Broken Video Games: Who is to blame?

[Kamikaze Revy]

I had a huge debate with my boy about this recently and I figured I would bring it to the coli.

I recently preordered MGSVTPP Collectors edition

My boy tells me-

"It's because of people like you who preorder games that we get the broken garbage that companies have been putting out. Once they see the people are buying the game before launch they don't bother fixing anything. They see the demand and figure they have the space now to deal with any issues later. Preorders have killed gaming."

"If anything, I would blame post launch patches as the main reason broken games have been getting released. Shipping a broken product wouldn't even be an option if they knew they only had one shot at getting it right"

Honestly I think its a little bit of both, but since that conversation I've come across several other people who think preordering is the sole reason games ship broken.

 

[Tunez]

Blame the devs

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

Blame the devs

Of course, but I guess the question is, does the consumer share any of the blame by possibly enabling them to ship garbage?

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Its rising budgets.

Every day a game is not on the market money is being lost. Devs are forced to put games out before they are done, just so they can pay the employees.

Add that to the fact that they are still learning the new consoles, while trying to do new ambitious things AND still support last gen, and its not surprising that many games are coming out with problems.

Also increased visibility exaggerated the problem. Everybody runs to the web to complain when something goes wrong now. In the past people might see a problem are a bug and just keep moving, there was no audience for the complaints.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

Its rising budgets.

Every day a game is not on the market money is being lost. Devs are forced to put games out before they are done, just so they can pay the employees.

Add that to the fact that they are still learning the new consoles, while trying to do new ambitious things AND still support last gen, and its not surprising that many games are coming out with problems.

Also increased visibility exaggerated the problem. Everybody runs to the web to complain when something goes wrong now. In the past people might see a problem are a bug and just keep moving, there was no audience for the complaints.

I agree with that, but I really think that these dates are becoming more and more strict given that games can be patched weeks, if not months later. At this point we all know that Microsoft knew for WEEKS (at least) that the MCC would be shipping the way it did. I imagine at some point, SOMEBODY over there had a meeting a made the ultimate decision, "Ship it and patch it later". There's no way they were ignorant to the game's state. I'm not picking on MS either, it's just the first one that came to mind. AC Unity comes to mind as well.

What ever happened to delaying games? Look at naughty dog with Uncharted 4.

 

[Tunez]

Of course, but I guess the question is, does the consumer share any of the blame by possibly enabling them to ship garbage?

Yea, look at ubisoft and activision

 

[Luck]

Consumers

Publishers put out rushed products and we pay for it anyway. If people stopped buying broken products, pubs will stop launching broken products

Our wallets are the determining force in this and nothing else, the Xbox launch fiasco is clear evidence. You see how fast kinect was sent to the bushes once those numbers came back

 

[infamousred]

Its both but just about everyone has internet nowadays so there's really no excuse for buying a shytty product. I have enough common sense not to preorder anything before I'm hands on with it so I'm not even entertaining that idea either.
Edit-the biggest problem is people always wanting something right now and not having the patience to wait for it. Time could save you a lot of wasted money in the long run but that goes for any product.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

The day one cop has always been a gamble

 

[daze23]

What ever happened to delaying games?

it happens, but consumers aren't always understanding. when they announced the last delay for GTA V on PC it was met with a bunch of "fukk off Rockstar" comments. that does seem to create a 'lose/lose' situation for devs/pubs

I do think a lot of it is just internet overreactions. just because a NPC clips through a wall, or whatever, doesn't mean "OMG this game is completely broken". those kind of complaints create a kind of "crying wolf" scenario, because they take the attention away from complaints about legitimately broken games

all that being said, I don't know why some dev's still haven't learned to have open beta's for multiplayer games. I mean I thought we crossed that bridge way back with Gears 2. I guess the risk is an open beta lets everyone see your game is crap...

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

I remember buying this game day one

And returning this basura for a loss the same day like an hour and a half later.
The burn is still real

 

[MeachTheMonster]

I agree with that, but I really think that these dates are becoming more and more strict given that games can be patched weeks, if not months later. At this point we all know that Microsoft knew for WEEKS (at least) that the MCC would be shipping the way it did. I imagine at some point, SOMEBODY over there had a meeting a made the ultimate decision, "Ship it and patch it later". There's no way they were ignorant to the game's state. I'm not picking on MS either, it's just the first one that came to mind. AC Unity comes to mind as well.

What ever happened to delaying games? Look at naughty dog with Uncharted 4.

I'm sure plenty of pubs/devs have had that conversation recently.

I'm not sure that the ability to patch games explains the recent spat of broken games. That ability has been there for years. I think it has more to do with devs learning the new systems and doing new things with multiplayer. If you look at halo, Diveclub, and Asscreed, they were all doing some very new and ambitious things.

And don't think a delay is guaranteed to fix issues. Driveclub was delayed a year and still launched fukked up.

 

[lutha]

there is blame on both sides: consumers and devs/publishers, for broken games....blame falls on consumers cause they act like they cant wait for games...they want games now, and to hell with testing, working out kinks, etc...just release the game....yet, when the game comes out broken, those same people are the first ones to run to the internet to scream as loud as they can about it being broken...

blame falls on devs/publishers cause they are in the business to make money...and like meach said: with the costs of games increasing, every day a game not on shelves, is a day lost at making money off that game...so they set release dates when they think they'd get the most sales, and whether or not a game ready, they want a game to release....

another way blame for broken games falls on both: the way the industry has shifted to AAA titles or indies, nothing inbetween....consumers claim they want variety in gaming, want devs to take chances, try new shyt, etc...yet, the only games people really buy are established franchises, sequels, and/or games that follow the same formula....devs/publishers noticed this cause all they care about is the bottom line, so that's why they focus on big titles only...before when consumers would buy smaller titles, it allowed them to release those and take the time necessary to get the big games as ready as possible.....but now, they dont release the smaller titles and will release those big titles when they set a date, no matter if the game is ready or not....

 

[dBoyFresh*212]

I had a huge debate with my boy about this recently and I figured I would bring it to the coli.

I recently preordered MGSVTPP Collectors edition

My boy tells me-

"It's because of people like you who preorder games that we get the broken garbage that companies have been putting out. Once they see the people are buying the game before launch they don't bother fixing anything. They see the demand and figure they have the space now to deal with any issues later. Preorders have killed gaming."

"If anything, I would blame post launch patches as the main reason broken games have been getting released. Shipping a broken product wouldn't even be an option if they knew they only had one shot at getting it right"

Honestly I think its a little bit of both, but since that conversation I've come across several other people who think preordering is the sole reason games ship broken.

shutup