ANTI Steam & Epic Move?! Red Dead Redemption 2 PC PUNISHES Users Not Using Rockstar’s Launcher:
Rockstar are going hard on the Rockstar Game Launcher, offering customers who wish to use Epic or Steam a downgraded experience, with Steam being delayed and Epic have it's pre-order bonus's downgraded to be WORSE than console! This entire story serves as a look into the fundamentals of Rockstar's business model and, how it's less about what you pay, and more about what they receive.
Last year the Epic Games Store swooped in and started hoovering up game exclusives like they were Pokemon cards, offering PC publishers an alternative to Valve's 30% cut on Steam by taking just 12% from the games sold through its new platform. Since then, the cuts game retailers take and the effect it has on both players and developers alike have been a hot topic - and, as it often goes with the internet, a lot of misinformation can get mixed into those conversations.
We reached out to nearly half a dozen sources within the games industry (as well as the game retailers directly) in order to get the actual numbers on what cuts most major retailers take. While many of these sources prefer to remain anonymous, they paint a picture that could be surprising to some players, one where Valve’s now infamous 30% cut isn’t actually out of the norm. In fact, it's pretty much the industry standard.
Here's an easy-to-read infographic breaking down how much the biggest game retailers take from the sale price of a video game, and keep reading below to find out why it’s not quite as straightforward as these simple percentages:
Eugen make good games but new players get stomped by veterans/stacked lobby and then don’t want to continue playing. Maybe they don't have the money/programmers to fix it.
Eugen put too much emphasis on a custom lobby system which hurts the games MP longevity. Stellaris (Paradox) does the same mistake so now they make most money from pve'er (playing against AI).
BBI also did the same mistake with Homeworld: Deserts of kharak and Relic Homeworld MP games were also pretty bad (I know from experience).
For PvP to prosper Eugen games need a good automatch system and from what I read they had this in RUSE.
3Form
Yes! I can't emphasise this enough! I used to be all for lobbies over matchmaker for these kind of games, until I first played RUSE and every iteration of Wargame since then.
RaggaRootz
Yup... simply call it either 'Automatch' or 'Match Maker'. There is no need for it to be called 'Ranked'; that will only steer some people away.
A Ranking could be hidden or on your own personal Menu - Profile.
HOWEVER... the truth is that we (those who have voiced their opinion about an MM system since the beginning of Wargame and SD and/or a dislike to the Lobby format) have not yet been addressed as it pertains to SD2. In essence, Eugene Systems has bluntly disregarded any post relating to an Automatch/MatchMaker System here or on their own forums (which are dead) or the STEAM forms... and have blatantly not responded!
So the truth is... Lobby Sim is what and how they feel about the MP System. Yes it would be awesome that they choose a Beta Phases to test a MM system out, but all signs point to "that aint gonna happen'
CyberianK
I made giant wall of text posts back in SD44 days how the matchmaker should be like COH2 and the current system with Lobby and stupid ranked in parallel hurts the games health. Unfortunately they are not bold enough to make a change. Sticking with their old systems is probably easy for them as no programming days have to be invested they just copy/paste from the older games.
It’s certainly an exciting time for PC gaming, and with ever more powerful hardware coming out, alongside new game streaming services launching, it looks like there could be a revolution in PC gaming – and Sega is ready for it.
“It’s such an exciting time right now,” observes Anna Downing. “We recently announced that Football Manager 2020 will be on Google Stadia, and we have Football Manager 19 announced for Microsoft Xbox Game Pass. So, for us, it's a really exciting time, and certainly for the PC market.”
What’s particularly exciting for Sega, according to Downing, is how these new game streaming services are allowing publishers to get their games in the hands of people who may not have been able to play them previously. “There were many great opportunities that are now on the table for us where we can reach consumers where, potentially, we've not had the opportunity to previously.”
Bringing Football Manager 19 to Xbox Game Pass for PC, Microsoft’s subscription service, seems to be a particularly big win for both Microsoft and Sega due to both the popularity of the franchise, and the rapid growth of Microsoft’s service, which has been getting plaudits from both gamers and reviewers thanks to the sheer value for money it offers – where for a flat monthly fee, subscribers have access to hundreds of PC games for as long as they subscribe. It could really change the way PC gamers pay for and play their games.
Downing agrees. “Yeah, absolutely. I think Microsoft launched with a fantastic offer. So, you know, the more people that that can get on board initially, I think it sets itself up really well for the future. And as I said, hopefully for us it opens up opportunities to reach a broader audience and new consumers.”
Downing has been working on Football manager, which she calls a “phenomenal franchise to be associated with,” for 11 years now – and has seen how Sega’s involvement with such a beloved franchise, and its committed fans, has benefitted both the company and gamers.
It’s something Sega has also noticed with its other huge PC game franchise, Total War, which seems to be going from strength to strength with each new release. “Again, it’s just a very popular brand,” notes Dale. “We have a very strong worldwide core audience with that game. Plus, the different types of iterations we put out always get a very strong, reception. We've just launched Total War Three Kingdoms, and that's one of the best launches we've ever had on a Total War game.”
