I'm done pre-ordering TT games...

[Armand1880]

I know this might sound bad, I love these games. I have pre-ordered every Sam and Max series, as well as Monkey Island. It seems that with a little patience, every game Telltale sells eventually goes on sale for a ridiculously good price. Sam and Max seasons for $10?! Seriously, I have only played 2 episodes so far in Devil's Playhouse. I should have waited. I know Monkey Island has been on sale for great prices, and if I buy them on sale from this site I can still pay to get the DVD. For Monkey Island though - to get the whole series for $5 last week on Steam, I would have forgone the DVD. I think a little patience will pay off - I want Back to the Future, but in all honesty, I probably won't play it close to release, and if I wait I can get a sweet deal. I know that Telltale probably uses those pre-orders to work from, and they help the company - but after seeing the ridiculous deals pop up, I'm going to be waiting from now on.

Although...if they do another Monkey Island series I might change my mind...

[Icedhope]

I know this might sound bad, I love these games. I have pre-ordered every Sam and Max series, as well as Monkey Island. It seems that with a little patience, every game Telltale sells eventually goes on sale for a ridiculously good price. Sam and Max seasons for $10?! Seriously, I have only played 2 episodes so far in Devil's Playhouse. I should have waited. I know Monkey Island has been on sale for great prices, and if I buy them on sale from this site I can still pay to get the DVD. For Monkey Island though - to get the whole series for $5 last week on Steam, I would have forgone the DVD. I think a little patience will pay off - I want Back to the Future, but in all honesty, I probably won't play it close to release, and if I wait I can get a sweet deal. I know that Telltale probably uses those pre-orders to work from, and they help the company - but after seeing the ridiculous deals pop up, I'm going to be waiting from now on.

Although...if they do another Monkey Island series I might change my mind...

Well also when you pre-order you get to have access to the amazing pre order forums, you did when you pre-ordered TDP and ToMI, I think those and the limited edition Cover-art. I think it's well worth it, well to me anyways.

[BlankCanvasDJ]

To be honest, I've felt the same thing before when I see the incredible sales TT puts up constantly (and often without warning). And I can't count the number of free episodes I've had to pass off to other people because I've already ordered or pre-ordered everything Telltale's done.

Of course, it's common sense that the price of things will go down over time but it happens so often and so quickly with Telltale games that it makes some of the most loyal customers - those that order a game first thing - feel kinda like suckers six months later. Especially when the only preorder bonus is an early forum or a special dvd slipcase that everyone else ends up being able to get from the store anyway.

Not that I really have any ideas. Maybe more sales on merchandise other than games? Or better yet, how about giving people credit for a future game when they pre-order, rather than a free episode of a game they likely already have? Or some piece of merchandise that's genuinely exclusive so we won't feel like suckers for pre-ordering when the price drops a few months later.

[Benito]

I buy them at full price despite the insane sales because I want Telltale to continue making games. Simple as that.

[JedExodus]

It all depends on how much I want something, if I can't bare waiting to play, say the season of Sam & Max i'll pre-order and take my goodies. If I wanna wait and see like say the Jurassic park game which is yet to win my heart (which is fine for now, there's no actual content) then maybe i'll wait and see what others are saying and wait for a sale and get fantastic value. Nobody's forcing my hand

The power is YOURS!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yz_gRNr1p94/SGFBR4Z6IFI/AAAAAAAAGgY/1lyAsgTZpFk/s400/captainplanet6.jpg

[mgrant]

ogod, thanks dude, now I've got the end theme in my head, it's never going to leave...

I haven't ever pre-ordered Telltale games but I think that comes from the crippling lack of money that every grad student has to deal with. I definitely would if I did have the cash for the simple reason that by doing so, I'm helping to ensure they keep turning out good games in the future. Really, any purchase does that though, so it ultimately becomes 'how much do you want to spend on TTG?'.

[Ignatius]

You can't blame the company for you own consumerist impulses.

I think preorder is for people who want to play the game right at the first minute the game is out. If you bought it that way and then play the game a year a later....well i don't know why you preorder in the first place.

