Crytek Boss Predicts The Extinction Of Free Game Demos
See Full ImageAs some of you may have already heard, EA wants to try charging for lengthy game demos as part of their "premium downloadable content" plan. Unsurprisingly, this didn't go over well with gamers, but Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has defended this idea.
In speaking to Develop, Yerli says free game demos will go the way of the dodo and added that he was currently unsure about a Crysis 2 demo. He calls free demos a "luxury" that is actually "prohibitively expensive" for the developer and that the "reality is that we might not see any free game demos in the long term." Now, it should probably be noted that EA just so happens to be the publisher for Crysis 2 so maybe it isn't surprising that Yerli would defend their plans. However, he still believes it has merit; in responding to the backlash, he said:
"I read a lot about this, and read about the backlash as well; people complaining that they would essentially be paying for a beta. I think EA’s strategy is interesting, overall. The thing is, every time we see a publisher doing something to improve the industry, making things more commercially viable and actually increasing the market, people instantly think this is only some money-hungry ploy."
We do have to agree with him there. There's a quick knee-jerk reaction amongst the gaming community that regards all such plans as rip-off schemes designed to take advantage of the "little person." It gets a little tiring hearing so many people complain bitterly about very small fees for something that, if it were a similar service in any other industry, you would most certainly pay. In short, it seems Yerli believes gamers are a touch spoiled (and a touch cheap), and in that, I have to agree with him to some extent.
As for EA's plan, he believes it just wasn't explained properly. He says that although it may appear one way on the surface, it's really "an attempt to salvage a problem:"
"The industry is still losing a lot of money to piracy as the market becomes more online-based. So it’s encouraging to see strategies outlined to combat this.
I think the whole issue needs to be explained in a better way, because there is good thinking behind EA’s plan. I understand why people are thinking that all EA wants to do is maximise profits out of the audience, but really, what it’s really trying to do is get investment back but while being as fair to the gamer as much as it can. Ultimately, it will be a better deal for the gamer."
And given the cost and "time pressure" required to release a quality demo, Yerli says it can be very difficult to deal with and he won't guarantee a demo for Crysis 2. But now that he's said his piece, we'd be interested to hear what other developers have to say about this... Ninja Theory told everyone Heavenly Sword didn't sell well enough to warrant a sequel, and the game sold 1.5 million copies...to most designers with realistic expectations, that'd be a smash hit. So are Yerli's observations universal or is he in the minority in the dev crowd...?
Related Game(s): Crysis 2
4/17/2010 10:42:20 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (110 posts)
ShadowRunner
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 2:38:07 AM
And how exactly will this help their fight against piracy?!!
If I am using pirated games I will definitely not pay for a demo, and if I am a legit user I will start looking for pirated games.
They are just trying to make some of the money they lose to piracy from us.
2 up, 0 down
JackC8
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 11:26:03 AM
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So yeah, get rid of those darned demo's. It'll save me quite a bit of money. At least on EA games.
16 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 11:32:24 AM
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13 up, 0 down
tes37
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 11:58:46 AM
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It's the same as charging me to test drive a car, or charging me for watching movie previews.
Just because some people believe it's worth charging for, doesn't make it so. The opposite could be said about me, but I control where my money goes and it won't be used for demos.
Last edited by tes37 on 4/17/2010 12:00:08 PM
22 up, 0 down
MartyRules
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:01:19 PM
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14 up, 0 down
FullmetalX10
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:06:27 PM
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Ben, don't get me wrong but, of course I complain bitterly about the small fees, if I don't usually pay them and they suddenly become mandatory. With a total of 25 bucks available I have to save up months for a game I want to buy (hopefully that time decreases, since I just got a job), every little bit counts, especially since I have to throw down 20 bucks for a PSN card, since they only sell 20 and 50 euro cards.
Besides, we don't pay for trailers or making of's for upcoming films, then why, oh why, for game demo's.
And as Naztycuts stated, game demos should lead to in higher game sales (good game demos that is).
