Topic: What's the Point of Pre-Orders?

In this day and age (where even handhelds have digital marketplaces now), for a game that's a 3A worldwide release , buying a physical copy from a major retailer (the consumer ie you, live in a modern city say in the US where's there's 2 Gamestop, 2 Walmarts plus a Target etc. within 5 mile radius) ie the vast majority of American/Canadian/European consumers...what's the point of pre-ordering titles for consumers really?

Let's say there are no "extra" schwag/stuff or DLC's or discounts involved (which are the vast majority of releases).

Why do people pre-order games? I know that benefits for retailers and the game industry, but without 'incentives' like free stuff and DLC's, why do my friends and people I know 'pre-order' games?

FYI, my friends a few of which struggle to make a budget (over draw bank accounts etc) but seems to be so 'financially' ahead of keeping money for games as if it's a rare commodity...

Don't want to offend people who do, I just want to know why. I've done it a few times when DLC's were involved and with Skyrim + midnight release just so I can see what's all the fuss is about ie weirdos that line up at for hours dorking out stores wearing medieval clothes with other weirdos just for the fun of it.

Every time I walk into Gamestop they make sure to scare me to put preorder as if its a super hot commodity that will ruin my life if I don't get it at midnight the day of release, when I just asked for release date.

Have you ever regretted not pre-ordering a game (no incentives)? Like you literally walked into Best Buy, Walmart, GS...and they all said "sorry we're all sold out should've pre ordered..."?

I pre-order a game because otherwise it might be out of stock, and I have no idea when it'll come back and I tend to not like 2nd hand for most of my games. (Buying digital is also far more expensive over here)

Although I have no idea how it is in other countries, but in Indonesia, not pre-ordering can mean your copy will be relegated to weeeeeeeks after and you might not even get it. MHW was one of the biggest example of this at that time.

Besides for money, I just relegate certain amount I can spend each month, and then as long as my spending this month didn't go over, I can buy as many games as I want.

I preorder games I want and would end up buying eventually because with amazon prime membership in the US, I save 20% on preordered games. No brainer for me.
I'm also in no danger of overdrawing my credit or debit accounts due to being the head of my office.

@Alikan this is news to me, so most games on Amazon Prime are 20% discounted with pre-orders? I have both seller and prime accounts, granted most games I prefer either used or digital copies so maybe why I haven't heard of it...

Uh, because you get it day one? With-out driving to a store somewhere. Either available digitally, or delivered to your door.

If it's a game that you know you're going to purchase, why would you not pre-order it?

@JaxonH Why not? What if the games sucks?

Also if it's digital anyway...then why do you need to pre-order? Is there a limit on digital downloads?

Unless it's pre-ordered from a delivery site like Amazon, I think most people who pre-order still do in store pick up. And as far as I'm concerned I've never went to a game store on day of release and got the dreaded "we're out of stock" problem.

The idea of buying a game day one is kinda stupid nowadays. Congrats, you played a game earlier than others, no one cares. Other people will enjoy it later, and likely with less issues and maybe even a cheaper price because they have patience.

I think I've pre-ordered...three games this entire decade.

@Lloiddd
What if the games sucks?

It won't. Unless you're an idiot just pre-ordering games willy-nilly then that should never happen. Take Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, for example. I KNOW that game is awesome. I've played several games in the series before. There is no way in hell I am not buying that game. There is no way in hell that game is going to suck. Therefore => preordered.

Valkyria Chronicles 4. The first game is one of my favorite of all times. This one has been said in Japanese reviews to not only match the first game but possibly even exceeds it. There is no way in hell I'm not buying that game. There is no way in hell the game is going to suck. Therefore => preordered.

Dark Souls Remastered, Mega Man 11, Team Sonic Racing, The World Ends With You, Smash Ultimate, Fire Emblem Three Houses, etc etc etc. There is no way possible any of those games are going to suck, and there's no way on this green earth I'm not going to buy those games. Therefore => preordered.

If it's a game that's uncertain, like Daemon X Machina, then you simply have to make a judgment call. In my case I pre-order it because it looks interesting. If reviews come out that say the game is horrible (which is unlikely) then I'll simply cancel my preorder a day before it ships, or if it's already shipped out, then I'll return the unopened game. 2 minutes to print a return label. Therefore, no reason not to pre-order. Physically, anyways. For digital I stick to games I'm sure about.

most people do in store pickup

Oh, I don't think so. Anybody above the age of 18 likely has a credit or debit card, and more and more people shop online for practically everything nowadays. Why go out and buy something in person and waste time and gas when you can have it delivered to your door for no charge. Amazon with Prime is 20% off plus another 5% back with their store credit card. Same for BestBuy. Of course you could go to Best Buy in person but that's usually quite a drive since there aren't too many of them and besides that, why would you when you can just have them bring it to you.