[Elvenmonk]

I'm fine with pre-ordering. Getting into the forums is cool, plus when they throw random bonuses at the people for pre-ordering that's what I like. TF2 items? Hell yeah. Special Box art? Hell Yeah.

[doodo!]

Honestly the added bonus woes me little.

[Falanca]

I kind of wish there were more bonuses with the preorders of The Devil's Playhouse...

[Steve2000]

The only reason they can afford to sell the games now for so cheap, is because people pre-ordered.

I paid $19.99 for Out from Boneville, and $12.99 for The Great Cow Race. (You can buy them both as a bundle for $14.95 now). I have to say I am pretty proud to have contributed to Telltale's current status. When those games came out, no one knew if Telltale was going to survive the first year. Now they are a pretty huge company (relatively) and those of us who bought those games at the beginning are a big part of that (I would like to think).

So if you feel like $25, or $35 is a fair price for a 5 game series, and you can afford it, you should pre-order them to keep Telltale the great company it is. If you can't afford it, by all means wait for the deals. But, make sure you thank those of us doing the pre-ordering! :D

[VeronicanPlay]

I am not going to pre-order BttF, I will wait until the games are released and buy them then 1 month at a time. The added bonus of Puzzle Agent for pre-ordering is not really pulling me, because I am not at all interested in Puzzle Agent.

[Molokov]

I don't mind preordering - these games give me lots of enjoyment, they're pretty goddamn cheap, and preordering allows me to get all games as they are released and play them straight away :) That's worth missing out on sales six or more months later, and free episodes and I tend to give away all my free episodes (such as the Puzzle Agent with BTTF) to friends anyway.

[FitzoliverJ]

If somebody is able to wait, good luck to them. As for me... I want it now! NOW! Dammit, this minute!

[Bloody Eugene]

What you lose: the month-by-month release.
And that's a HUGE difference - the pacing is really different.

[DarthBo]

You say "full price" as if it's a huge number... it's only $25!
Where do you find NEW games for $25?!

Don't be so cheap man

[Rather Dashing]

You say "full price" as if it's a huge number... it's only $25!
Where do you find NEW games for $25?!

Don't be so cheap man
Super Meat Boy came out not too long ago for $10. New indie games are often less than $30, regardless of quality.

[SHODANFreeman]

I was actually a little bit sad that BttF was only $25. I would've paid $35 or more for it. :o

[Alan Johnson]

I am not going to pre-order BttF, I will wait until the games are released and buy them then 1 month at a time. The added bonus of Puzzle Agent for pre-ordering is not really pulling me, because I am not at all interested in Puzzle Agent.

Back to the Future is not going to be available '1 month at a time' for purchase. It's going to be much like The Devil's Playhouse was.

[GinnyN]

Back to the Future is not going to be available '1 month at a time' for purchase. It's going to be much like The Devil's Playhouse was.

So... the first chapter is going to be Available so I can taste it and see if I upgrade?

[Alan Johnson]

So... the first chapter is going to be Available so I can taste it and see if I upgrade?

No, Back to the Future is only available as a season purchase, and it's only $24.95 so it's already a great price and a dollar of every pre-order goes to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

The 121GIGAWATTS Free Episode can act as your 'taste' of the game but it's not upgradable.

[GinnyN]

No, Back to the Future is only available as a season purchase, and it's only $24.95 so it's already a great price and a dollar of every pre-order goes to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

The 121GIGAWATTS Free Episode can act as your 'taste' of the game but it's not upgradable.

Hehhhh. Thanks for the tip.

It's not like I'm saying is expensive, it's just I'm not really a Back to the Future Fan and I wanna know first if I'll like it if I can. Plus, I said to myself I'm not going to buy anything from Telltale until my last order arrives. And it's still backordered ^^U

[Alan Johnson]

Hehhhh. Thanks for the tip.

It's not like I'm saying is expensive, it's just I'm not really a Back to the Future Fan and I wanna know first if I'll like it if I can. Plus, I said to myself I'm not going to buy anything from Telltale until my last order arrives. And it's still backordered ^^U

Which item did you order?

