[B]The Question:[/B]
Are your local PC game stores flooded by preorder boxes too?
[B]The Cause:[/B]
Today I was going into our local SATURN market. It's a tech specialised chain, I think the US pendant is BestBuy. I was there to get me some horribly overpriced button-batteries and as always I was going one floor higher first to check the video games as well as the people who buy them along with me: nerds and teenagers, flimsy or fat but nothing inbetween(flimsy here), grannies buying the new Bus simulator for their beloved grandson, mothers yelling at the clerk.
If your vendor has games you know the drill.
As I moved up the automatic stairs I saw Battlefield 3. A huge, paper-made stand full of Battlefield 3 Boxes. Xbox360, PC, special edition, normal edition, everything there. Rows upon rows. A little bit too quick I made my way over there and as you can imagine I was wondering how I could have been as stupid as to miss the release date of that game.
Happily grabbing one of the boxes my mouth turned from a gaily V to an upside down U.
Preorder Boxes. Shelves upon shelves of preorder boxes. For almost every game. I felt punked by a major, faceless cooperation.
Now this is nothing new. I've always seen them. But not in these amounts.
And normally I wouldn't feel bad about them. The idea is to grab the box, pay it at the register and get the game when it's out. Like Amazon with cash if you will. But not in these amounts.
And it didn't stop with BF3. In the "new releases" shelves there were many more for all kinds of different games.
I could cope with that but here is the thing: they were barely distinguishable from the normal boxes. It's like someone deliberately plotted a marketing ploy to get the most dissapointment and confusion out of grannies, mothers, kids and the ones they buy it for.
[B]The intention:[/B]
I want to know if that is common nowadays. Make a "preorder box release" that looks like a real release, is that what you see too? Or was it just my local shop that did this. Or just Germany. Or wherever. I want to know what is going on. And maybe you had fun reading.
Every game shop I know does this. It's to encourage purchases, and advertise the game. People normally won't pre-order unless it is in their face. More casual/ bro-gamer types probably didn't even realise most games can be pre-ordered.
It's very common.
Why every german gamer I met have "Kill" in their name
Pre-Order has flooded GAME (EU game store) since forever (well, them and WoW boxes), it's nothing really new.
I personally stopped buying Retail since a year or so after steam first started, and honestly, I don't plan on starting again.
[QUOTE=Jack Trades;32058642]Pre-Order has flooded GAME (EU game store) since forever (well, them and WoW boxes), it's nothing really new.
I personally stopped buying Retail since a year or so after steam first started, and honestly, I don't plan on starting again.[/QUOTE]
I didn't stop buying retail, and now all my good games are regional blocked because I have moved :suicide:
Yeah it's just advertising like putting posters in the window.
I hate though when I look at the back hoping to see screenshots and information and then there's nothing on the back because it's just a display box.
I hear at some stores the Gears of War 3 pre-order boxes even have LED clock timers on them, counting down to the game's release.
I can agree with how they will have about 20 boxes for each product just taking up space is over the top, but they can't just hang it from the ceiling because no one will notice it. They'll just think it's the store advertising themselves rather than a "coming soon" title.
I find it wastes space when they have all these games take up so much room when they aren't even out yet. I think it'd be best if they just had one shelf right at the entrance and in your face with one box for each game and if its a multiplatform title then it should say so on the box rather than one box for each console. This would save space, reduce wasting cardboard, and it'd still be in your face. And since it'd all be in one self you'd know exactly where to look to see whats coming up.
What the fuck else are they supposed to put up? Or do you expect them to leave shelves empty and make it look like the place has been looted?
The worst nit picking i've seen yet on facepunch, cancelling all my pre-orders as they all have "PRE ORDER" boxes on shelves so you can [b][i]PRE ORDER[/i][/b] games.
[QUOTE=markg06;32060255]Or do you expect them to leave shelves empty and make it look like the place has been looted?[/QUOTE]
Yes.
They should be guilting people into preordering. Make them feel like their money can help the store recover from being robbed.
[QUOTE=markg06;32060255]What the fuck else are they supposed to put up? Or do you expect them to leave shelves empty and make it look like the place has been looted?[/QUOTE]
no. but iam also expecting them not to fill shelves with boxes where just a few weeks ago I could see all sorts of games.
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there usually a huge "OUT 28TH OCTOBER" sign?
I lost you when you mentioned some mythical place called a "PC game store".
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