15 up, 0 down
Naztycuts
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:21:19 PM
10 up, 0 down
ChronowerX_GT
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:21:25 PM
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frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:27:50 PM
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from what i remember demo comes from people wanting to demonstrate how great their product was so that people would buy it. its like askin me for $5 to see if i like it or not. those stupid infomercials on tv dont charge you to see how the product works. that is a demo of the product. i can go in a store and hear a preview clip of a song or stream one online if i want to preview a song, i dont pay for that. i go walkin through the store and those people with the little tray of food handing out samples of product dont ask me for anything other than to try it.
so no i dont think we are being cheap. i have wasted my money on crap games that i thought would be great but didnt have any kind of gameplay referance. sometimes i dont want to wait to find out and a demo before hand can help push a consumer in the direction to buy it. if a game company doesnt want to make a demo that is fine but the whole point is to attract customers that didnt already want the game.
also after last years brutal legend demo i have learned that demos can be VERY misleading. i still loved that game but the demo left out a key piece of game play. i kind of see why they did it cuz a lot of people would have been turned off by that part of the gameplay had it been in the demo.
Last edited by frylock25 on 4/17/2010 12:34:35 PM
7 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:32:26 PM
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Can you sample about 20 minutes of a movie? Even for a cost? Is that an option? Can you read the first 50 pages of a book? Demos are a fairly unique thing (legally) and to have them be free IS a luxury, especially considering that it costs time and resources to produce. Essentially, you're getting something for free that is NOT free to make. Where the hell are you going to find that in a normal capitalist society?
1 up, 6 down
frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:43:25 PM
Last edited by frylock25 on 4/17/2010 12:44:27 PM
11 up, 0 down
tes37
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:03:12 PM
A guaranteed payout when taking a risk is a luxury that none of us get, so why should they.
15 up, 0 down
NeoHumpty
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:29:56 PM
I wouldn't mind paying $1-$2 for certain demos, but I think a lot of smaller games would get skipped completely if there was a charge for what is basically a chance for them to advertise to me. Shouldn't the cost of making a demo be included in the games advertising budget? I'd like to think that some companies would not like the idea of a future with no demos.
3 up, 0 down
frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:38:59 PM
Last edited by frylock25 on 4/17/2010 1:40:10 PM
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daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:59:18 PM
This isn't something like us trying to convince developers to release their games at the $40 mark instead of $60, or something. This is Crytek, seeking money from consumers to advertise their game. And advertising always has its costs. How fair is that to other companies that's willing to take such risk to promote their stuff?
11 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:00:03 PM
Taking a chunk of a product and offering it to you for free AT COST TO the developers and publishers is unique to this industry. It costs money and time to do, and you can't expect to get it for free forever. In many ways, we really ARE spoiled.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/17/2010 2:01:34 PM
2 up, 8 down
piratedrunk
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:15:23 PM
You mention you can't find anything like this elsewhere in capitalist society but the whole point of capitalism is we as consumers get to decide what we will and will not pay for and what we don't gets left behind ideally. I personally hope this idea is left behind because many of us do not want it.
8 up, 0 down
JackC8
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:57:36 PM
Fifty pages of a book, which average about 250 pages, is 20%. Again...
US businesses spend over $400 billion a year on advertising - and that's exactly what demo's are. If the video game industry doesn't think they should have to incur such expenses, that's certainly their right. Seems to work pretty well for everybody else though.
10 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:08:37 PM
I'm sorry, but there's a lot of cheapness thinly veiled under so-called "morals" going on around here. Some people should just own up to that.
And by the way, I'm not saying I'd pay for demos, either. I'm not saying you all should. I'm saying there's good cause to charge a nominal fee for them, and we should at least acknowledge that.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/17/2010 4:19:24 PM
2 up, 10 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:24:55 PM
Shareware has always been "share"ware because the model works best. Are we spoiled? Probably, but that's how you get sales, you spoil the customer. And I think the analogies are good, movie previews cost money to make and advertise and they come to me on my TV. Advertising a book costs money too, and it comes to you in demo form via Amazon. A demo is an advertisement plain and simple.