@Lloiddd yeah, since switch launched I've done almost all my videogame purchasing through amazon to get the 20% off. I laugh when people complain this or that game is too expensive to buy physically at MSRP. I get 20% discount from prime preorder and 5% discount on top of that by using their credit card, which I pay off monthly so I don't have to deal with interest. Amazon then gives me points off my next purchase with them and I get the gold My Nintendo points off the cartridges to save 60 cents on an eshop title that catches my eye. If I'm gonna drop $ on games, might as well save as much as possible on SD card space and financially while still getting it same day at my doorstep on launch day almost every time. Bayonetta 2 took an extra 3 days, but I think they underestimated its popularity.

@JaxonH "It wont..."

That's hella lot of optimism if you ask me.

Example, I was a huge fan of Mass Effect series (I have 4 copies of the game in all platforms it came out lol) and Mass Effect Andromeda is something I would've bought day one had it not for the simple fact that my PC broke and I was saving for a new desktop.

I heard it's not a totally bad game...but it wasn't pretty on day one. lol

Another example that I know friends of my pre ordered and were disappointed was No Man's Sky two years ago.

It's crazy to think that "you just know" simply because I thought Andromeda was a sure hit (track record of the company/series).

"I don't think so..."

I think so.

"Did you know that 57% of online shoppers surveyed said they had picked up an online order in a store in the last year. Avoiding shipping fees is the top reason why 73% of shoppers preferred buy online and In Store pickup, followed by 32.2% for whom the store was nearby and convenient to pick up item and 30.4% who needed purchased item same day and couldn’t wait for delivery. "
https://www.invespcro.com/blog/buy-online-pick-up-in-store/

Some people still do a store pickup? I envy your free time to go to the store xD

@kkslider5552000 Also I find the idea playing it first day is also good since I tend to play story-heavy type, so it's also enable me to talk with friends about it AND I also can avoid spoilers, and once I'm done I don't need to worry about spoilers anymore.

And I also like to support the devs with buying it Day-1 so yeah.

@Lloiddd
It's not optimism. Its fact.

I've been doing this for years. You know how many bad games I preordered? 3. Out of 265 games.

Its fact. I know the difference between a good and bad game. I know what I like.

Btw, simply saying 57% picked up A SINGLE ITEM IN A YEAR is my point exactly. Even I've done that, and I shop almost exclusively online.

And anyone who shops online can tell you, there are no shipping fees. Unless you're ordering a $2 pack of gum, it's free. All new video games ship free. And I get free shipping on EVERYTHING, expedited shipping at that, because I shop so much online. And I can promise you now most others do too.

edit
And fyi that study is completely useless, because it's for all ages and all products. When you narrow it down to video games, that means purchases large enough for free shipping.

So you can take that percentage and notch it down to about 10% or less.

@darkfenrir "People still do in store pick up..."

Really? My friend that is living in Jakarta (for work) says he has to pick up most of his things because shipping in Indonesia is not a great service/sometimes unreliable and costs a lot. He buys things for his children from overseas and gets it shipped sometimes. He told me that most Indonesians buy directly from retailers.

@Lloiddd No I mean for videogames to be honest? Like if for every other things I understand (Like groceries to... everything else). But for games? As far as I know most people do online shopping for them...

I personally prefer online shopping for games, and games only because the online store tend to be much, much cheaper compared to going to the stores. I went to some of the stores at mall and they are outright 70,000 - 100,000 (around 1-1.5 USD) more expensive...

I know 1-1.5 USD isn't too high if you see it in USD, but in my currency that's enough to let me eat my fill in restaurant haha.

@JaxonH Seems to be very subjective rather than fact. Because I know people who regretted preordering crappy/underwhelming games. A friend of mine "gamer blogs" on FB about his recent purchases...and I often see bad or mediocre, or underwhelming (ie games that are not bad, but fall below expectations ie Mass Effect Andromeda). Many of those games he could've avoided if he saw reviews. And for what? So they could play it at day one? Most games come out on a Tuesday...lots of games don't even get played until a few days later on the weekend.

Good for you though if that's your track record.

"A single item..." that's not actually what it said, but that's the threshold (at least one item). I doubt that they're "single" item only annually, as clearly their biggest reason was shipping fees (if the other such reason was true, eg your reason for in store pickup ie convenience would've been the top), which whether or not is true (whether shipping really is expensive or not) the perception of the ~57% of consumers is that it is (therefore prefer in store pick ups).

"No shipping fees..." Oh is that what Amazon told you? lol Because you already paid for it in annual subscription. lol. I guess whether it's free shipping or not if you buy enough games through their site, maybe it's worth it. I mean you paid 99 bucks to Amazon Prime, if the cost of shipping per game is around 2.50, I guess if you bought 40 games (close to one game a week) you will get your "free shipping" 's worth in subscription.

@Lloiddd
Then you know people who arent smart and preorder games they didn't know would be good or not.

