it possibly direct again as I may want to try the DLC I otherwise would never buy.
@Konnery
Cope with a changing and fluctuating market? The change is that games have become too expensive to make a profit on, and that fluctuation is actually a prolonged contraction. To say moves like these are coping mechanisms completely ignore the fact that it is this very strategy that got them there; got the whole mainstream industry there.
We're not talking about any complicated business here, we're talking about an industry who's major players have become too bloated to make a profit on games. Instead of spending less money making the games, they simply made less games for the same money in fewer genres, and turned those games into vessels for DLC. Quarterlies out of most of the big publishers show that they're not making squat off the games, and most of their money comes from digital services.
Not to mention that there's plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that the digital market might be contracting as well. The numbers for retail are conclusive though, and that market is contracting far more quickly than can be explained away by digital sales.
This, though? A company so desperate for extra revenue that they're willing to try and cut retailers out of the mix? This is just THQ trying to continue on with business as usual by finding alternative ways to save/profit more. Not a sign of a healthy business, and certainly not a sign that they're trying to make changes to their failing infrastructure.
Cope with a changing and fluctuating market? The change is that games have become too expensive to make a profit on, and that fluctuation is actually a prolonged contraction. To say moves like these are coping mechanisms completely ignore the fact that it is this very strategy that got them there; got the whole mainstream industry there.
We're not talking about any complicated business here, we're talking about an industry who's major players have become too bloated to make a profit on games. Instead of spending less money making the games, they simply made less games for the same money in fewer genres, and turned those games into vessels for DLC. Quarterlies out of most of the big publishers show that they're not making squat off the games, and most of their money comes from digital services.
Not to mention that there's plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that the digital market might be contracting as well. The numbers for retail are conclusive though, and that market is contracting far more quickly than can be explained away by digital sales.
This, though? A company so desperate for extra revenue that they're willing to try and cut retailers out of the mix? This is just THQ trying to continue on with business as usual by finding alternative ways to save/profit more. Not a sign of a healthy business, and certainly not a sign that they're trying to make changes to their failing infrastructure.
They did a similar thing with SR: Third. They offered the game with the season pass and free shipping for $45 direct from them. It's the only reason I pre-ordered it.
I liked Darksiders but have enough other titles to play that I'll wait for a discount version down the road.
I liked Darksiders but have enough other titles to play that I'll wait for a discount version down the road.
@Konnery
You're missing one very small detail:
I still have to pay an extra 40 bucks for the edition that comes with the season pass (I'm not seeing any "Limited Edition", only "Collectors"). I never wanted more than the 60 dollar game, and this order straight from the online store incentive isn't doing anything for me because they already screwed me over with SRTT's online pass.
But pardon me if my comments are "useless".
You're missing one very small detail:
I still have to pay an extra 40 bucks for the edition that comes with the season pass (I'm not seeing any "Limited Edition", only "Collectors"). I never wanted more than the 60 dollar game, and this order straight from the online store incentive isn't doing anything for me because they already screwed me over with SRTT's online pass.
But pardon me if my comments are "useless".
Oh. Apparently there /is/ a Limited Edition. It's just not labeled "Limited" in it's name.
Sorry about that.
Sorry about that.
A lot of people want this game. But will it help the company enough to allow the last 2 games in the series to get made? I have a feeling we will never see a Darksiders 3 and 4.
I wanted to pre order this game but the splitting up of content at different retailers fucking disgust me.I think Darksiders is cool but I'll wait for it to go on sale or something.
On one hand if I hate the game the DLC will be for nothing. On the other if I love the game, I'd want to spend the money on DLC anyway (I support developers).
@Dave
It's already been delayed. I'm willing to bet it's just stuff they planned to do but wouldn't be able to get to , but I'm not positive considering how shallow SRTT felt considering the first Darksiders didn't have DLC. Really doubt this game will be like SRTT, but you never know.