9 up, 0 down
laxpro2001
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 5:32:28 PM
In reality you're spending a lot of money, time, and resources but you're putting out a great interactive ad on a medium where you have an excellent audience for your product. However you can definitely argue that:
1. There are multiple accounts per user on psn
2. The game might not appeal to all gamers
3. Not all PSN users play demos
So the ad won't be 100% effective
Most important part here:
I'm not saying a company doesn't have the right and shouldn't charge for a demo because they are there to make money. It might even allow us to see more demos up on the PSN so we can really make sure we enjoy the game before purchasing it for the general retail price of $60.
I think they need to do two things however:
1. Make the fee low enough so that people won't get turned off with purchasing it because it could in turn hurt sales more by turning people like World away who might have purchased the product
2. Release demos earlier... like before the game actually hits the market, at least if you are planning to charge for it.
Honestly IMO I think this is actually brilliant on the companies standpoint and its not going to kill consumers. Charging won't bring any extra costs (at least to my knowledge) and they will be able to re-cooperate some of the loss.
Also the people who will purchase the demo are likely the ones who will be persuaded the most by it. The reasoning behind this is they are probably on the fence about the purchase which is why they want to try the demo to begin with.
All in all its a good idea... I'm unsure if I'll ever purchase one but it will definitely help the industry.
Last edited by laxpro2001 on 4/17/2010 5:35:12 PM
3 up, 8 down
NeoHumpty
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:06:05 PM
My job has me giving out free samples all the time because it's a tried and true method. Not many customers in a grocery store are going to give a dollar to try your new cheese, but if they try it for free, they may pick up the $5 package.
And yes, Ben. I do get that you will still have to travel for it, and I promise that as soon as I can download free cheese, I will. lol.
7 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 9:10:54 PM
0 up, 7 down
aaronisbla
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 9:14:08 PM
Those samples are free to the consumer because you want them to sample your product. But someone is is paying for the product being sampled because in order to bring in new potential customers, a demo/sample could really help out. Regardless of if the company has to go thru a bit of work to get the demo to the consumer, its in their best interest, especially if the game is good
Charging a potential customer for a sample ( which in our society normally means free ) is just a backlash waiting to happen.
And i agree, the 20 minute analogy was pretty bad, as a demo of a game is no where near that level.
7 up, 0 down
Nerull
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 9:17:52 PM
Paying for the same thing twice is hard to swallow which is why so many say if they're going to charge anything noticeable it should be deducted from the full purchase.
So given that most demos arrive shortly before the final release there shouldn't be much more cost to the team besides that fee that Sony charges to post it on the network, much like a tv network charges for air time.
Like most people are rightly saying, demos are just advertisement with some interactivity. A publisher has to spend on advertising to some degree either way to get their product the attention of the consumers, especially in today's crowded market.
What other mediums force us to pay to be advertised to? Besides cable which I'm not a user of.
Last edited by Nerull on 4/17/2010 9:25:29 PM
4 up, 0 down
laxpro2001
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 12:55:42 AM
1 up, 7 down
johnld
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 3:55:56 PM
2 up, 1 down
ShadowRunner
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 4:09:39 AM
Actually 20 minutes out of 10 hours of gameplay is equivalent to 2.7 minutes out of a 90 minutes movie. I believe we get to preview around 5 times that amount before a movie is released in trailers.
And YES it costs movie studios to produce trailers, they don't just copy and paste some scenes.
4 up, 0 down
MyWorstNightmar
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 10:47:35 AM
This notion of charging for demos has probably been in the back of these publishers minds for years, and they always wonder if they can get away with charging for them. I say go for it, and they will see that it won't be received well, and they will not get the kind of exposure they are looking for. At that point, they will get back to free demos.
If they need to get some money SOMEHOW, then sell advertising. If before I get to play a Just Cause 2 demo, I have to watch a movie trailor for Kickass, or I have to watch a commercial for McDonalds, that is a small price to pay for a "free" demo. Or they could have a sponsor for the demo. "This demo is brought to you by Monster Energy drinks", and have the logo for the sponsor somewhere on the screen like they do on TV.
Get creative.
Ah, and labeling people as possibly being cheap? I am the consumer. They are the supplier. Out of these two entities, there is only one that stands to make or lose millions of dollars. It is up to the one that stands to lose the most to decide how to best make as much money as they can. If they decide to charge me to "sample" or be DEMOnstrated to, a piece of their product? That is just dumb logic to me.
