Just because you where slow enough to pay for a game twice does not mean rockstar is out to get double the money.

fm_coyote

TRYDABEARDON writing from nephew's account:

True, it might not mean that. I realize that Rockstar might really be a bunch of good honest guys. I'm just looking for answers here, and the one real answer I'm getting is not sitting well with me.

EDIT: Sorry. This is TRYDABEARDON writing from nephew's account.

Do you apply the same exact strategy to every variable situation?  a hundred dollars now would maybe benefit a low-profile developer, but we're talking about gta4 and rockstar.  thee most anticipated game of 07.  we're talking about guaranteed sales and affecting a portion of the potential buyers - not changing the world or stopping piracy completely.

when the game is released, people who don't own next-gen consoles:

1. are going to wait for the pc version anyways (legit or pirated)

2. won't be able to obtain a pirated copy during its initial wave

3. may even purchase a console and copy of gta4

limited piracy, and even a possible increase in sales.  console piracy is nowhere near as widespread.

if it were released on pc (again, easiest to pirate) at the same time:

1. _portion_ of pc-only gamers will obtain a pirated copy (affecting sales)

2. _portion_ of both pc AND console owners will obtain a pirated pc copy (affecting sales)

after all, it's the best version, right?

3. console gamers will buy the console version anyway

this game is expected to move millions and millions of units...  and you don't think this figures into the decision?  it's simply playing the statistics.  even if the portion of pirates affected only 5% of the sales, that's still a lot of money.

you only talk about this issue from the standpoint of a lesser-known developer.  a small developer really has the most to lose with piracy issues, and they simply cannot afford to let their 15 min of marketing exposure pass and release the pc version 9 months later when no one cares.  so in this case, the benefits of simultaneous release will probably outweigh the negatives.  gta franchise on the other hand, commands sales and has the freedom to do whatever they want, because people continue to care even if it's released one year later.

i'm not even going to touch on your bank & guard analogy...

i really do apologize for jackin this thread though.

sj420

You should have touched on my bank/guard analogy. It has a special place in my heart. Your plan is solid, aside from (again) the fact that no one knows how the piracy will affect sales at any given time. No one knows, okay? So then it all comes down again to:

-sell X number of copies on PC right now and risk Y number of copies to be distributed through piracy.

OR

-sell X number of copies, excluding paying, non-pirate PC buyers, then sell Z number of PC copies 2 years later with the threat of piracy by then MAYBE less than it would be at simultaneous release.

Moreover, as someone pointed out, few people are as stupid as I to pay twice for the same game. Then your scenario of PC users settling for console copies due to their unwillingness to wait will bring nothing BUT loss, because you will still release the game on PC (read:expend resourses associated with such production), but since a lot of PC users will have already played the game on a console of choice, they will NOT be buying the PC version when it comes out. Will that loss be less than loss from hypothetic pirate threat?

To quote Stanislavsky: "I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"