@OneRed
You do realize how quickly people consume games now? Buy one, trade it in a week or two later (generous guess here, if it doesn't have MP people tend to drop it like hot shit), get another. This seems to generally be the mindset of how people purchase their games. Without these "DLC plans" their game hype dies 2 weeks after it's release. More with good reviews.
I can see where it stems from, inflated budgets being an obvious no-no; Amalur anyone? But I also can't go and say shame on a company for doing this. It really isn't the end of the world, and for someone like me who didn't like how they did the store-centric pre-order DLC this deal is awesome. Should they have done it this way in the first place? Probably not but that's how the cards were played and as a consumer this is the best deal on a game I want, so that's what I'm going with.
Digital is still unavoidable though. As much as I hate having to ruin mixes by turning them into MP3s, it's just what you have to do. WAVs play on everything, but people see a 50MB song and shit themselves even if they sound better.
With all that said though, for most of the larger games the "DLC activism" is probably in the small percentage of people who'd buy the games. If you have actual number to prove me wrong go ahead, but the only time I've seen noticeable backlash is on Capcom with their fighting games but those are fairly niche to be honest.
It's already been delayed. I'm willing to bet it's just stuff they planned to do but wouldn't be able to get to , but I'm not positive considering how shallow SRTT felt considering the first Darksiders didn't have DLC. Really doubt this game will be like SRTT, but you never know.
@OneRed
You do realize how quickly people consume games now? Buy one, trade it in a week or two later (generous guess here, if it doesn't have MP people tend to drop it like hot shit), get another. This seems to generally be the mindset of how people purchase their games. Without these "DLC plans" their game hype dies 2 weeks after it's release. More with good reviews.
I can see where it stems from, inflated budgets being an obvious no-no; Amalur anyone? But I also can't go and say shame on a company for doing this. It really isn't the end of the world, and for someone like me who didn't like how they did the store-centric pre-order DLC this deal is awesome. Should they have done it this way in the first place? Probably not but that's how the cards were played and as a consumer this is the best deal on a game I want, so that's what I'm going with.
Digital is still unavoidable though. As much as I hate having to ruin mixes by turning them into MP3s, it's just what you have to do. WAVs play on everything, but people see a 50MB song and shit themselves even if they sound better.
With all that said though, for most of the larger games the "DLC activism" is probably in the small percentage of people who'd buy the games. If you have actual number to prove me wrong go ahead, but the only time I've seen noticeable backlash is on Capcom with their fighting games but those are fairly niche to be honest.
@ Dave -
Every DLC for every game is planned prior to release. You think the dev's sit around once the game ships, twiddle their thumbs and say "What do we do now?"
Anyway, I had already ordered this through Amazon. THQ is making me reconsider that.
Every DLC for every game is planned prior to release. You think the dev's sit around once the game ships, twiddle their thumbs and say "What do we do now?"
Anyway, I had already ordered this through Amazon. THQ is making me reconsider that.
Strange how I see people calling out THQ for this kind of thing, but nobody said a peep about EA when they did the same thing for BF3. Each of the retailers had unique exclusives, but when they made the pre-order available on Origin, they included every single exclusive if you purchased it from them.
DLC doesn't bother me too much since I understand why devs use it; trying to stay afloat and keep their game's lifespan longer and all.
Sometimes I buy it, sometimes I don't.
Games come out so often now that I have a backlog the size of a black pornstar's dick, so I'm going to wait on this one.
And who knows? Maybe when I do have time to run it, a GOTY edition will be out!
Sometimes I buy it, sometimes I don't.
Games come out so often now that I have a backlog the size of a black pornstar's dick, so I'm going to wait on this one.
And who knows? Maybe when I do have time to run it, a GOTY edition will be out!