I can't wait for a car salesman to try to charge me to test drive a car. And this logic that game demos are different because we don't have to "go anywhere" to sample a game, what are you talking about? If you want to make this argument like for like, then fine, put a demo on a cd, and put them in Gamestops for free. I will go there and get it, and take it home and play it, or perhaps play it in the store. Does that satisfy your argument, because they have just become the same, I had to go somewhere to get it. But now it just cost the publisher more money for the cost of the Blu-Ray, or cd disc. This whole downloading arangement works best for all, and for the publishers that it doesn't work for, then please charge for the demo and see where that gets you.
4 up, 0 down
Scarecrow
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:39:13 PM
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Trust me, the day PSN/XBOX Live demos cost anything I'll just pass and read reviews, watch videos, etc.
In fact, I can't even remember playing many ps2 demos and I can say my ps2 library is one of the best ever...
*shrug*
Good luck to them!
I mean, I do understand that it costs them money. But to be truthful games cost a lot and I'm not about to pay for demos lol. Respect their choice, but I have my own choice as well, PASS!
13 up, 0 down
frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:48:44 PM
3 up, 0 down
godsman
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:47:19 PM
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6 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 12:56:05 PM
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So,eh, good luck with that.
10 up, 1 down
johnld
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 4:04:14 PM
0 up, 0 down
NeoHumpty
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:16:46 PM
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So, the company should find ways to charge the honest people more? That don't make no sense.
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Scarecrow
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:26:36 PM
Make it a ps3 exclusive and you won't get piracy
13 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:48:42 PM
1 up, 0 down
Bromus398
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:05:54 PM
That's not technically correct. It feeds into it, but inflation along with being able to raise ticket prices and still have huge boxoffice sales, as well as more marketing executives in charge of studios has more to do with increased ticket prices than piracy. People could record films straight to VCR's, copy them easily with VCR's, get copies from overseas - same thing with the music industry. It's a nice to think of things that way, but if piracy was that ridiculously rampant and subversive the industries would be ruined. They're not. I'm not saying it doesn't have an effect, I'm just saying that much like the Comcast "someone we can't control but doesn't technically cost us enough money to find more effective ways of monitoring our own systems is probably stealing from us, so we will charge you more" argument. It's a partial truth.
3 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:12:10 PM
Last edited by Jawknee on 4/17/2010 2:12:38 PM
5 up, 0 down
NeoHumpty
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:12:38 PM
Oh, no, people are stealing from us. Raise the prices to cover the losses.
Oh, no, they raised ticket prices again? Don't I have a friend that knows how to download stuff for free?
Oh, no, more people are stealing from us. Raise the prices.
10 up, 0 down
Gamer Girl Gemo
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:19:28 PM
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Oh dear... How I'll miss thee...
What do I hear next? No more downloads?
Oh my... What a stupid mistake you hath made...
12 up, 0 down
frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:31:53 PM
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i cant imagine he would have even spent his time on 10% of what he did if any of that cost anything.
he also has an xbox but has never paid for live and i cant remember the last time i even saw him play that stupid thing.
Last edited by frylock25 on 4/17/2010 1:35:10 PM
4 up, 0 down
Ole_Gunner
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:39:28 PM
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FREE DEMOS = :D
5 up, 0 down
daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:50:53 PM
As for movies, trailers are like that in a way, but yeah that probably doesn't count. But, what about those stores like Best Buy or Costco that shows a full-length movie on the TVs they're promoting? There are also On Demand movies that let viewers watch the first 5-10 minutes of the movie. In the end, it doesn't matter in this argument because movies and games are totally different things.
1 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:16:49 PM
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/17/2010 4:17:54 PM
0 up, 7 down
daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 6:54:13 PM
However, I'd like to add that there are some risks involve for giving away samples or letting books out in the open and such. There's two possibility when you're letting a consumer preview the items, and that's whether they like it or not. If they like it, great, but if they don't, then that would effect both the store and the company because of sales.
Companies are aware of that, cause those who let people sample their stuff are usually (better be) confident that the majority will be in favor.
Honestly, movies and books shouldn't even be bought into this argument in the first place. The experience itself is completely different.