[GinnyN]

Which item did you order?

The Devil's Playhouse DVD

[Alan Johnson]

The Devil's Playhouse DVD

That's pretty close to being ready to rock. :)

[guitarsareboring]

I can appreciate what you're saying. When I see these ridiculously low prices and think about how much I paid (Tales for £3... I'm looking at you) I feel a bit sick. But it's Telltale's low starting prices, commitment to their fanbase, excellent customer service and general nice-guy-ness that keep me coming back and preordering.

[Cantatus]

You could pretty much make this argument about any game. Eventually, games drop in price, and PC games tend to drop much faster than others. It's pretty much of a trade-off. Do you pay full price and get the game now or do you wait several months to get the game cheaper?

Personally, in most cases, I tend to go for the latter. I figure I can wait a few months to save some money. With Telltale, however, I enjoy everything they do and respect them as a company, so I don't mind giving them more of my cash. There's also the fact that their games tend to be cheaper than most other games at retail, so it's like saving some money anyways.

But, I will admit I was a little let down with The Devil's Playhouse pre-order bonus. "Special offers" for preordering turned into one 20% off coupon (not that that is shabby), so I'll probably be a little hesitant in the future letting something like that encourage me to preorder.

[Rather Dashing]

One 20% off coupon that was WORSE THAN A DEAL THAT THEY HAD GOING AT THE TIME.

[GinnyN]

One 20% off coupon that was WORSE THAN A DEAL THAT THEY HAD GOING AT THE TIME.

One you could mix with!

[VeronicanPlay]

Back to the Future is not going to be available '1 month at a time' for purchase. It's going to be much like The Devil's Playhouse was.

I am not going to pre-order BttF, I will wait until the Episodes are released and buy 1 Episode 1 month at a time.

*Fixed my text* :)

[Bubblechan]

I would pre-order now if TTG were releasing TMI season 2 next year.

[Armand1880]

Back to the Future is not going to be available '1 month at a time' for purchase. It's going to be much like The Devil's Playhouse was.

These last two releasees, Devil's Playhouse and Back to the Future, are like this. Is this how Telltale is going to be doing their games from now on?

I guess with the first episode being made so readily available for free, the price is dropping a bit to $25 to make the full season seem better to bite. But like I said, I can wait - I'll keep an eye out for sales a few months after the last episode is out.

[Friar]

To be honest, most games halve in price after a month or so on sale. And then stay on sale at the price, or decrease more.

Because TTG specialises in Digital downloads, they don't have any stock to clear, so they can get away with setting the price as low as they want: they didn't buy anything, so as long as they break even on the money they spent on developing, pretty much every sale, no matter the price is profit.

So they can cope with these sales which bring in new customers. If you don't like it, then wait. It's what everyone does with Hard copies of games, if they don't want to pay launch prices.

Whilst it would be nice to have some more pre-order incentives, The fact of getting the game the instant it comes out is enough for most people.

[taumel]

Hmm looking at how TTG has progressed, it seems to work quite well.

If you preorder, you get a little incentive and can play the games as soon as they are available. From a business point of view, giving away too much wouldn't make sense, as you somehow buy it anyway, and afterwards they try to get those on board to whom the games for some reason or another weren't worth the full price and as there are no costs involved a reduced sale is better than none.

Comparing it to tools the preorder discount could be a little bit more attractive but then again it would collide with what i wrote above. I think a major reason of the bonus game is that you give it away and introduce new players to TTG.

Regarding the pricing for BTTF i think it's okay, dunno if you have to add taxes to the price as well. The licence for adventure gamers isn't as strong as Monkey Island or Sam&Max and therefore they offer some compensation. Secondly there are also some strong titles beeing released. We'll see if the game will be worth it. Anyway, for some the problem remains, that it's just BTTF, which might be a plus for other people as well.

[Vainamoinen]

If you preorder, you get a little incentive and can play the games as soon as they are available. From a business point of view, giving away too much wouldn't make sense, as you somehow buy it anyway, and afterwards they try to get those on board to whom the games for some reason or another weren't worth the full price and as there are no costs involved a reduced sale is better than none.

