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StaceyPowers

Why are release windows/dates announced so late for some games?

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I think announcing release dates close to said release date, no more than 4-5 months maximum beforehand, is exactly what every game publisher and/or developer should do. I spoke about it before on VGR, but I'll say it again for those who missed it. Game companies want to announce release dates as early as possible so they can start taking pre-orders a quickly as possible. Remember, these companies want all the money and the want it yesterday, so taking people's money and giving them literally nothing back is the ultimate goal. Taking in that money then actually coming out with a game at all is, to them, a compromise. Unless your Star Citizen, in which case you literally have taken hundreds of millions of dollars of your fans money and given them nothing but a bare bones, broken alpha to "play".

 

Getting back to it. Some games make their release announcements close to year in advance to get those pre-sales, but there is no way that company in question can be certain that a game would ready that far in advance. It's just too early in the game's development to know at that point. It's almost inevitable that the schedule they have set out doesn't actually work out that way, forcing them into that choice to delay a game or release it busted.

 

This is exactly what happened to Cyberpunk2077. CDPR announced game's release date in June 2019 at E3 to be April 16nth 2020, a full 10 months later. They foolishly announced the date at this time because the world was watching, again to maximise the amount pf pre-orders and hype they could generate. There was no way CDPR knew with any degree of certainty they could make that date when they announced it. And of course, as we know, they didn't. The game was delayed to September, then November until the game finally came out in December, a year and a half after announcing the release date. To cap it all off, the game still came out busted, a fact CDPR even tried to cover up, resulting is a PR disaster for them. If they just waited until a point where they knew the game was going to be ready before announcing that release date, that whole mess could have been avoided.

 

Game companies can't seem to help themselves, though. Cyberpunk 2077 is hardly an isolated incident. Similar things, although maybe not as extreme, happen all the time.

Edited by Shagger
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I'd say its sensible, but I imagine a lot of marketing teams would say sensible is exactly how not to market something.

Shagger's response above is far better than what I can put out, but for my most detailed answer see my Reddit post on Cyberpunk 2077's reception. Part of the reason was the game's development was announced nine years before it saw the light of day, with much chopping and changing going on behind the scenes before even the nucleus of the idea of Keanu Reeves hitting the stage was developed. Its release date was only one of its many problems leading up to launch.

I would like to think developers and publishers have learned from this. I get that you need a proof of concept to get investors on board, and I get you need something for people to talk about but this should be for expos and not conventions (as said many times on this forum, E3 struggles to be either); the former is the business side of the industry, the latter the leisure side (i.e most of us here).

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I feel like Xbox themselves don’t know for certain when the game is coming out, and know just the same as we do- Holiday 2022. So placing it at that point- between confirmed November and December releases- is more of a “safe bet” kind of situation. Release windows/dates shift all the time, so it’s still difficult to say for certain. All this confirms is that everyone is still expecting the game to release in Holiday 2022.

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Honestly, I much rather it be like that because it's the extended period of waiting that kills the excitement. When I know the game will be out in 5 months max and I can see a tangible product that fully functional, I'll be excited for the release of that game. Whereas, Dying Light 2 came out 5 years later and I wasn't the least bit excited, it's a fun game but most of my initial excitement died after 2018 when they kept repeatedly pushing the release date back.

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I have to agree with @Shagger on this one. Game companies should restrain themselves from announcing a release date on a game until all that's left is the polish. That would give them more time to finish the game, and weed out as many bugs and glitches as possible. Sure they'll miss a few of those issues, but us as consumers will let them know. Announcing a release date too early is what causes pushbacks on the games and anger among gamers. So if they wait until it's ready to be released before they announce a release date, they will win out in the end. more people will be willing to wait for the next installment because the developers take their time to make it the best possible. I mean look at how long it's been since GTAV came out.

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It's better for the gaming companies to be 100% sure that the game wouldn't be delayed any further is the reason they do it that way. When games gets constant pushbacks from its initially release date, it makes the developers to rush the game in order to meet up and that ruins the game most of the time. Take a look at what they did with God of War Ragnarok, it's release date was just announced yesterday which puts it in line for release in 4 months time on 9th November 2022 since 2021 that it's been under speculation. 

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Which the current trend of announcing a date for a game release and then rescheduling it afterwards which can be annoying sometimes, I would prefer game developers stick to the original date and maybe give about 3months  between  the announcement and it's release.

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It is better they announced and stick to the announcement, than putting an announcement for a game, putting lots of gamers on suspense at the end nothing happened. I'm fade up with games that are postponed after few days of it's official released. God of war Ragnarok is a perfect example, so many released dates, none occured to be concrete. I just hope it wouldn't cross November, 9th. 

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On 7/8/2022 at 8:00 PM, Clasher said:

Which the current trend of announcing a date for a game release and then rescheduling it afterwards which can be annoying sometimes, I would prefer game developers stick to the original date and maybe give about 3months  between  the announcement and it's release.

Once a game's initially announced release date is delayed, it always have a very big negative effect on the game. Some gamers that purchased the game on pre order always feel cheated and those waiting for it would feel like the developers are not serious enough with the game's development. 

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For instance, those who pre ordered God of war Ragnarok have regretted it all, after months of wait just for the official release of the game. Because the game's release date was postponed severally before an official announcement was carried out recently. 

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9 hours ago, Heatman said:

Once a game's initially announced release date is delayed, it always have a very big negative effect on the game. Some gamers that purchased the game on pre order always feel cheated and those waiting for it would feel like the developers are not serious enough with the game's development. 

The best solution to this is for those gaming companies to work more on integrity and always stand according to their word, don't try to exploit gamers by giving a date after getting thousands of pre-orders they don't receive the game they paid for.

It's not a good attribute and though fans would still wait for the game it wouldn't hurt anybody if the gaming companies have the strength of character to stick to their words.and released the game as originally scheduled.

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That's modernized way of ripping off users. How can a gaming company/studio receive loads of funds for their game through pre order and still postpone it's release date? That's pathetic indeed, I consider such act as 'modernize scam.

If they know you'll push it's release date further, more than expected, then they shouldn't ask users to pre order on time. I can't wait years after pre - ordering a game I admire, I rather use my funds for food and other entertainment derivatives. 

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7 hours ago, Clasher said:

The best solution to this is for those gaming companies to work more on integrity and always stand according to their word, don't try to exploit gamers by giving a date after getting thousands of pre-orders they don't receive the game they paid for.

It's not a good attribute and though fans would still wait for the game it wouldn't hurt anybody if the gaming companies have the strength of character to stick to their words.and released the game as originally scheduled.

Everything is all down to their greed and being impatient to get the gamers money because in all honesty, they really need the money once the game is a big project that took a lot of funds to push up. Take a look at what happened with the announcement and release of Cyberpunk 2077. It was one shit show that no game would like to go through with any game all over again. 

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