Theres nothing subjective about ordering what you know you're gonna buy.

All those "underwhelming and mediocre games"? Would never be a game I preordered. Because I'm not an idiot. Yet again, I only order games I KNOW will be good. Mass Effect Andromeda? Please. You'd have to ignore all the warning signs to fall for that one (and even if you did, you could simply return the unopened package)

And who said anything about a subscription? You clearly know very little about shopping online. The fact you automatically assumed that's the only way to ship free tells me you don't really understand how modern online shopping works. I get free shipping from BEST BUY, not Amazon (well, Amazon also actually) and NOT FROM A SUBSCRIPTION. Orders over $25-35 ship free. And guess what? That's practically every new video game. Furthermore, BestBuy Elite members get free shipping and Elite Plus get free expedited shipping. And no, that's not a subscription either. Amazon Prime gets free shipping, and yes you pay for that, but that money paid is being made back in the $12 discounts from each game purchased. Shipping is a bonus (not that you need it anyways, the games would ship free regardless based on their price alone).

Then theres the cost. BestBuy 20% off + 6% back with CC as Elite Plus member and day one delivery (so like $45)... vs... driving to a Gamestop or Walmart that's gonna charge you $60, plus the gas and time getting there. And if you say screw that, I'll go in store to get the BB discount? Well you better hope there's a store within a 50 mile radius. Best bring some snacks for the ride, and maybe a jar to pee in.

@darkfenrir Really? Online order + shipping is much cheaper than in store pick up and digital? Wow. I could understand the mark up at retail but with shipping it's still cheaper? That sounds weird to me (that ordering online digital is more expensive, buying physical from retailer is more expensive but buying online with shipping is somehow cheaper than both). If that's a fact, good for you. I just had the impression that shipping anywhere in SEAsia is a mark up (I know it is in Thailand, and in Manila it was unreliable service).

@Lloiddd Yes, digital is massively more expensive once you count in... the exchange rates. I do have decent amount of eshop credits, but that's because of winning some things, as well as gifts from my friends.

Like... for example maybe I can go with Xenoblade Chronicles 2?

So I bought it on Tokopedia, with voucher so I managed to get cashback so it's around 720,000, then got 100,000 cashback ish so it's around 620,000. Then add shipping of 20,000, so it's only 640,000 in total.

But if I were to buy it on retail at mall, it would be around 780,000. Mainly because the store is at mall and probably need to pay for mall's rental spaces, while the online store... has no such problems.

So by that point I saved up around 140,000... and that's not counting the money I would need to go to mall (I have no vehicles so I need to ride Grab or Uber kind of thing).

And shipping is kinda only expensive if you were to order too big stuff imo? Often the price of shipping can even go down to 9,000 (around 0.75 USD?). And I think the most expensive is if you are to import / export... Maybe that's what colored your perspective? Ordering inside the country is definitely cheaper.

@JaxonH Again that doesn't make sense bro.

Mass Effect Andromeda had most people believing it would've been a great game: history of the series, early previews etc...it still tanked so bad that it ended the series. lol I mean you couldn't possible have blamed all those who were expecting great releases to be simply 'not smart' and were the exceptions to rule (many of them sure preordered and were hella disappointed, and they have a HUGE following due to the past games). So you're telling me all those who thought that Mass Effect Andromeda was gonna be great, pre ordered it and found it below their expectations are all "idiots" because they don't have ability to see through time and space (a guaranteed super power you seem to have, bravo)?

Sorry broham we're not all Miss Cleos. I work partially in finance, and you seem to have knack for "facts" regarding predicting games, maybe you could help pick 100% which games would do well so I can buy company stocks ahead of time 100% bulletproof? lol

...and that's my argument, would you still buy a game that is rated very low had you known that was the case? You could "know" you want the game months ahead, but if you knew it sucked you wouldn't buy it after having that knowledge (knowledge you would only gain after release and people actually reviewed it).

"Best Buy..." Well good for you (that's the operative word). lol. I do too (I just bought my laptop accessories for "free shipping" last week), and I also do A LOT of in store pick up (BB I go to is next to a grocery store so I knock two stones in one throw).

Still doesn't take away from fact that MOST Americans consumers don't (that they rather buy from or pick up directly from store).

Edit: I just read your edit...and yes it's for all ages, but your "if narrowed to video games, it'll be 10%" is a number you pulled out of thin air ie supposition. But the survey also showed that 75% of 18-34 bought extra stuff...I gather if the a good majority of younger people buy other things with the in store pick up, I can at least surmise a good portion of them do this as well.

From the same survey, in store pick up grew 15% in two years...so if it's a dying trend it's weird how it's growing instead of going down.

For me it's because I get the game delivered a day or two early to my house and I get 20% off since my Best Buy Gamer's Club membership is still good. Once that runs out? I'll probably just go to pre-ordering consoles. Games usually are shipped in good supply. Systems themselves, not so much.