Wise words! For some forum members, however, the price tag is just dropping too fast. In times of the internet, that might be justified, but still it sometimes feels wayyyy too fast.

[Tromeritus]

But by being one of the first people to play the installment, you get to enjoy it sooner and provide valuable feedback for the next episodes to the devs. I don't see how that makes you a sucker. The games are already cheap as it is.

[doodo!]

You can't be! You won't get your free puzzle agent!!

[Impossible3144]

I find it funny how Telltale's awesome tendency to do great sales and discounts on their games is now backfiring. What's there to complain about? Would they rather everything stayed at full price forever? As far as I can see, this is win-win - Telltale sells more games, and more people get to play them.

I don't mind pre-ordering, because while I know it's going to cost less later, the pre-order deals usually justify it. I'm happy with my free Puzzle Agent, and I've gotten free Wallace & Gromit episodes off past pre-orders. It's not like you're being ripped off anyway, and it's the full price purchases that allow Telltale to keep making these games.

Aside from that, what I think people aren't understanding here is the economic concept of a durable good. You buy it early KNOWING that it will be cheaper later, or buy it later at a lower price, but losing the benefit you would have gained from playing the game as soon as it came out. They aren't forcing you to take one option or the other, but they easily give enough incentives for a full price purchase. Plus, BttF is $10 cheaper than their usual games, which is pretty awesome as well.

[SHODANFreeman]

Words

You are my favorite lurker.

[Elvenmonk]

You are my favorite lurker.

You have many favorites these days.

[taumel]

Wise words! For some forum members, however, the price tag is just dropping too fast. In times of the internet, that might be justified, but still it sometimes feels wayyyy too fast.
They also have to compete against other games, price campaigns (devs, platforms, shops), customer habits and digital distribution for sure is a different thing.

[Origami]

I should have waited.

You didn't. And that is the answer to your dilemma. What it all boils down to is how long are you willing to wait to play the games?
Fans want to play the games as soon as possible thus the price is justified.
If you can wait, then by all means do.

Myself for example pre-ordered BttF. I don't care if it gets discounted right after the season is done. I am a fan and want check them out as soon as possible. Also I feel good having paid the full 25 dollars. TellTale needs to finance the company somehow and the bottom line is the 5 episodes are probably worth the money.

[Nintomster]

I have only used the sales to buy the seasons a second time. Except Puzzle Agent. I used a dollar off coupan (don't ask me why) though. Anyway, as Origami (and a few others) have said, if you can wait, then wait. I think if you can afford, pay full price, support them (more games possibly, for example) and just enjoy them as they come out. One of the things I like about pre-ordering is the wait between episodes which is fun, waiting, maybe slowly going insane thinking what is going to happen next. Oh, and discussing it with the many nice members here. For me, that makes the 5 months or so even better... :)

[Origami]

^
Can I ask why you buy the seasons a second time?

[Elvenmonk]

Support the devs. I own each Sam and Max 2 times over. Season 1 being on Wii.

[Origami]

^
Owh....I forgot about the whole multiple platform releases.

[Elvenmonk]

Well, I own Season 1 on PC and Wii, season 2 on PC through telltale twice, and Season 3 through STEAM and TellTale.

[Origami]

How can you own a game twice for pc?
With different accounts?

Or can you purchase a game multiple times?
And you do this because you see it as a means to donate money to the company?

Like, when you can buy a season you already own for 10 dollars, you do it because you want to donate an amount of 10 dollars, right?

[Elvenmonk]

Same account, and yeah basically.

[Avistew]

I've felt that way for a bit, too. Namely when the Devil's playhouse was two months in (second episode had just come out, I hadn't played it yet if I recall) and you could buy puzzle agent + The Devil's playhouse for cheaper than the people who preordered.
Then later there was a deal with a three seasons for cheaper than the people who preordered (still before the season was over).
Then another deal right after the end of the season.