Ok, sure, whatever THQ. Widespread criticism of DLC handling in Saints Row and a crashing stock price. I guess continuing to treat the consumers like garbage is a good move.
bleh.. Season pass.. Like, okay, its a good idea, it worked great for LA Noire and others.. But I keep having the same gut reaction to those words as I do with Sports and FPS' who do this.
I mean, first thing, we really need to change the name.. Its really NOT a season at all... It maybe for those Sports/FPS' but LA Noire's for example was really more a slathering, then a season. And most games do that instead of going season by season... Its not a TV show, the next season usually doesn't bring new things for most games.
I mean, first thing, we really need to change the name.. Its really NOT a season at all... It maybe for those Sports/FPS' but LA Noire's for example was really more a slathering, then a season. And most games do that instead of going season by season... Its not a TV show, the next season usually doesn't bring new things for most games.
"It also serves as confirmation that there will be second and third DLC expansions to Darksiders II, which I can't recall them specifically stating before. So there's that."
I meant to say something about this before.. This doesn't mean that at all.. or, at least, it doesn't have to.. What it *may* end up meaning is that if they don't get enough folks paying for the pass, then they probably won't bother with 2 more DLC's.
"This comes several months after THQ previously announced pre-order incentives at major retailers, which seems like a pretty crappy thing to do to the consumers who had already made a decision to pre-order elsewhere..."
Why are we seriously even bothering to harp on this when what your talking about is people getting something for free *just* because they decided to pre-order a game.. Most of those people are going to join up any way, big whoop.
I meant to say something about this before.. This doesn't mean that at all.. or, at least, it doesn't have to.. What it *may* end up meaning is that if they don't get enough folks paying for the pass, then they probably won't bother with 2 more DLC's.
"This comes several months after THQ previously announced pre-order incentives at major retailers, which seems like a pretty crappy thing to do to the consumers who had already made a decision to pre-order elsewhere..."
Why are we seriously even bothering to harp on this when what your talking about is people getting something for free *just* because they decided to pre-order a game.. Most of those people are going to join up any way, big whoop.
@BoomingEchoes: There's been no indication that the "season pass" they refer to is going to be available independent of pre-orders direct from THQ. They haven't stated that they're going to sell any such thing yet, though it wouldn't surprise me if they tried it. You're right that it's possible they could never release at all, but that's no different from any other pre-order scenario. They say they're making these, we have to assume that it's true until they demonstrate otherwise.
And as for your second point. It's bad form for THQ to make all of these offers through different retail outlets and then pull the rug out from them months later with their own, vastly superior offer. I mean, free shipping alone is a dick move.
The reason I'm harping on it is because this kind of thing puts the normally pre-ordering consumer in the mindset that they should wait as long as possible to get the best possible arrangement of goodies. This can be harmful to games down the line as pre-orders are used as indicators of a product's potential. Delayed pre-ordering could have effects on a publisher's confidence in a title, as they perceive lowered anticipation which can negatively impact marketing budgets vital to the success of a release and reduced print runs making it harder for the consumer to find the product in their stores.
So, yeah, kind of a big whoop to me.
And as for your second point. It's bad form for THQ to make all of these offers through different retail outlets and then pull the rug out from them months later with their own, vastly superior offer. I mean, free shipping alone is a dick move.
The reason I'm harping on it is because this kind of thing puts the normally pre-ordering consumer in the mindset that they should wait as long as possible to get the best possible arrangement of goodies. This can be harmful to games down the line as pre-orders are used as indicators of a product's potential. Delayed pre-ordering could have effects on a publisher's confidence in a title, as they perceive lowered anticipation which can negatively impact marketing budgets vital to the success of a release and reduced print runs making it harder for the consumer to find the product in their stores.
So, yeah, kind of a big whoop to me.
Yeah I am not falling for that again. Did that with Saints Row 3 and it was stressful to know if my order would get confirmed in time for that kind of thing, as it wasn't immediate, and didn't know if I'd get the game on time. That and the season pass was pretty crappy. Overcharged for so little content.
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