How much hype is good for a game?

[StaceyPowers]

@killamch89 started a thread on most overhyped games. And it got me wondering how much hype is ideal for a game to begin with. I think that a lot of games that were overhyped would have been better received if they hadn't been (i.e. No Man's Sky), yet obviously hype gets the word out. So how much is enough, and how much is too much?

[kingpotato]

Well if we think about it the more marketing the better, even if the game fails the initial release of the game will guarantee a lot of sales because of the hype, for example Watchdogs had a lot of hype, it was very average game, but it sold very well that it earned it a sequel and a trilogy coming soon, it was thanks to the initial hype that the game sold very well, after the first week, 4 million copies of the game had been sold. Sure a the end that kinda affects consumers because they are lead to believe that the game is good, and many fools (me included) will purchase the game right away, but at the end of the day thats the whole point of a business, to sale as much as possible.

Edited August 22, 2019 by kingpotato

[killamch89]

Hype tends to lead to great opening sales for a game because there are gamers who will buy a game just to have bragging rights. If done correctly, hype can significantly boost a game's popularity but it has to stay within realistic realms of what the game offers or else you will end up with a watchdogs situation where so many people were so disappointed by the first game that they aren't will to buy any of the sequels.

[The Blackangel]

It depends. If it's a long standing series, like Final Fantasy or the Legend Of Zelda, then typically it doesn't need much hype. The series speaks for itself. But if it's something entirely new like, say, Dante's Inferno, then it will probably need a lot of hype. Something that hasn't been seen before will need more than something that has been around for a while. Final Fantasy started out on Nintendo (NES), and look where it has gone now.

[skyfire]

I think it is kind of difficult to quantify the hype considering some of the content creators these days destroy the reputation of the game with their so called expert reviews and many good games die. 

[killamch89]

On 8/28/2019 at 1:20 AM, skyfire said:

I think it is kind of difficult to quantify the hype considering some of the content creators these days destroy the reputation of the game with their so called expert reviews and many good games die. 

That is a very good point because a lot of those "gamers" are actually puppets who are only loyal to the companies that line their pockets.

[skyfire]

Yes. I think this is how many games are not properly reviewed these days. I mean those who are supposed to talk about blizzard and similar game companies are just posting their gameplay and ignoring the rest. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

All the money they spend on hype, they could have made the game even better. Or else it's all jibberin blabber. Hype better come with a money back guarantee. I've got consumer rights damnit! You lie, I smash. I'll youtube it holding the disc under flames. You got a $million on hype, you better have another $million for lawyers after the people claim falsehood. 

 

 

[m76]

The most overhyped releases recently were Mafia Definitive Edition and Star Wars Squadrons. Both of which failed to live up to their promises.

I don't think hype is created by the companies, it is created by gamers and "influencers" (F I hate that title) with unrealistic expectations. Who look at a trailer, but don't actually see what's there, instead imagine something far greater. Case in point Black Myth Wukong, where even the developers themselves were taken aback by the hype.

[skyfire]

On 10/6/2020 at 12:36 PM, m76 said:

I don't think hype is created by the companies, it is created by gamers and "influencers" 

Companies are paying influencers to create the hype. for example, there are some testing sites where influencers can sign up and earn money for testing the games. in turn this creates hype if say 100 influencers talk about specific game on same day. 

[Kane99]

On 10/6/2020 at 3:06 AM, m76 said:

The most overhyped releases recently were Mafia Definitive Edition and Star Wars Squadrons. Both of which failed to live up to their promises.

I don't think hype is created by the companies, it is created by gamers and "influencers" (F I hate that title) with unrealistic expectations. Who look at a trailer, but don't actually see what's there, instead imagine something far greater. Case in point Black Myth Wukong, where even the developers themselves were taken aback by the hype.

idk, I wouldn't say Mafia remastered was really that overhyped. I heard a few rumblings about it, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it was overhyped. If anything, it probably could have done with more publicity and marketing, cause I don't see it selling a ton. I can agree about the Mafia II debacle lol. Squadrons on the other hand, sure. It's all over the place right now and is hugely popular right now among fans and streamers. I don't see how it failed to live up to their promises though, as it seems people are really happy with it. Unless I'm missing something?

And for sure, youtubers, streamers, influencers or whatever else we call them, are for sure being paid to sell these games as much as possible. I cringe at some YouTubers who do a lets play of a new game, because it's clear which ones are promotions. It's easy to tell, because they never looked that interested in playing. You can tell when a player likes the game. 

[m76]

Let's just say both games broken promises. Squadrons failed right out of the gate by hotas support being all but completely broken, and the gameplay dumbed down to arcade levels. OFC that might appeal to the fortnite era gamer who doesn't want anything complex.

Mafia simply failed by being touted as faithful to the original, and it turned out to be a complete redesign with all dialogue rewritten.

[m76]

7 hours ago, skyfire said:

Companies are paying influencers to create the hype. for example, there are some testing sites where influencers can sign up and earn money for testing the games. in turn this creates hype if say 100 influencers talk about specific game on same day. 

It's not that they pay some streamer to play a game. These people create hype even without being paid. Sometimes negative hype, other times positive. I find it disgusting. That success for games nowadays is not determined by how good the game actually is, but how the youtubers decide to talk about it. If at all.

[skyfire]

12 hours ago, m76 said:

It's not that they pay some streamer to play a game. These people create hype even without being paid. Sometimes negative hype, other times positive. I find it disgusting. That success for games nowadays is not determined by how good the game actually is, but how the youtubers decide to talk about it. If at all.

Game studios do pay the influencer. e.g. playtestcloud does pay people to test out the games. And you also get paid depending on their social media reach contract. 

[m76]

4 hours ago, skyfire said:

Game studios do pay the influencer. e.g. playtestcloud does pay people to test out the games. And you also get paid depending on their social media reach contract. 

Did I say otherwise?  Paid streams are not the hype I'm talking about. They are cringe at worst, but not really harmful.

Edited October 11, 2020 by m76