“Yes, we sold through a million units quite early on in the life cycle,” adds Downing. “Leading up to its actual launch, it was our highest pre-ordered Total War game. And, once the game was actually released, the momentum maintained.”
What’s particularly noticeable about Total War is its global appeal. “We've seen fantastic sales, predominantly from the Asian market,” states Downing, “as the content of the game resonated really well with those territories.”
It Turns Out Borderlands 3 Sales Aren't Quite As Good As 2K Said They Were, SEP 30, 2019:
https://www.thegamer.com/borderlands-3-sales-not-what-2k-said/
So it turns out that 2K might have fibbed a bit when they said that Borderlands 3 sales were the best thing since sliced bread.
*SNIP*
However, one number might have been a bit of a fib. 2K said that there were 5 million units of Borderlands 3 sold-in, which is not the same as 5 million units sold (that would be "sold-through," to use retail parlance). This means there are still copies of Borderlands 3 sitting on shelves out there waiting for homes.
This also failed to capture Wall St. interest as the actual sales figures were about what analysts expected. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K Games, saw its stock drop roughly 5% after the announcement.
TweakTown notes that 2K pulled a similar fast one on announcements regarding Mafia III back in 2016, saying that the game sold more than the 4.5 million copies that actually did in the first week.
And while Borderlands 3 may be the new fastest-selling Borderlands game, it still hasn’t hit the 10 million units that Borderlands 2 has sold over its entire lifespan. Furthermore, 2K didn’t provide any figures to showcase pre-sale numbers, which might be indicative of Epic Games Store controversy causing some players to wait for the Steam release in 6 months.
NonBelieverKappa
Previous post got removed for editorializing the title. I thought (as many people) that BL3 sold 5 million units, but it turned out they "shipped" not sold. As u/adanine said:
"It's important to point out that nothing in their original statement (2K) was a lie. The terminology they used in their press release was:
... In addition, Borderlands 3 has sold-in more than 5 million units in its first five days...
Note "sold-in", not "sold". For those unfamiliar, the definition of "Sold-in" is "to sell (new products) to a retail outlet to be sold to the public". "
theBlackDragon
They did the same with Metro Exodus. They're just trying to make it seem like not enough people give about the exclusivity deals in hopes those not fully committed to not dealing with the EGS will start considering it an inevitability and give up their "resistance" against being assimilated.
For the record, they compared Exodus to the previous title in the series, a niche game from quite a while ago now, without giving actual numbers, which is akin to saying Witcher 3 did good because it sold twice as much as Witcher 2 (in Witcher's case that would not even have been enough to break even, iirc).
“They wouldn’t go union” – Troy Baker on why Gearbox didn’t use him for Rhys in Borderlands 3:
https://www.vg247.com/2019/09/30/borderlands-3-troy-baker-rhys-union/
*SNIP*
We recently got a chance to talk to Baker during a fan event for Retro Replay, a Let’s Play series the actor hosts alongside the other Troy Baker, Nolan North. During our chat, he was openly disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to play Rhys again in Borderlands 3.
“So they came to me, and they were like, ‘Do you want to do this?’,” Baker explained. “Which I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And then they made it impossible for me to do the role. It had nothing to do with money, it had nothing to do with money. They just simply would not go about doing it the way that we needed it to be done. So then it was like, I never said no.”
We asked Baker to clarify what he meant by this, be it scheduling conflicts or something else.
“No, it was simply a matter of they wouldn’t go union,” he replied. “And I can’t do a non-union gig. And without getting too deep into the weeds of that, we had long conversations about this. We always knew going into it, that this was going to be the thing. They were going to take these characters, and put them from the Tales from the Borderlands series from Telltale, into Borderlands proper. I’ve been waiting for this call. They were like, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And I said, ‘Yes’. They never, because they would never move from that position. I’m not mad. It’s invariably a completely different character, but it still stings.”
In a statement delivered to Kotaku, SAG-AFTRA backed up Baker’s claim with their own. In their words, Gearbox “refused and disengaged” from union talks:
“The misguided decision by Gearbox to deny their performers the opportunity to have fair union wages, a safe workplace and the possibility of health care coverage for their families, is unfortunate.”
Gearbox owns the Homeworld IP... unless they are planning on buying it back from them?
Unlikely as long Randy Pitchford is Gearbox CEO.
Sega lost millions of dollars because Randy Pitchford messed up with Aliens Colonial Marines/Alien Isolation (brand devaluation indirectly caused by Gearbox).
Allegedly according to Jim Sterling's research, some executives in SEGA wanted to sue Gearbox for embezzlement/siphoned funds.
Anonymous whistle blower claims Gearbox stole from SEGA: https://www.destructoid.com/anonymous-whistle-blower-claims-gearbox-stole-from-sega-246558.phtml