Why We Need To Stop Pre-Ordering Games

No, GameStop, we would not like to pre-order. And here's why: until gamers stop pre-ordering, developers will continue to release unfinished games. 2014 was supposed to be a fantastic year with TONS of massive blockbuster video games. The year was going to be filled with games such as Assassin's Creed Unity, that were supposed to be amazing and new and revolutionary(see what I did there?). But instead, ACU was broken from the start. Horribly broken. Maybe you're wondering, "Hey Connor, why didn't you write a review on Unity?." Well, reader, I didn't waste my time writing a review on it because it was so glitchy, fragmented, and just plain broken that I didn't even finish it! Same thing happened with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. I didn't get Halo at launch because I didn't own an Xbox One until Christmas, but I read all about how the multiplayer didn't work for days!

Developers are now working under the assumption that because so many consumers have pre-ordered a copy of whatever game they are developing, they can release it when they want to, then upload day one patches to fix the bugs and continue to release patches until the game is rightfully "finished." There used to be a time where you would go out and buy a new game on day 1 of release, pop it in the console of your choice, and play it with minimal bugs. Retail companies like GameStop are partnering with the developers to give special "pre-order exclusives" to entice gamers to reserve a copy in advance of the release. A couple years ago, pre-ordering a game made plenty of sense because if you didn't, then there was a chance you may not get a copy on day 1. Now, distributors make sure that retail companies have plenty of copies for day 1 of release. Who cares if you get that bonus weapons pack or not by pre-ordering? Chances are the developer will release that weapons pack in DLC a few months later, or those items are already available later in the game.

Look at those next-gen graphics!

Game developers can make educated guesses on how many copies they will sell because they can tell how many people have reserved that game. And hey, I'm guilty of this too. I pre-ordered 14 games last year. And almost every single one had a day one patch because the developer didn't finish the game before releasing it to the public. We need to unite together to stop pre-ordering games and gradually, gaming companies will realize that they have to finish their games before releasing them. There were a lot of games that were supposed to come out either holiday season 2014, or early 2015, and they have been delayed. But guess what? I'd rather wait to play a game that the developer has taken their time making and perfecting then play something that comes out 6 months before it should be released. Take The Last of Us for instance: Naught Dog set a release date for it. And when it came down to crunch time they delayed it because it just wasn't where it needed to be yet. And you can ask anyone in the gaming journalism community and they will probably tell you that those last couple of months of development time meant the difference between TLOU being a great game, and a near perfect game. So please, I'm begging you, don't pre-order any games this year. Wait a day or two to see if that game is broken or not. Read the reviews, listen to the critics, then decide if that $60 is worth it. Let's reverse the tide.