And as far as I'm concerned, pre-order bonuses-wise, I might have well have got nothing. I mean the forum was okay I guess, but nothing too special.

At this point, I think I'll just get the games a year behind, when they're cheaper. Doesn't have to be ridiculous deals like "all of our games for five bucks" but it probably would be a bit cheaper, and I could get the whole game at once.
Also, I still haven't played... let's see, haven't played W&G apart from 1 episode, haven't played either of the Bone episodes, haven't played S&M 305, haven't finished puwwle agent... That's among the ones I own of course. I think I won't buy anything else until I'm done with what I already have.

I don't think there is much point in complaining, though. I mean, what are they going to do, stop having sales? I do wonder why they'd have sales so early though, you usually preorder thinking you'll get a better deal, but so far, people who preordered the Devil's Playhouse are pretty much the people who payed the most for it.

[SHODANFreeman]

I must be the only one who was sad at paying $26 for W&G and $25 for BttF pre-orders then. I like paying full price for games made by studios I love. If I don't care about a game that much, that's when I'll wait and hunt out a great deal on it, otherwise I feel like I'm ripping off the studio that made it.

I still feel bad that I was too young and poor at the time to have bought Looking Glass Studios' games before they went out of business. :(

[Alan Johnson]

This is me speaking only as a video game fan and not on the direct subject of Telltale pre-orders. This is all my personal opinion and in no way indicative of TTG's stance on anything.

I pre-order games I'm looking forward to so that I can play them when they release and stay on the bleeding edge of games. The games I pre-order are the games I am going to buy anyway, reviews be damned. If I'm not sure about a game or it's something I want to play but can live with hearing spoilers, not getting the pre-order bonus item, potentially playing the game when the multiplayer population is nowhere near as robust as when the game released, or another pre-order perk then I just hold off until the game goes down in price - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II for example. I'm guessing that game will have some deep discounts come the holiday shopping season so I'll hold off for that.

I've always thought of getting things on launch day at full price as the price of being an early adopter. The first generation iPhone for example was $600 on launch day, only to drastically go down in price 2 months later. I personally didn't feel slighted by that (many did) but enjoyed receiving that 100 dollar Apple Store coupon nonetheless.

Needless to say, I'd have a lot more money in the bank if I waited for everything to go on sale and didn't feel the need to have everything on day 1. :)

[Avistew]

I guess I saw preordering the games as a way to support the company, and that giving a better deal so soon was a bit like telling the people who preordered "you tried to support us? Well screw you! Here is a better deal before you even got to enjoy what you paid for!"

I think my decision not to preorder the games anymore has more to do with not feeling like supporting the company anymore due to the direction it's taking than purely monetary matters. For that reason I don't mind the fact that I haven't played much of Puzzle Agent and it's being given with BttF and was part of The Great Adventure Bundle, which could be considered better deals. But I wanted to support the pilot program and still want to, so I'm glad I bought Puzzle Agent even if I never play it in the end.

[Icedhope]

This is me speaking only as a video game fan and not on the direct subject of Telltale pre-orders. This is all my personal opinion and in no way indicative of TTG's stance on anything.

I pre-order games I'm looking forward to so that I can play them when they release and stay on the bleeding edge of games. The games I pre-order are the games I am going to buy anyway, reviews be damned. If I'm not sure about a game or it's something I want to play but can live with hearing spoilers, not getting the pre-order bonus item, potentially playing the game when the multiplayer population is nowhere near as robust as when the game released, or another pre-order perk then I just hold off until the game goes down in price - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II for example. I'm guessing that game will have some deep discounts come the holiday shopping season so I'll hold off for that.

I've always thought of getting things on launch day at full price as the price of being an early adopter. The first generation iPhone for example was $600 on launch day, only to drastically go down in price 2 months later. I personally didn't feel slighted by that (many did) but enjoyed receiving that 100 dollar Apple Store coupon nonetheless.

Needless to say, I'd have a lot more money in the bank if I waited for everything to go on sale and didn't feel the need to have everything on day 1. :)

You speak the truth, and I am also speaking for myself and not the company I work for.