Last edited by daus26 on 4/17/2010 6:56:44 PM
2 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:57:30 PM
7 up, 0 down
www
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:40:52 PM
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I had 50 PS2 games and I WASN'T downloading demos at that time, I bought all those games regardless, I didn't need a demo to buy Uncharted 2. Its THIS generation that made it a norm to put up demos and I don't know about others but I personally NEVER asked for them.
There's NOTHING wrong with charging a small fee for demos but it's funny paying for something you didn't really ask for to begin with. Like Ben said, you're not allowed to read the first few pages of a book, but the storekeeper told you, you could read it and now she's charging you for it, wow! Wrong move...
3 up, 1 down
daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:53:54 PM
2 up, 0 down
daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:42:07 PM
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If demos were so bad, surely companies would stop doing them already. We have to remember that business do what's best for them, not the consumers.
4 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:52:31 PM
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Scarecrow
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 1:54:38 PM
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BTNwarrior
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:03:24 PM
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frylock25
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:20:58 PM
0 up, 0 down
Grown_Gamer
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:26:34 PM
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4 up, 0 down
just2skillf00l
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:32:39 PM
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When I spend money, I like to own something. IMO when I spend money, I want a grand experience or something tangible. So paying to go to the movies with friends or a theme park is fine. However, when I pay to simply see something without the ability to see it for eternity and there's not exactly a great experience along with the decision for temporary satisfaction, I feel like I have just wasted the cost of the product I rented.
I also have to agree with the argument frylock made about sampling food in a mall or the other argument about commercials on television. In order for businesses to market and advertise their product, they're going to come out of pocket. Some businesses which have already established themselves as powerhouses in their given business territory don't really need to advertise much because people are anxiously anticipating a given business's products. However, the fact that these businesses are probably rewarded bountifully for their merchandise means that they have profits to dish out for advertisements anyway.
I'm not one to groan when free products are stabbed by price tags. Instead of overreacting to new developments I try to discover the reason behind the development. If the reason for the updated action is just and reasonable then I won't be angry about it. However, if the cause for the sudden change in marketing is unreasonable and is disguised by faulty means when the action is really taken for profit's sake, I find that to be intolerable.
Last edited by just2skillf00l on 4/17/2010 2:35:42 PM
8 up, 0 down
Darwin1967
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 2:39:14 PM
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SvenMD
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 3:17:48 PM
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But here is an idea. If I did pay for a demo, then if I later bought the game, could I get a voucher or something to get my money back for the demo? That would at least make me feel better about having to pay for demos. And I think that would be a win-win situation for publisher and consumer.
2 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 10:09:46 PM
What happens if you pay $5 for a demo & don't like the game at all????
I can guarantee you won't get your $5 back!!!
And what if you've downloaded 30 demo's, but you only wind up liking 10 of them???
So now, you've just thrown $100 away just to find out those 20 out of the 30, just aren't your style, or up to par.
Here's an open letter to all gaming company's.....
You can call me cheap, and/or spoiled, but by doing so you've just insulted my intelligence.
And by doing so, it also shows me you don't just know what the words "educated consumer" means.
And if you won't/don't take the time to research exactly what that means, then you have no f*cking business at all trying to run a company that caters to consumer products.
Screw "payola" demos, and screw any company that puts out a "payola" demo!!!!!
5 up, 0 down
SvenMD
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 4:06:27 PM
I don't agree with paying for demos, and I wont do it.
Just so you understand that we're on the same side. I was just trying to give a crappy publisher a second chance if they ever did decide to make demos cost money.
1 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:13:34 PM
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Games I got because of the Demo: Eternal Sonata, Afro Samurai, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Folklore, Uncharted, inFamous, Heavenly Sword, Dead Space. I might have none of those without the demo because for one reason or another I was skeptical of all of them.
7 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:18:34 PM
I'm simply saying there's cause to charge for them, that's all.
