Weekend tech reading: Crytek foresees 'the end of free game demos'

[Vrmithrax]

Sounds like Yerli has sipped the EA kool-aid and is now a Stepford Developer. Or possibly he was replaced by a pod person, we may never know for sure... Either way, he's so far beyond touch with consumers it is laughable. Demos exist to draw people in and give them a taste, get them hooked, and then wait for the money to hit the table. It's rampant on consoles - don't demos account for a huge chunk of the download bandwidth on the Sony network? Don't most of those console games magazines come with a demo disc full of crack-tacular gaming goodies?

Honestly, it sounds like some accountant in the pits of hell (aka EA) who has no idea what the company is even about, has decided that cutting demos out will increase the bonuses to the company leaders, so they have decided that IT SHALL BE! Customers be damned. We're just inconveniences to them anyhow.

 

[Zilliak]

Without demo's. I will honestly not buy the game.The only reason i bought crysis was because of the demo, same with all the command and conquer games if i like the demo ill buy the game. Without the demo dont expect a purchase from me. So go ahead crytek dont make a demo.

 

[Richy2k9]

hello ...

sorry passing by again, some lessons to Crytek:

- do some research before stating anything
- stop & learn to think before any statement
- we are the customers, we are always right, without us you are nothing.

i've bought some games i never heard of just after playing a demo (elefunk / echochrome / crash commando / infamous .. oh no if i continue will be another long post!)

a lot of people do same.

if i stayed with games i knew & saw only videos ... wouldn't know the fun in playing some tower defense games, some weird but original puzzle games.

i accept time limited demos, because they still give us an insight & from the heaps of demos i tried, a lot did expire & giving me that sensation of missing a game so much i went buying it.

so if you think you know everything, just go & don't do a demo, even if you make millions of sales, it would always mean you could have done better.

cheers!

 

[MrAnderson]

You know, I don't mind paying a little for a demo if it is truly costing them time and resources to produce them. Fine.

Nevertheless, I think for those who buy a sample that will predeterminately (in most cases) go no where should get a discount on the final game or some other insentive that will balance things out a bit more for both developer and consumer.

The fact of the matter is that demos are sometimes the only way for us to know if a game is going to be any good. There are platform discrepencies, (I'm sorry to say) you cannot count on the game jounalists completely anymore because of that evolusion happening now. It is one think to see a bad movie an loose almost 20 bucks some places, it is another thing to drop 60 bucks on something even more interactive and it is not what you wanted at all.

Otherwise we are forced to rent the game in the process, may not purchase it at all because we beat it during the rental process. Or maybe games kiosks need to be functioning in the stores so people can sample the content. We can do it for books, even sometimes movies, so games should not be different considering the cost difference.

 

[Richy2k9]

hello ...

Nevertheless, I think for those who buy a sample that will predeterminately (in most cases) go no where should get a discount on the final game or some other insentive that will balance things out a bit more for both developer and consumer.

i said that on some other sites before & someone pointed out that it would be difficult for anyone to prove having played a demo & that games are sold almost everywhere, but still it's a nice idea ... let say, that with each demo you can have a discount code or a special limited addon, some DLCs, then maybe OK.

yet if they did demos that are completely out of the game but showcase it, let say an exclusive small out of big game context story, something exclusive to the demo & not found in a game.

else just do some free demos like others do & let us decide by ourself.

cheers!

 

[mattfrompa]

"Crytek foresees 'the end of free game demos..." And I forsee the end of people giving a crap about demos lol.

 

[JudaZ]

ok....so dont give out demos....but dont complain when I share the game online for free then either.

I try, i like, i buy, or delete, hate, and destroy.

 

[jgvmx]

well, if they don't give a free demo, people will search for a "free full-demo", in other words, a pirate copy. not a very bright idea imho.

for me demos are very useful not only to see how the game plays but to know if my computer can handle it without hassles.