I feel pre ordering is way to secure my copy and that I can play it before my friends have to save up for it. Price changes happen, it's how the economy works, if something is selling well sometimes they drop the price so more people have the opportunity to buy it and enjoy it.

[VeronicanPlay]

I am not going to pre-order BttF, I will wait until the games are released and buy them then 1 month at a time. The added bonus of Puzzle Agent for pre-ordering is not really pulling me, because I am not at all interested in Puzzle Agent.

Scratch all that, this changed my mind.

Get free full season Collector’s DVD. Available for order after series finale (you pay only for shipping and handling).

I should have remembered that they did this when you either pre-order or buy special edition. :)

[Rather Dashing]

The Season DVD isn't a pre-order only or Special Edition-only perk. You can get the disc when you buy the games at any time. Those who bought Tales of Monkey Island for $5 during the Pirate sale could get the DVD, or the full season discount to the Delxue edition.

[VeronicanPlay]

You know, I had that feeling. But I wasn't 100% sure, I should have gone with the feeling in my gut and not posted. Would not have made me look like an idiot. :p

But heck, the money for the MJ Fox foundation is a good cause, and maybe Puzzle Agent will grow on me just like Sam & Max did. And I am in the lack of some good Puzzle games at the moment. :)

[Rather Dashing]

Puzzle Agent is the best thing Telltale's made since Season Two of Sam and Max, easily.

[VeronicanPlay]

Well in that case... *Runs off to Pre-Order Back to the Future*.

[valkysas]

same first game i bought from them and will be the last if they cant even get there games working with the rec specs and test them im never gonna buy a nother game from them again i dislike being forced to be a beta tester for them

[SHODANFreeman]

I guess I saw preordering the games as a way to support the company, and that giving a better deal so soon was a bit like telling the people who preordered "you tried to support us? Well screw you! Here is a better deal before you even got to enjoy what you paid for!"

This doesn't even make sense. You are preordering to support the company, and then you are upset when it goes on sale later? If supporting the company was part of the reason you preordered the game, why does that later become negated when you decide you'd rather have paid less money for the game?

Telltale is still around because of people paying full price for their games. If everyone waited until they blew them out for $5-$10 a season, they would not even break even on their games. Not to mention that usually a sale on a game is indicative of a need for a spike in cashflow, and not something they're doing specifically to laugh in your face for having pre-ordered.

[Avistew]

Yeah, I only felt bad when there were sales for products I regretted preordering. Made me regret preordering more. As I said, even though I haven't played much of Puzzle Agent, I don't regret paying for it even though I could have had it for free a few times since then.

I guess I only got annoyed when I regretted supporting the company. When I disliked the products. But then I have to be fair, if I could go back I wouldn't buy said products when they go on sale, I just wouldn't buy them at all.

Anyway, it seems to me that it's a bad marketing plan to put things on sale right after they're released. Obviously people are more likely to wait for it to go on sale, and that means you get less money. That's far from the only reason I haven't bought BttF, and I might not buy it at all but it does play a part in my decision that I know if it looks good and I want to buy it right after it's out, I can probably get it for half price if they keep the same policy as they have so far.

It does annoy me when there are deals that regulars can't have and new people get, but that happens more often with things like Internet plans (new people subscribing get more stuff for the same price you pay and they won't let you trade up because you've been a customer for years. It makes no sense to me).

[taumel]

Many companies are cancer fans and enjoy the growth of new customers without seeing the value in the customers they already have in the first place - the majority of them buys the stuff anyway - , that's nothing new. Offering a digital product adds its own flavour as well.

Anyway what's interesting is that the opposite exists as well and it's often just a matter of the business field you're in, how the strategies are defined and how they differ.

[danewsh]

I buy them at full price despite the insane sales because I want Telltale to continue making games. Simple as that.

Same here. I don't play games by other companies, simply don't have the time and Telltale has consistantly kept me entertained.

[Rebirth]

but i really dont have a good feeling about that crazy sales.....
usually if a game gets cheaper its because it doesn't sell that well....
i really starting to ask myself how the sales figures of TTG look like.....

