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Tycho
Wanna-Be Webmaster
Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 1041
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:54 pm |
Recently I had a chance to sit down with Adam Kahn of Vivendi Universal Games. For those of you that don't know him, he is the main PR person for the whole gaming side of VU and has quite a bit of pull when it comes to distrubiting games. After seeing that the Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay comes with 5 CDs (it was a console game first), I wondered why more games weren't being released in the DVD format. He was cool enough to response to this very question.
Why don't more publisher start going to DVD for large games such as Escape from Butcher Bay? What is the biggest hurdle to this? When can we expect more title to come out in DVD?
Well here’s the question the marketing people ask themselves every time we start thinking about packaging a PC title right now: Is it worth it to me to lose even one sale from someone who doesn’t have a DVD-ROM drive in order to deliver this game in the new format?
Right now, when we’re shipping games on 5 CDs, it’s not. You can’t convince me that we’re losing sales because we’re not on DVD, but I can show you direct proof that we would lose sales if we ship only on DVD.
As time goes on and we start seeing a cost issue of shipping on CDs vs DVDs, you’ll probably see a shift. I doubt it’ll be 2005 (at least for us), but maybe 2006/2007. He brings up some valid points for staying with the current CD format. However in my opinion with DVD drives fastly approaching the cost of their CD counterparts we may soon see a change towards DVD games. |
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Cheetah
Ultimate Fanboy
Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 2831
Location: Halfway between the gutter and stars.
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 1:28 pm |
well, thats BS.. if you dont got a DVD-ROM then you probably dont even got a computer that is able to run the game anyway.. |
_________________
<CrashOverwrite> ask Raven cause he nevaR knows anything.
<Cheetah01> hes nevaR here either 
<CrashOverwrite> true
<Rachel> |
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Raven
UO Staff
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2235
Location: Clyde, Ohio
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:47 pm |
IMHO all games should be offered in a Dual format option like how the UT2004 SE was offered. that way people can pick and choose what they want |
_________________
nevaR ask Raven
Because he nevaR knows!
Http://www.guardiansofdeath.com |
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Cheetah
Ultimate Fanboy
Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 2831
Location: Halfway between the gutter and stars.
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:50 pm |
but that will cost more again. i think.. for the publishers.. |
_________________
<CrashOverwrite> ask Raven cause he nevaR knows anything.
<Cheetah01> hes nevaR here either
<CrashOverwrite> true
<Rachel> |
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Raven
UO Staff
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2235
Location: Clyde, Ohio
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:53 pm |
not really...
think about it, 5 CD's, or 1 DVD......
even if the DVD's cost a little more, its going to be cheaper and more efficient for the companies to stamp 1 DVD instead of 5 CD's... and you can increase efficency, and decrease the time it takes for stores to get the product.
granted $$$$ is always in the equasion screwing things up, but i really had hoped that HL2 woulda been in DVD format, or atleast offered that way... |
_________________
nevaR ask Raven
Because he nevaR knows!
Http://www.guardiansofdeath.com |
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barbos
Ultimate Fanboy
Joined: 18 May 2003
Posts: 508
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Tue Dec 21, 2004 8:04 pm |
It's ok to lose sells because they can't afford a 1200$ PC, but they are worried about a 30$ dvd drive ?!
I'm almost to the point where I won't buy a game if it only comes on a bunch of cd's. |
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HeLLFiRe
UO Noob
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 43
Location: Redding, California
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 2:18 am |
Didn't we go through this about 10 years ago? Companies deciding when to switch from floppies to CD's. I don't remember any huge problems then, but of course now we have many more communists on the internets. |
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Burgess
UO Staff
Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 542
Location: Almost Heaven WV, USA
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:58 am |
I would prefer all games come on DVD. And if they don't I think individuals with a DVD burner, like myself, should be able to take our 3-5 CDs and burn them to one DVD. Anyone know how? |
_________________
"Power without perception is spiritually useless and therefore of no true value." - Ryuukin Father to Ken, Jagi, and Raoh |
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Cheetah
Ultimate Fanboy
Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 2831
Location: Halfway between the gutter and stars.
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 11:58 am |
not posible, the instal wizard needs all CDs.
i say we skip the DVD phase and just make games availible for donwload. it will make em cheaper, only need to buy a CD key in a email.. so no need for expensif packaging etc... |
_________________
<CrashOverwrite> ask Raven cause he nevaR knows anything.
<Cheetah01> hes nevaR here either
<CrashOverwrite> true
<Rachel> |
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JaFO
Guest
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 1:50 pm |
That's a pretty crappy installer.
I'd suggest you take a look at the UT2k4 DVD ... it's basically 6 cd's in their own directories.
I think the real reason is that the copy-'protection' they're using is far too flaky to be used for dvd's. A lot of customers would return the product because of that.
No one can honestly convince me that selling a dvd is going to cost sales, because dvd's are pretty much standard for any pc that's capable of running the games.
As for downloading games ... until 10 Megabit connections are standard I don't want to go that route., because even today no company in the world has been able to handle the massive downloading of content.
Latest example is Valve's Steaming pile of crap. |
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HeLLFiRe
UO Noob
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 43
Location: Redding, California
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 3:24 pm |
Bittorrent can handle it. |
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barbos
Ultimate Fanboy
Joined: 18 May 2003
Posts: 508
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Wed Dec 22, 2004 8:08 pm |
Most broadband connections have a very limited upstream cap. Bittorrent wants you to leave your machine up after you finish your download so you can do your part to "share" the torrent for everyone else. This may be acceptable for free stuff, but I'm not going to buy a game and spend a long time downloading, then have to leave my machine up about 10x as long so others can download it.
Bittorrent is not a solution IMO. The internet is already tied up from people who haven't a clue what is running on their machine. Forcing people to tie it up even more downloading huge games will just make it that much worse.
Especially the people who format every weekend.
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