Game Demo's Can hurt game sales.

I was hyped for split second until I played the demo. Playing the demo made me hate the game and never even want to play it.

A friend of mine convinced me to give the game a rent to see if My opinion changed. Wow, it's a totally different game. Runs much faster, smoother, and the layout is awesome.

Has this happened too you? Played a demo that makes you hate a game and then later like it?

We need more demos! I remember a time when nearly every game had a demo.

I wanted to try out Split Second because I heard it was good. Then I saw the Disney logo. Then I played the demo. Then I fell asleep.

I remember alot of people complaining about Batman AA from the demo, but then they loved the full game when they tried it.

I usually base all my purchases off demo's. And for games that will have a big community (World at War for example) i exceed myself to make sure i get into the beta's so I know if its worth it or not.

But in the end, my decisions are based on what my friends all plan to buy and play frequently.

Usually most demos come with a notice of some kind at the beginning. "This game is still under development and may contain bugs or glitches not found in the final product" or something similar to that. Best example to use for this would be God of War 3.

Games sales are only hurt if the game itself is terrible or bad. A bad demo may ruin sales a little, but a flat out bad game hurts it even more.

I agree absolutely. I can't afford to buy many games (currently unemployed after A levels so any games come through generousity of family/trade ins - although may be changing soon :D), so a demo is really a judgement point for me. My example is Dead Space. Hated the demo, didn't feel the atmosphere at all, but then found the game for £12 in a supermarket and loved it. I think it's just up to developers to put out a demo that IS representative of their final product - after all, it's not just a fun little bonus when you're bored, it's a marketing tool.

I thought this was going to be about Crackdown 2...

Yes, but also helps too, I wasn't thinking about getting Infamous until I played the demo and it's good enough for me to decide if I want it now.

i dont buy games without playing them first, so really, unless a game has a demo or was originally coin-op, im not buying it anyway. sometimes i get to play a friends copy or something. this simple system has saved me an enormous amount of grief and wasted dollars.

in the end, bad games sell worse (assassins creed notwithstanding). demos just make this kind of thing more apparent. a really polished demo could also hide a turd game, though. if developers are careful with their use of a demo they will sell more than they would otherwise. i wasnt even considering bayonetta until i played the demo and it became a day one buy.

I thought this was going to be about Crackdown 2...

Gxgear

Demos help us determine whether or not the game is good for us or not.

You may not like Split Second but someone may like it.

Bad demos can kill many sales, so basically if someone is going to go out of their way and make a demo they better make sure its good because, off that demo alone a lot of people will make their decision about whether or not to buy that game.

Demos help us determine whether or not the game is good for us or not.

You may not like Split Second but someone may like it.

LegatoSkyheart

It can still be a bad thing. Ive demoed a few games that I would have bought but decided not to because I played the demo.

We need more demos! I remember a time when nearly every game had a demo.

clyde46

high five and it was the reason i started playin ace combat and a rollercoaster tycoon addicit.

Demos help us determine whether or not the game is good for us or not.

You may not like Split Second but someone may like it.

LegatoSkyheart

its gonna happen with the Beta for Medal of Honor. They get the full game and people will realize this.

I was hyped for split second until I played the demo. Playing the demo made me hate the game and never even want to play it.

A friend of mine convinced me to give the game a rent to see if My opinion changed. Wow, it's a totally different game. Runs much faster, smoother, and the layout is awesome.

Has this happened too you? Played a demo that makes you hate a game and then later like it?

OwnallConsoles

I think there has been maybe one time in the history of videogames that a Demo actually got me excited about a game. The majority of the time it is too old a build, and therefore still has issues, or too short and not properly representative of the game, or it tries too hard to get you excited so you are just bombarded with visuals without any real attachment to them, etc, etc, etc. It is just too difficult with modern games to make a proper demo.

So yeah, I can see how people who actually think Demo's represent the full game can be turned off. I think people (at least based on game forums) put way too little emphasis on the value of renting games. It gives you a true taste of what the game is actually like, and if you still hate it you are only out a few bucks.

I liked the Split Second Demo and I enjoyed the game somewhat, but I really hated the rubberband AI and barebones multiplayer. Plus the gimmick starts to get old after awhile.

case where playing the demo worked for me was Blur. I tried out the beta and was hooked. I found myself enjoying it far more than I did Split Second.

It can go both ways. I personally don't care if a game has a demo or not. If there's a game I'm really interested in, I'll probably buy it regardless. Even so, I've probably watched and read everything about said games to get a fairly decent impression without a hands-on. Still taking a risk but I haven't really bought many games I haven't liked by doing so.

I remember alot of people complaining about Batman AA from the demo, but then they loved the full game when they tried it.

zarshack

Ha I was actually one of those people, the demo truly didn't do the game justice.

I dont normally play demos but if I do it has a huge impact on wether I buy the game or not. Like Bayonetta, I played the demo and fell in the love with the game.

Now i know this is a beta and not a demo but Medal of Honor sucks. The beta is just horrible. Its a horrible Call of Duty rip off.

If you have a hype machine in Acitivision for a game like MW2, you don't release a demo because the demo would only turn off sales (and lol it actually caused more returns i think after people bought it).

I was hesistant to buy Killzone 2 at first because the demo demonstrated how terrible the controls were but I figuredthe issue was exclusive to the demo andwhen on to buy the full version anyway. Then, I realized just how wrong I was, so after putting some time into the game in hopesfor a fix, and realising how boring the game was once you reached the highest rank and how limited the gametype and weapons were compared to COD4/MW2,I sold it.

demos can be decieving. i downloaded and played ninety nine nights 2 demo and i LOVED it. i even hyped it AAE but now after playing the actuall game i hate it it is so repetitive and just looking at the games box pisses me off

Capital offender: Brutal Legend. I was hoping for a platformer with little car bits, but... IT WAS A STRATEGY GAME X_X

Haze's Demo made me play the whole game :P I liked it.

They hurt sales if the game is terrible, they help them if the game is good.

What you mean is bad demos can hurt game sales.

Gooddemos will help game sales.

Some games just dont make for good demos.

I was hyped for split second until I played the demo. Playing the demo made me hate the game and never even want to play it.

A friend of mine convinced me to give the game a rent to see if My opinion changed. Wow, it's a totally different game. Runs much faster, smoother, and the layout is awesome.

Has this happened too you? Played a demo that makes you hate a game and then later like it?

OwnallConsoles

I was hyped for split second until I played the demo. Playing the demo made me hate the game and never even want to play it.

A friend of mine convinced me to give the game a rent to see if My opinion changed. Wow, it's a totally different game. Runs much faster, smoother, and the layout is awesome.

Has this happened too you? Played a demo that makes you hate a game and then later like it?

OwnallConsoles

Making crappy games that don't live up to their PR-generated hype can also hurt sales.

When a game demo hurts sales, there are only two things you can blame it on:

1) Bad Game - Developers fault

2) Bad Demo - Developers fault

Demonstrations are supposed to be how the game will look, feel, etc. it's their own fault if they release a bad demo or an early build with lots of problems.

We need more Shareware.

.....those were the days.

Hopefully demos as we know them will someday be replaced with 1-hour trials of the full game (except for pre-release demos, which are fine in whatever form they're presented, but should be updated upon release).

I liked the Split Second Demo and I enjoyed the game somewhat, but I really hated the rubberband AI and barebones multiplayer. Plus the gimmick starts to get old after awhile.

case where playing the demo worked for me was Blur. I tried out the beta and was hooked. I found myself enjoying it far more than I did Split Second.

heretrix