1 up, 7 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:26:12 PM
10 up, 0 down
tes37
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:29:24 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 5:01:11 PM
It is flawed to be sure, but the artistry is to be praised, the music is awesome, the levels are challenging, there is some really cool stuff in there (like an aerial samurai battle) and you can slice anybody apart at ANY angle. I once took a slice at a guy's side, he backed off a bit and it just cut off his face.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/17/2010 5:02:01 PM
5 up, 0 down
tes37
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 5:17:56 PM
2 up, 0 down
RadioHeader
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 5:50:32 PM
lol Never mind demoes, I'm buying Afro Samurai on the strength of that sentence. How much do I owe you for that, World?
4 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 6:35:24 PM
For the record, that did kill the guy. It's fun to hit them at different angles, and your schizophrenia induced imaginary friend pops up now and again to play "Body part poker" where you collect limbs by cutting them off.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/17/2010 6:37:55 PM
7 up, 0 down
daus26
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:09:43 PM
Now that I think about it, everything was fine about the free demos. There was never really problems being discussed about it. To me, it looks like they're trying to squeeze in an extra couple hundred thousand bucks to the millions of dollars they probably are already making from profit or whatever it is.
5 up, 0 down
jdt1981
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:17:46 PM
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2 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:27:10 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:28:21 PM
Reply
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Deleted User
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:52:50 PM
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Banky A
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:43:17 PM
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Deleted User
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 4:50:56 PM
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Deleted User
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 5:40:42 PM
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You can get a pretty good idea what to expect from a movie by watching a commercial of it, the same can be said about a book and its back-cover's introduction text.
With games, you can't have an idea how the gameplay and controls are (the active inputs that are completely absent from books and movies) just by looking at a commercial.
I think the nature of the medium justifies the need for demos.
Last edited by n/a on 4/17/2010 5:42:51 PM
9 up, 0 down
isaya85
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 6:57:21 PM
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3 up, 0 down
pyrobomber70
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:46:42 PM
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Stop downloading demos and let them make the full game complete and be reviewed before a making a purchase if passes on your score level. I think demos is a waste of time for developers because the game is never the same after the demo has been played. The developers should use the extra time to make the game better and have more people test it. I will never pay for a demo. I will wait for the review or just play another game with a score that passes at my level. I think demos should only be made if the company wants to spend their money on it. Making people pay for a demo is just wrong. If the company doesn't have the extra capital to make a demo for free than they shouldn't make one in the first place.
0 up, 5 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 7:51:19 PM
Reply
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MyWorstNightmar
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 11:07:53 AM
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CrazyIrishBoy
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 8:16:05 PM
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I didnt read it all but id say that developers that know their game is THE sh**, we will still see demoes for them games.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/17/2010 9:21:30 PM
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Grown_Gamer
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 12:39:21 AM
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0 up, 2 down
Alienange
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 12:53:04 AM
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This has got to be one of this industries biggest jokes. Nice one EA. Hopefully all those folks from IW will teach you a thing or two about demos. They're not needed!
4 up, 0 down
___________
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 2:14:45 AM
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99.99999999999999% of the games EA publish are pure utter crap, so they need demos for their games.
no demo is automatically a miss when it comes to EA, so do yourself a favor, pull your head out of your a$$, and start thinking about your fans and not about your back pocket!
right so the 120 bucks im paying for every game is not enough!?
honestly and they wonder why people pirate their games.
honestly, wondering that is like wondering why your fired after you slept with the bosses wife and trashed his car.......
games died the year money grubbing bastards like EA rolled in.
why cant we go back to the old days where games were made for a passion, not as a cash cow?
1 up, 5 down
Naztycuts
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 2:59:55 AM
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Godslim
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 6:05:55 AM
surely if the game is crap playing the demo wouldnt help that at all i think ea have had a load of good games recently....mirrors edge, dead space, bad company
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___________
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 8:10:24 AM
thats why they need a demo because if they release a demo than if its good people will buy it.
everyone i know dont buy EA games unless they have played the demo and liked it, no demo = no purchase.
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wiiplay
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 8:09:10 PM
I like the single-player, but I absolutely hate the multiplayer.
Again, most likely just me.
In my opinion, Modern Warfare 2 was better. Not only because I'm basically playing MW1 with new maps, but because I simply loved MW1.
Bad Company 2 in my opinion was a little bit, uh. How do I say this? Big!
I mean, each map I played I had no clue where to go. I ended up following the sounds of gun fire in the distance, only to realize it is coming from behind me now. Huge game!
