Bethesda: Don’t Step In The Horse Manure
Bethesda software released a mod for their most recent uber-RPG Oblivion that allows the player to download and equip armor for a horse. Cool, right? Mos def - With one exception: players who want the armor have to shell out either $1.99 (PC) or $2.50 (XBox 360) for the mod. I’m just crushed at the thought of this business model catching on and bleeding into the market. With games starting to get so incredible, I guess it was just a matter of time before some wonderboy wants to withhold just a little bit of cool factor and bleed me nickel by dime to get the “full” game. And there’s more on the way…
Pete Hines: “…I think once folks see the full list of things we’re doing and not just this first one, they’ll understand we’re trying to do more than last time.”
“Lots of people have done themes, so nobody flinches when we put out a theme for 150 points. They download it like crazy, but nobody else is doing premium content like this, so we’re out front on it.”
Thanks Pete. Really. I mean, it’s quite similar - a theme, really, is almost exactly like FREAKING HORSE ARMOR WHICH WILL LET MY CHARACTER LIVE A LITTLE LONGER IN YOUR GAME.
It’s just so…so…lame! Isn’t there a way to at least incorporate this into the game somehow? Hey, here’s a crazy idea…let me DEFEAT SOME EVIL GRUE to win the armor? Whoah! Crazy talk! I know!!! Lead me away, I’m just nutty.
This is ridiculous. I bought the freaking COLLECTORS EDITION, folks. What a cheap-ass low blow. Hey, Bethesda - suck it!!! Looks like my horse will be suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. At least until somebody hacks it and releases it for free! Bitches. 
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Imagine this…
Snowbrain releases it’s latest FPS, SBII: Slushbrain. Slushbrain is an instant success and within one week, thousands of fans (after exhausting the game) cry out for more.
They check out the numbers on developer/designer/producer overhead in-house as well as the market data for expansion packs on FPS’s over the last N years. It looks good, but not great. First and foremost, although everyone agrees that $49-$59 is fair payment for a game, the accepted pricing average for an expansion floats anywhere from $9-$29. For $9, Snowbrain is happy that they’re building a stronger community of players but is essentially losing money. And for $29, over half of the community is up in arms because they feel that the game should have been “complete” (when in fact it was) back when they dropped $49-$59 on it! Now they’re required to pay another 30 bucks for a grand total of 90 freaking dollars to have full access?!? Snowbrain gots no brain!
Marketing up-and-comer, Paul Vott comes up with a plan. “Let’s mirror the ubiquitous mp3 pricing model! Most kids don’t want or can’t afford a full album so they buy only their favorite song!” Paul barks, “It works in that sector and it’ll work here!”
Sadly, what Paul forgot was that consumers have a tough time justifying a price for virtual horse armor. He should have finished the expansion pack, listed the games entities, applied a point value to each and sold them in the following two ways:
1) Buy the whole pack for $x and save!
2) Pay a bit more for separate entities and roll your own.
This _is_ slightly ahead of it’s time in this sector but _is not_ new to us at all. I think they just pulled the trigger a little too quick. Now they have a bit more ground to make up on their herd of disgruntled gamers.
One more thing…
As far as console gaming and development. You gotta love this model. How else are you going to sell and distribute upgrades with virtually no overhead?
Vott out.
You long winded bastards!!
Simplied rip style.. “Concept understood, but paying for character enhancements… Bullshit!! I can just see these ending up on Ebay for 1/2 price”
Fair enough, rip.
That comment should be enough for the next 6 months.
See you in September, guys!
Don’t make me get Lorum Ipsum on your asses…
I’m back!
And I believe you mean, “Lorem Ipsum”, Mr. Stupe.
placet!
Whoa!