[SHODANFreeman]

but i really dont have a good feeling about that crazy sales.....
usually if a game gets cheaper its because it doesn't sell that well....
i really starting to ask myself how the sales figures of TTG look like.....

Every product ever made goes down in price over time. It's standard business practice. When a product comes out, the demand is very high, so they are able to set a higher price point, as demand drops down, they lower the price point as incentive to get people that are on the fence to jump in. This is one of the few places I've seen people actually upset that something goes on sale. Which is especially odd considering the niche/indie nature of the developer, you'd think they'd be more prone to attracting fans that want to support them and help keep them in business, but apparently not.

[Rather Dashing]

Every product ever made goes down in price over time.
Yep. (http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100222/FREE/100229983)

[figmentPez]

but i really dont have a good feeling about that crazy sales.....
usually if a game gets cheaper its because it doesn't sell that well....
i really starting to ask myself how the sales figures of TTG look like.....

You've got to think about the very real differences between physical copies and digital distribution.

Physical copies: numbers are limited by the investment in production runs, which has to be done well in advance of sales. If products sell better than expected you risk losing customers when it sells out, and getting more product quickly is expensive. If a product doesn't sell, then you've got to cut the price until it does to avoid having to pay storage costs.

Digital distribution: numbers are only limited by the amount of bandwidth and server power you can throw at it, and this can be done in a fairly short amount of time at little extra cost if demand picks up. If a product sells really well, you just rent some more servers (or something like that). If a product doesn't sell, there's nothing that is taking up space or that has to be sold off before tax time.

These big differences mean that sales by digital distribution companies mean very different things than the bargain bin has in the past. Steam has twice a week sales, and often for really successful games. Check out Steam's Weekly Top Sellers (http://store.steampowered.com/feeds/weeklytopsellers.xml) from time to time and bear in mind that the list is not ranked by copies sold, but by dollar figures. Right now there's a huge sale with lots of different games offered, so the top results are still full priced newer games (mostly) but check out other weekends when only one game is on sale. A great deal can knock a new-ish game off the top, simply by sheer numbers, even if that sale is only selling for fraction of the price. Because digital distribution offers flexibility that phsyical copies don't, sales like this can rake in the dough, instead of just being a way to cut losses.

Sales aren't a bad sign. In fact, that Telltale has a month worth of deals to offer just shows how confident they are in their lineup, and how many more people they think they can reach with the right amount of buzz.

[SHODANFreeman]

Yep. (http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100222/FREE/100229983)

I'm referring to products sold brand new, not second hand at auction 72 years later.

[Edgy_McSpoon]

I think the sales are great gifts for those who friends/family haven't played or those younger players who aren't allowed to use online stores.

And for the full price, well, that's already been taken care of over 4 pages of this thread.

[Elvenmonk]

Yep. (http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100222/FREE/100229983)

Comic books don't count. I already have a comic book worth $50 and it's been OOP for less than 2 years.

[ShotgunStalker]

i never preorder games...well almost never

[Secret Fawful]

Comic books don't count. I already have a comic book worth $50 and it's been OOP for less than 2 years.

Bullshit. SHODAN said every product ever made. SHODAN and you didn't make these specifications about what doesn't count until after the fact. You're just discounting it because it doesn't fit in line with what you said but it does count, so what you said is bullshit.

[doggans]

It'd probably be more accurate (but still somewhat hyperbolic) to say "Every product still in print goes down over time." A reprinting of Superman's debut would be a lot cheaper than $1M. (Of course, due to inflation, even that would probably still be more expensive than the original printing was when released, so I'm not sure what my point is.)

[Rather Dashing]

I'm referring to products sold brand new, not second hand at auction 72 years later.
So if a really old store that has been standing since "Action Comics #1" came out dug through it's back room and found a never-opened, brand new, surprisingly well-preserved copy of Action Comics #1, it would still sell for less than a dollar?

[figmentPez]

So if a really old store that has been standing since "Action Comics #1" came out dug through it's back room and found a never-opened, brand new, surprisingly well-preserved copy of Action Comics #1, it would still sell for less than a dollar?