It's extremely hard when I spawn at the beginning of the game. It's like half my team goes left, and half goes right! Who should I follow? Left, or right? I end up simply going straight and get lost.
You know what? Forget what I just said! I Love Bad Company 2! I Can Make Things Go Boom!
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___________
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 7:52:59 AM
i preferred the sp and mp modes of the original bad company, EA tried to make it more like MW.
BFBC is still the best game EA has released this gen, by far!
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aaronisbla
Thursday, April 22, 2010 @ 3:27:20 AM
Honestly, the single player on BFBC2 is horrible, its the multiplayer that makes this one of my fav shooters in very long time
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Alienange
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 11:39:14 AM
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GoWIII demo? Was part of the game that sold a million copies.
Heavy Rain demo? Part of the game that sold a million.
Deadspace demo? Again, the entire do was IN THE FULL GAME.
What part of releasing a demo costs money? The chopping part or the PSN/Live fee part?
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fluffer nutter
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 12:45:47 PM
I do believe that if companies go the route of charging for demos, we may see an increase in game rental memberships. I'm sure that many would pay for demos if they are truly interested in the game and many more would gladly pay the fee if that fee could be used towards a future purpose. Think about that. Let's say you shell out 4.99 to play a 45 minute section, that is from a significant part of the finalized version of the game where you get to try out many moves and features that help to engross you in the experience that they are trying to create. You like it and decide you want to purchase it. They create an email feature where you are sent a voucher worth that 4.99 with a unique code and can take that with you to the store. If you have an iPhone or something similar, that email has the barcode that the retailer can scan when you purchase the product. If they came up with a model like that, who would really complain aside from the cheap ass ignorant people who really don't care unless they are placed on a throne and treated like royalty?
And if you didn't like the game? Well, they generate a questionaire at the end asking you for feedback regarding the experience. Maybe they'll give you some credit points for filling out the survey and over time you accumulate vouchers good for future purchases. If the companies can come up with incentives to keep the buyers interested, it could work out greatly. I know it is extra work but it would pay off immensely if the companies make the consumers feel like their opinions are wanted.
Last edited by fluffer nutter on 4/18/2010 12:48:51 PM
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Alienange
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 3:20:50 PM
I did not need a demo to tell me that I was going to buy Dragon Age, Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2, MGS4, FFXIII and many others.
Acting like demos are SO costly that they are not worth the developers time is nonsense. Fine. Don't make a demo. Spend that budget on TV ads. Do it! But how often did we see TV ads for Crysis?
Then look at the huge games that DO have TV ads. Are they going to complain about that next? "Oh look, we're showing you what's in the game before you've bought it. You owe us!" Of course not. That would be nonsense.
If devs and/or publishers are losing money making demos, then stop making them. Try your luck by releasing a game with no free way for a customer to try before he buys. But charging for a demo? Charging for an incomplete piece of software? Dream on.
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fluffer nutter
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 8:05:44 PM
And I didn't place any thought in my previous response or in any, for that matter. There's no need to think about things like that when they're already understood from the implications.
Last edited by fluffer nutter on 4/18/2010 8:08:05 PM
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MyWorstNightmar
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 11:16:06 AM
I would imagine (again, just a guess) the majority of the cost comes from fees from PSN and Live. The publishers should go argue with them about the costs, not come to us.
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Alienange
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 1:53:39 PM
What I said was that I don't agree with most of what you've written. Most of what you wrote was about how people would not object to paying for a demo if it lead to some kind of perk when buying the full retail game. That is what MOST of what your post was about.
My reply to that was that demos don't hold any value to the customer so they most certainly WOULD object. We live in a consumer world where retailers offer pre-order incentives. FREE, pre-order incentives. Why would I pay for a demo of a game that I may or may not like in order to get some kind of dlc or credit?
Anyway, since you admittedly don't give your comments any thought I'll leave it at that. You can carry on misunderstanding people now.
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johnld
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 3:52:47 PM
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Bjorn77
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 4:31:45 PM
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I think it's gonna save me some cash then. I will not buy any demo, I just rent the game or in doubt wait till it hits the budget box.
