skiblet

this is more of a marketing/business question, but the issue in question is the highly anticipated release of Half Life 2 (or lack thereof)

I have been closely following all the news events about this game, and I have pulled my hair out so many times in frustration that I dont even know if i care anymore. But i am still curious about onet thing-

I read a lot of news bits, and alot of people say that they will actually make MORE money if they release it during holidays (thanksgiving - xmas). Well why is that? EVERYONE who plays computer games is GOING TO BUY THIS THE MINUTE IT HITS THE STORE SHELVES. So if thats the case, and the game is allready done, then why wait 6 months?

I kind of wish that they would keep a complete and total media blackout UNTIL 2 weeks before the god>@mn thing is on the godd@mn store shelf.

Bandoman

I haven't heard anything about a release date. I'm not really into gaming that much, but I will go out of my way to get this one.

Venusian

the fanboys will buy it when it hits the shelves. grandmas will buy whatever is new for their grandsons during holiday time. the makers want to get both sales

Brain Stew

Sales for all luxury items (read non-essential to survival) are at their highest during the Christmas season. This is a fact of business.

skiblet

welll yes - but, if you millions invested in a big project, and wouldnt you want to start getting the return on your investment as soon as possible, even if that return will be spread out between now and the holiday rush?

Venusian

you have to figure out how much of a return you'll get now versus how much if you wait. then figure out the time value of the money and see which is worth more.


basically, at christmas time, parents will want the newest game for their kids. if half life 2 comes out now, it won't be the newest game

al_bundy

to get it on the shelves of the retailers, you have to bribe them. In retailing speak it's marketing costs for shelf space. If you put it out during the holidays then more people will buy it and your bribes will be less. If you release it now then you will pay out more in bribes and you will have to wait until the holidays for a lot of the revenue.

skiblet

i still dont see how that is a bigger factor than the unquestionable and immediate demand for this game. This is easily the most highly anticipated PC game release ever (except for maybe doom III, but id say its even higher than that)

I guess they have carefully calculated what is going to make them more money, irregardless of the timespan, even if it dosent make sense.

al_bundy

it's only anticipated by a small number of fans. The general market can wait until it is released. Gaming is becoming bigger than the movie business. That means that the companies have to pay attention to more than just the core "hard core gaming" crowd. This has been the case ever since myst and deer hunter were the top selling games for months on end.

outer-edge

You'd be surprised how big the casual crowd is. They wander in the store, recognize the name (Half-Life? I've heard of that) and purchase. By being a new release during the holiday season, as mentioned, they can get the extra shelf space, make their title more visible instead of it being mixed into the normal fare or paying for an endcap again. The fans are guaranteed no matter what, so they want the casual crowd.

Tracer Bullet

This is a bit off-topic, but does anyone know if the smaller PC game boxes have impacted sales at all? I'm thinking in terms of more games per store vs. lower recognition.

mikehunt

I love the small boxes. I usually keep the boxes so the smaller the better

ukywyldcat

I would hope that the online gaming community takes to this game, and also I hope it is as playable online as it is off.

I beat Half-Life about 6 years ago or so but have had so much more fun playing online against Aussies and Kiwis than playing the computer.