Collector's Editions getting out of hand! (An open request to video game publishers)

[AJLareneg]

Originally Posted by Ceohai

What bothers me more than the big box CEs is that it seems like more and more CEs are getting different releases depending on the region. Getting something shipped over to North America is extremely costly, especially for larger CEs. And don't get me started on Steelbooks.

yea, this. it is probably better from people overseas to import from us at how low our dollar value is, and that our shipping is way cheaper.

really not fair. :'c

[foreverflash]

Good article Gemini and good conversation...

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I would like to openly state that I believe that out of all the companies in the industry, the three which stand out as understanding their fan base and collectors the most are Capcom, Square-Enix, and Bethesda. All three provide fantastic fan service to their loyal fans, and give us exactly what they know we want, unlike companies like EA who still just don't get it...


Whilst I understand that it's a very profitable business model to release several different editions of your product, I do feel as if some companies are devaluing the meaning of the words "Limited Edition" and "Collector's Edition". Obviously some CE's are high quality and stand out from the crowd (Fallout 3 "lunchbox", Bioshock 2 CE, Uncharted 3 Explorer Edition etc), but others just feel cheap and give the impression that they were rush-released in order to milk as much cash from the consumers as possible (Ie, nearly every LE or CE released by EA in 2010 / 2011)

[vhal_x]

I really hope that next year we see some truly awesome CEs... Hopefully no shite ones xx

[Biggav4000]

Originally Posted by vhal_x

I really hope that next year we see some truly awesome CEs... Hopefully no shite ones xx

Me too,however some shite ones are inevitable

[scourdx]

I believe developer did it big in an attempt to justify the $150 to 200 price tag. They know how consumer is thinking. Bigger it is the bigger the price tag. Developer is forgetting that retailer don't have the shelf space to store all this. If they don't sell it quickly, they are losing profit.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by scourdx

I believe developer did it big in an attempt to justify the $150 to 200 price tag. They know how consumer is thinking. Bigger it is the bigger the price tag. Developer is forgetting that retailer don't have the shelf space to store all this. If they don't sell it quickly, they are losing profit.

I agree. We have seen far too many big CE's crash in price shortly after release as retailers just don't have the room to store them. For example, the space that one Crysis 2 Nano Edition takes up could be used to store between 100-200 standard releases! Just storing 50 Nano Editions would be a huge drain on warehouse storage space. If you consider the value per metre, it's actually more profitable for retailers to sell 100 standard releases than it would be to sell just one Nano Edition. The same also applies for the biggest Guitar Hero / Rock Band bundles. Not only that, but they're more expensive to ship as well!

It's nice to believe that these factors would mean lower print runs, but that's not always the case. Also, if a huge CE doesn't sell on pre-orders, then chances are nobody else is going to be willing to pay the asking price two or three weeks after the game has had its 15 minutes in the limelight (READ: Before the next flavour-of-the-week game is released). When interest wanes, then that's when the retailers drop their prices to get rid of them before they get caught holding the hot potato


Personally, I think the smaller CE's are ample. Both Gears Of War 1 & 2 and Mass Effect 1 & 2 have proven that small perfectly formed CE's are more desireable than the huge ones which most collectors find difficult to store and display. Anything which can be stored in-line with standard games is ideal.

CE's don't need to come with some crappy figure or statue to be desired by the fans - All they want is something extra which has had a lot of effort put into it solely for them. I would say the likes of Alan Wake and Fable 3 are probably the largest I would say is wanted by fans, and you can fit a hell of a lot of nice things in a package that size if they used their imagination!

[AmericanBash]

Speaking from experience in working at a GameStop where we have literally no back room. When we get large CE's like the ones for Halo: Reach and Gears of War 3, we struggle to sell the ones that don't sell and they take up valuable space in the stores. Personally I totally agree that smaller CE's are easier to deal with and typically provide a good amount of content for what you pay i.e Mass Effect and Dragon age CE's. Even though I work at a video game store I do have other things besides video games that require money as well. It really has been a struggle for the past 2 months dealing with all the CE's I felt the need to purchase. I look forward to my quiet time in Decemeber, which I cannot believe I am saying that.

[Dreamcazman]

The thing that really annoys me with the larger CE's is because of the bigger the box, the greater the chance of it getting damaged. Like most of you, I like to have everything as pristine as possible and it pisses me off if there is a small dent or bend somewhere in on the box (usually on the corners).

I get most of my games posted to me as it's more convenient (and usually cheaper) and most times everything is perfect on the smaller CE's. The larger ones I've received lately (GoW EE, Sonic CE and MW3 HE) have had marks on the boxes due to getting knocked, mostly because of their size. As these were relatively rare and have been totally sold out, getting a replacement is out of the question.

It is annoying but at least the contents inside is perfect which is the main thing.

[kennyrh]

Well said Gemini, I'm with you on all points. To be honest it's all getting a bit too much hassle and I've been seriously thinking about packing it in. Which leads me to another point about CEs which is the dreadful way that online-only preorders are being handled.

It appears to me that all the major outlets are employing absolute arseholes and, judging by some of the comments I've seen here of late, it's causing measurable stress to some collectors. The fuck-ups seem to get more frequent and more irritating by the day.

It wouldn't be so bad if the so-called customer service in this country wasn't so bloody laughable and, frankly, appalling. Then again, that's just symptomatic of the general attitude that seems to pervade every facet of the gaming industry at the moment.

I'm beginning to dread next year already . . .