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leatherface
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 8:46:04 PM
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BikerSaint
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 9:38:54 PM
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Or has he?????
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Milonakis
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 9:49:49 PM
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Gordo
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 10:16:59 PM
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By charging for the demo, isn't that reducing the potential market for that game and the potential sales.
Ok, fine... The publishers own risk. If you are reducing the marketing costs then you will probably reduce your sales.
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Gabriel013
Monday, April 19, 2010 @ 1:57:50 AM
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The flip side would be for the games I am on the fence about. If I wasn't sure that I would want to buy the game, Why would I pay ANYTHING out if I wan't even sure I would like it. I'll just do without altogether. That's the safer bet.
The publishers and Devs who would gain the most would be those with the most hype but who produced a sub par game. I offer Haze as an example.
This game received typically bad reviews and so revenue generation was low. But how many gamers downloaded the demo?
They'll be thinking that if each demo had charged $3-$5 they could have been less concerned about poor game sales.
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krazzymoose
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 @ 1:47:55 AM
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"It gets a little tiring hearing so many people complain bitterly about very small fees for something that, if it were a similar service in any other industry, you would most certainly pay."
What other industry? you do not pay to watch a movie trailer! Some magazine companies let you view them for free online and amazon lets you have a peek at a book before buying for free. I do not see any validness to your statement or argument. What other industry would even do this. A demo is a way to entice someone to purchace your game. Who charges to entice? If I have to start paying for demo's then I will ultimately be buying less and less games, for I use demos as a way of determining a purchase. I have bought many of games that I was not initially interested in just because I enjoyed the demo. but I will not pay for a demo that is absurd. If a demo is $5 then you buy the game well you just shelled out $65 bucks+tax. No this will not help the industry. the old adage goes "you have to spend money to make money" so if a demo gets a sale from someone that might not of purchased your game, then that demo in essence IS Payed For without a FEE!
Last edited by krazzymoose on 4/20/2010 1:49:29 AM
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Richy
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 @ 2:33:02 AM
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on other sites i've already voiced out against this!
any form of advert should be delivered freely to potential customers.
i'm a big demo consumer. have had more than a 100 just before the FW3.21 update (had to delete before backup) ...i didn't finish all the demos, didn't have too for some games like Darksiders before i rush ordering the game.
well i did play full the GOW3 & Dante's Inferno demo, even if i was sure buying these games, the demo did make me feel the urge of doing so.
from the 10 games purchased off PSN, 8 were demo to full version upgrade & for disc based i went straight to order inFamous (like most i just played the demo for less than 15 minutes, stopped it & went ordering.)
so OK, if they think demo shouldn't be free, too bad for future sales.
quoting myself here: i'll pay for a demo ONLY if it doesn't form part of the final game & if it adds some optional value to the game itself, like a side story, the possibility to use same character with experiences & assets, some free or exclusive paid DLCs ...
else, a demo (for demonstration) isn't a full product & cannot be sold.
in my part of the world i'm seeked for gaming advice, i rarely recommend a game i never tried myself & i never give reviews, but appreciations of such games, i have a lot of friends who are followers, if i don't check out demos before i buy or advise them, then i'm sure that there would be at least more than 4 sales lost ... & i'm sure it's same for most of you too .. you do advise people on games so what will happen to the market. i even organise free PS3 showcases with demos / games trailers & full games tryouts!!!
i'm starting to be really mad with Crytek & said elsewhere too that i may not buy Crysis 2 on any platform unless i can test it out somehow & if i need to rent it, i'll never buy it!
sorry for long post.
cheers!
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Naztycuts
Reply
Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 11:08:16 AM
That's a lie! How can you get a better deal than free?
"The industry is still losing a lot of money to piracy as the market becomes more online-based."
He must be referring to the PC and 360 crowd, I've never heard of a pirated ps3 game.
"people instantly think this is only some money-hungry ploy."
I understand developers POV on this, it does cost them money to upload free demos, BUT the demo is supposed to increase sells by letting people know what to expect. This didnt work so well for Turok, or AvP but that's the respective game companies fault, they shouldnt try to make us pay more just to preview a game, now if they charge $5 for the demo and release the game $5 dollars cheaper they might actually go somewhere with this.