The evil of timed exclusives.

[Maxtro]

So the newest Skyrim DLC, Dragonborn, came out today but I can't buy it and play. Why? Because I'm a lowly PC gamer (and PS3) and don't have an Xbox 360.

Excuse me? Does Bethesda not want my money? Apparently not.

Without a doubt I will play Dragonborn. Will I pay $20 for it a month after it came out for the 360? No way in hell. If Bethesda wanted me to pay full price for it, they would have let me buy it when it was new.

Odds are I'd pick it up in a steam sale for $5 somewhere down the line.

Why do gaming companies insist on alienating their fans?

 

[hazabaza1]

They probably got a nice bonus from Microsoft for the exclusivity deal.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

They probably got a nice bonus from Microsoft for the exclusivity deal.

Well when you get blackmailed by one of your major platform's owners, you either you don't have much choice.

 

[Maxtro]

They probably got a nice bonus from Microsoft for the exclusivity deal.

Oh I'm sure that's exactly what happened, and that Beth wasn't even allowed to talk about the deal.

It's still very disrespectful to it's fans.

I guess they figured that the possible loss of sales because the exclusivity would be made up the dirty money from Microsoft.

 

[Roxas1359]

Really I've honestly given up on Bethesda with how they've been handling this. No company should be allowed to have timed exclusive DLCs. They should be ready to be released fairly on all the platforms the game is on. Then after that game companies begin to be kind to their customers and don't pull any dick moves. They listen to their fans and...what can't a person dream that something like that could happen? >.>

 

[Maxtro]

Really I've honestly given up on Bethesda with how they've been handling this. No company should be allowed to have timed exclusive DLCs. They should be ready to be released fairly on all the platforms the game is on. Then after that game companies begin to be kind to their customers and don't pull any dick moves. They listen to their fans and...what can't a person dream that something like that could happen? >.>

What really annoys me is that I know the PC version is ready. Hell they probably made it first on PC and then ported it to the 360. Now they are just sitting on it.

As for PS3, that's a whole different issue.

 

[Roxas1359]

Really I've honestly given up on Bethesda with how they've been handling this. No company should be allowed to have timed exclusive DLCs. They should be ready to be released fairly on all the platforms the game is on. Then after that game companies begin to be kind to their customers and don't pull any dick moves. They listen to their fans and...what can't a person dream that something like that could happen? >.>

What really annoys me is that I know the PC version is ready. Hell they probably made it first on PC and then ported it to the 360. Now they are just sitting on it.

As for PS3, that's a whole different issue.

I know that's what baffled me the most. Bethesda really shouldn't be alienating their PC users especially since they used to be mainly a PC gaming company. Now I have Skyrim for the Xbox because I knew this exact thing would happen. Do I still play mine? No actually because I was fed up with the millions of bugged quests and inventory that once I got all the achievements I just said no more. I also had gotten New Vegas originally for the PS3 and I remember this same exact thing happening then too. I mean New Vegas is my most played game of all time and I remember the agonizing waits that I had to endure just to get DLC that 360 users had. Not to mention the PS3 specific bugs that are there that Bethesda never bothered to fix. Despite what they say it honestly seems like Bethesda just hates the PS3.

 

[RaikuFA]

Is there any way to get back at Bethesda for any of this? It's getting quite sad really.

 

[The_Lost_King]

I am pretty sure that was only for 2 dlc and they have done 2 dlc. If that is the case we get the dlc at the same time the xbox people do.

 

[Cabisco]

As a Xbox user this doesn't really effect me, I used to care about 4 years ago when Xboxs got something ahead of PS3s or PCs because I was caught in that weid little platform/console war hysteria and wanted to know purchase was the best. Now I couldn't care less and it's a shame a company does such things to some of it's fans and not to others, all should be equal etc.

Though is it perhaps possible that they have targeted the xbox first before PC because of piracy? Let xboxs owners and those of them who are 'potential' pc pirates buy it first on console? I don't agree with this, I'm just throwing up some hypothetical reasons why they might.

 

[Maxtro]

Is there any way to get back at Bethesda for any of this? It's getting quite sad really.

The only way to "get back" at Bethesda is to not buy it when it becomes available for your platform.

There really needs to be some kind of protest because gaming companies need to learn that this is not acceptable. The absolute worst thing to do is to buy it for full price when it becomes available because that just tells the business that the fans are ok with it.

I am pretty sure that was only for 2 dlc and they have done 2 dlc. If that is the case we get the dlc at the same time the xbox people do.

