Sega recently revealed a surprising truth in their Q&A with shareholders, and honestly, it’s long overdue. They openly declared that the whole strategy of launching “definitive version” games has turned away customers who would otherwise buy the game at the time of release. As if we didn’t know the answer already?
This announcement is a direct hit for every gamer who has ever recognized a new Sega or Atlus game and thought, ‘I will just wait for the complete edition’. Finally, they are confessing to a problem that the gamers have been complaining about for years. It’s like they overindulged in the community forums and said, ‘oh… they’ve figured us out.’
The whole situation, if looked at closely, is not as complicated as it seems. A new game comes out and is probably a bit less than perfect; it has bugs, and lacks features, and the like. After about a year or so, PRESTO! The ‘definitive edition’ or ‘complete edition’ is all of a sudden here along with the DLC, extra content, and bug fixes! If you happened to buy the original game, it’s tough luck for you; you still have to pay the whole new price. This is a method that the developers have been taking full advantage of and the gamers have been suffering tremendously from it for quite a long time now.
Have a look at the remarks made about this specific piece of news. Sirfragalot86 was right on the money when he said, ‘The problem is if I bought a game, I can’t upgrade it digitally. I have to buy the game again.’ That is where the problem lies. The process will be perceived better by the buyers if they know that they could later upgrade to the definitive version by just paying a small fee, like $20. But that is not the case, it is either the full price or nothing at all.
Then, MC🎮🇵🇭 chimed in with, ‘Isn’t it like a scam? Lol, they had the potential to finish a game release but just didn’t coz of more moneyz lol,’ which… honestly? Same opinion. Wouldn’t it be foolish for the customers to buy a substandard product at launch only to have the new, improved version coming shortly after? It’s like getting a phone when you know the latest model will be out in just six months.
Nasi kuning has stated that rising game prices along with bad optimization have led to the problem. When games are selling for seventy bucks nowadays and still get released with many defects, it makes waiting for the fixed, complete edition the most financially sensible option. Why pay more for less?
KanutuDK suggested the simplest solution: ‘This could easily be fixed if the “definitive” version of a game was actually the launch or day 1 version.’ Like, just imagine it? Revealing the whole game right from the start? What a wild idea that is!
Moreover, the upgrade path dilemma continues to emerge. EricWax3 said he is ‘still angry at what happened with YS X’ and how a paid or free upgrade would make everyone feel better about the early purchase. It’s really simple – treat your early supporters like royalty and they will keep on supporting you.
Isaac The Yeti struck with ‘If they completed the games in their entirety, then a single release would be the definitive version.’ Remember the days when games were… finished? Like, you bought it and that was it? No season passes, no definitive editions, just the full experience?
Taki raised an important point about the word ‘definitive’ itself – it should indicate the best version that cannot be surpassed. But when companies keep introducing new ‘definitive’ versions every few years, the term loses all significance. Its like calling every new iPhone ‘the ultimate phone’ until the next one is released.
Pimp Master Broda took us back to the early 2000s when video games ‘sold the complete game at the beginning and then if it sold over a million copies it got a Platinum/Gold edition which was the same title in updated packaging.’ Those were simpler times, dude. You would buy the game and that was it. If it sold well, they would then, at a later date, release a cheaper version for new customers. No one felt cheated.
Cynicade’s comment was pure genius: ‘Well no shit! Why would I buy something that I’m certain is going to get a massively improved/expanded version later?’ It is the exact reason why most of us think today. The fear of missing out is no longer there because we know that the better version is on its way.
An Average Gamer – N did a perfect job in summarizing the whole strategy: ‘sell an incomplete game at launch, release the “complete” version as definitive a year later’ along with that eye-roll emoji that tells the whole story
PlayStation gamers have seen this pattern before, and now Xbox fans are getting their own wild merchandise drops. Meanwhile, the high price of gaming accessories continues to shock the community.