Are you being deliberately obtuse? A copy of Action Comics #1 from the original printing would not be "brand new". The reason that Action Comcs #1 is so expensive is it's rarity. Products that continue to be produced become less rare over time.

SHODANFreeman made a poorly worded statement, but it remains true that mass market products that remain in production almost universally go down in price over time. It's foolish to nit-pick the exact wording that was originally used, when it's plain to see that the basic principle is accurate.

[Rather Dashing]

Even then, it depends on a lot of factors, and the rate of depreciation varies, and I think that the rate matters. I think it's safe to be upset when you order something for full-price and then it's half that LESS THAN TWO MONTHS later, when you still haven't had even 2/5ths of the product delivered to you, much the same way you might be upset if there was a 99% off sale on every item in a resturaunt's menu about five minutes after you ordered, before you had much chance to even munch at the breadsticks.

[taumel]

This maybe sounds reasonable if you're living in a TTG only world but as soon as you enter the reality you have to compete with other games which people play in their free time, which btw is a limited resource. Games nowadays are more than plentiful around and you have to compete in one or another way against other games, $1 iPhone games, strong budget titles, pirated games, sales deals on other platforms like steam, second hand games, classics and so on.

If you're really after a game and can afford it then you'll also buy it. If you aren't then you might get interested for a reduced price, that's what those deals are for. From TTG's point of view this is not a loss, this is a gain. I don't think it makes any difference if you reduce the price after the second episode, third episode or at the end of the season. It might upset the less business minded users less but you also might loose sales due to that in the meantime users bought another game instead. You'll probably have to find this out via your sales stats, customer feedback, ... supply and demand...

[Origami]

^
Exactly if you really want it show support and pay the full price.
If you can wait out then wait. I am familiar with TellTale giving abrupt discounts.
I don't care. I still pre-ordered BttF for full-price.

[Powerlord]

Digital distribution in particular has prices fall as time goes by, usually until it hits the minimum the publisher is willing to sell it for.

Why? The rules of Supply and Demand. Digital Distribution has perfectly inelastic supply (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand#Vertical_supply_curve_.28perfect ly_inelastic_supply.29). That is to say, the supply line on a Supply and Demand chart is vertical. This means that only demand affects price. As more copies sell, the less new copies people want; demand goes down and price follows until it hits the vendor's minimum price (barring sales).

[SHODANFreeman]

Even then, it depends on a lot of factors, and the rate of depreciation varies, and I think that the rate matters. I think it's safe to be upset when you order something for full-price and then it's half that LESS THAN TWO MONTHS later, when you still haven't had even 2/5ths of the product delivered to you, much the same way you might be upset if there was a 99% off sale on every item in a resturaunt's menu about five minutes after you ordered, before you had much chance to even munch at the breadsticks.

When I make a decision to buy something, I decide that it is worth the price that I am being offered. If it goes down in price later, big deal, I paid what I thought it was worth. I'm not so entitled as to think that I deserve any lower price than what I myself decide to pay.

[Irishmile]

That is a rational way of putting it.. well done. I like being able to play on launch day and come back and talk about it..... sharing it is really half the fun of TTG's games.

[Elvenmonk]

Bullshit. SHODAN said every product ever made. SHODAN and you didn't make these specifications about what doesn't count until after the fact. You're just discounting it because it doesn't fit in line with what you said but it does count, so what you said is bullshit.

I wasn't part of the original arguement. SHODAN V Dashing were. I just stated Comic books shouldn't count. He said second hand shouldn't count, which is basically what I meant.

I say we all just come to an agreement, TellTale shouldn't lower the price of their games ever again now.

[taumel]

That's a good agreement if you want to take a serious percentage from TTG's income away.

[Origami]

I think Elvenmonk was sarcastic =)

[taumel]

I'm not sure as he took RatherDashing's link serious, it's the internet, you never know. :O)

[Elvenmonk]

You could say Dashing and I, despite how Rather he is, are friends.