As I said in the opening post, it came out for the Xbox today.

Yes I also heard about the two exclusive DLC but apparently that wasn't the case as Dragonborn isn't coming out for PC/PS3 until sometime next year.

As a Xbox user this doesn't really effect me, I used to care about 4 years ago when Xboxs got something ahead of PS3s or PCs because I was caught in that weid little platform/console war hysteria and wanted to know purchase was the best. Now I couldn't care less and it's a shame a company does such things to some of it's fans and not to others, all should be equal etc.

Though is it perhaps possible that they have targeted the xbox first before PC because of piracy? Let xboxs owners and those of them who are 'potential' pc pirates buy it first on console? I don't agree with this, I'm just throwing up some hypothetical reasons why they might.

IMO, delaying the DLC like this, making them wait when they want to give you their money, only encourages piracy.

In other words, sales of Dragonborn on PC would be higher if it were released today instead of next month.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Though is it perhaps possible that they have targeted the xbox first before PC because of piracy?

Nope... let's put it this way... if there's a platform MS can charge developers not only a licencing fee to develope games for but allows them to nickel and dime the devs for everything they want to do on it's closed garden network and a platform that MS can't do any of that, which one do you think they're going to heavy favour?

 

[ohnoitsabear]

The problem with timed exclusivity is that it really doesn't benefit consumers in any way. Xbox gamers don't benefit from making everybody else wait, and PC and PS3 gamers don't benefit from waiting. There's really no good reason for timed exclusivity to exist, and the fact that it does pisses me off immensely. Especially in the case of Skyrim, where Bethesda stated that there would only be two timed exclusives. Dick move guys, dick move.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

To be honest, I'm kind of indifferent towards the subject as a whole, seeing as I almost never buy DLC.
That being said, as a 360 owner, I'd much prefer it if Microsoft stopped buying timed exclusives and actually tried to secure a few new proper exclusives- Halo and Gears of War are only fun for so long...

 

[Zhukov]

I struggle to see why this is a big deal.

Some other people will get some DLC a month before you? The horror. Oh, the horror.

I don't think it's a good move on their part, but I also don't see why anyone would bother pitching a fit over it either.

 

[Andrewtheeviscerator]

I struggle to see why this is a big deal.

Some other people will get some DLC a month before you? The horror. Oh, the horror.

I don't think it's a good move on their part, but I also don't see why anyone would bother pitching a fit over it either.

You under estimate the gamer "community" my friend, if it's a thing then they will find a way to ***** about it. Just look what happened with the THQ humble bundle. Here's a publisher, basically giving away 6 big, well made, AAA games for 6 dollars, with much of the proceeds going to charity, and yet people still found away to complain about it. It can truly be mind boggling.

 

[Smeggs]

So the newest Skyrim DLC, Dragonborn, came out today but I can't buy it and play. Why? Because I'm a lowly PC gamer (and PS3) and don't have an Xbox 360.

Excuse me? Does Bethesda not want my money? Apparently not.

Without a doubt I will play Dragonborn. Will I pay $20 for it a month after it came out for the 360? No way in hell. If Bethesda wanted me to pay full price for it, they would have let me buy it when it was new.

Odds are I'd pick it up in a steam sale for $5 somewhere down the line.

Why do gaming companies insist on alienating their fans?

Wait, that came out for the 360 today?

OH BOY!

ANOTHER DLC I'LL TOTALLY BUY and then not play at all, just like the first two NV DLC's and Hearthfire/Dawnguard.

 

[Smooth Operator]

They are doing you a favor honestly, with all this hype around every new scrap of DLC no one holds to think for a moment if any of it is worth it, sofar all Skyrim DLC has been greatly overpriced.
Consider this a breather where you can collect your thoughts and buy things properly.

The problem with timed exclusivity is that it really doesn't benefit consumers in any way.

Well that isn't the goal at all, the goal is to benefit Microsoft, you see every time the less educated consumer will look at the console roster they will see Xbox gets more games and sooner, ergo they are far more inclined to stick with Xbox rather then any others.

 

[Phlakes]

If you were in their position (EDIT: experience included) you'd do the same.

Microsoft gets exclusivity for one month, and Bethesda/Zenimax get large sums of money, which (obviously) puts them in a better position financially and means bigger budgets for future products. That's not "evil". That's being good at their jobs.

 

[kevinsux909]

I suppose I can understand game companies getting extra money on a (timed) exclusive contract, but it's little consolation when I remember that I'm a PS3 gamer, about to pick up the first Mass Effect for the first time tomorrow.