tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post2446491076193598257..comments2023-11-05T03:25:53.239-08:00Comments on Drake's Flames: Rant - Game SaluteUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-18693980129458574602012-06-18T23:40:10.529-07:002012-06-18T23:40:10.529-07:00I just stumbled upon this article. Met GS peeps a ...I just stumbled upon this article. Met GS peeps a bunch of times.<br /><br />They are a group of, seemingly super nice people, mostly family actually, I think?, who love the games industry and don't wont to see retail stores and game companies continuously live and die. Re-sellers and online discounters under-sell the games we love, all while removing the social and human aspect of the gaming industry to nobodies benefit. Not even their own. Many lose money on product. <br /><br />You want to talk about a terrible business model? Cards against Humanity couldn't even afford a re-print from it's profits because they had no clue what they were doing. But high numbers look impressive, don't they? And they had to kickstart to re-print. Yet that was online only wasn't it? The anti-GS model failed instantly. They couldn't afford a single re-print.<br /><br /><br />And you understand that when you buy a game from an online discounter, you are saying with your wallet, "This game is not worth it's value." <br /><br />I guess what I don't understand about the writer or the other posters is why<br />a) would you want a company to NOT support only retail <br /><br />and <br /><br />b)want stores to not be in an online catalog like GS's, that you can just search whereever you are. And I'm pretty sure those exclusive games you are thinking are some terrible monopoly allow gamers to demo them for free at all those awful partnering stores.<br /><br />Like the writer of the blog, that's just my opinion. Of course, I'm not speculating with wild conspiracies while claiming to have no formal education or understanding of the industry at all lol. I think I know what I'm talking about more than a guy who's just quoting a website and making crap up.AndroidLoverhttp://www.fantasyflightgames.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-64556724786777639272011-12-11T23:53:20.541-08:002011-12-11T23:53:20.541-08:00Service and selection are going to be the game sto...Service and selection are going to be the game store's future.<br /><br />If their service (and I include things like gaming space and cleanliness in that) is good enough - people will come just because they feel so welcome there and don't feel it's something they need to guard others from.<br /><br />How many people don't invite their non-gamer friends and family to the local FLGS just because it too closely fits the stereotypes?<br /><br />Selection wins customers because people have a MASSIVELY easier time browsing in person than online.<br /><br />The two most successful game stores I know of focused on one of those two things. The one with the service is such a nice place you almost feel like it's a quality restaurant rather than a game and comic shop. The store with the selection isn't the greatest in terms of how nice it looks, but its selection is massive and worth the trip every time.<br /><br />Game stores that can't or don't focus heavily on at least one of those two things will die a slow death.<br /><br />It also doesn't hurt if they've got good business sense in knowing what to buy, how much of it, and when. No business survives without somebody doing a good job handling the money.Wind Lanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-89839741083270701772011-12-11T22:01:38.813-08:002011-12-11T22:01:38.813-08:00This has also bugged me. I'm not sure why the...This has also bugged me. I'm not sure why they think its in their best interest to greatly limit the number of copies they can sell by restricting who can carry it.<br /><br />I buy almost all my games online. So the dilemma for me is both Tasty Minstral and Clever Mojo are either Kickstarter or wait for it on Game Salute (at list + shipping). You save some decent cash pre-ordering it on Kickstarter but you are buying it blind or hoping that the few reviews posted aren't "bought".<br /><br />And you make a very valid point that the "big" publishers have no worries at all selling to whomever wants to buy them. You don't see Z-Man sticking their nose up at Thoughthammer or B&B.<br /><br />To be honest I think the small local game store is on life support. We have a local gaming club that meets every week and the city I live in has a monthly meet at a local club. We really don't need local stores any longer. We usually pool our orders together and save a ton of cash that way. How can you possibibly compete with that?Philnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-49943088946386081262011-12-11T08:55:13.211-08:002011-12-11T08:55:13.211-08:00WizKids did this exclusive distribution thing with...WizKids did this exclusive distribution thing with Alliance/Diamond Distribution a while back. It was all about saving them money on warehousing their product. Guess what happened? Many retailers don't want anything to do with that distributor so their games got dropped in many areas. Then WizKids died.<br /><br />When they came back, they changed some of the distro headache and they're now more visible.<br /><br />So, congratulations, you just killed your companies!ninthdochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00195339126659964746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-89143619890075388012011-12-10T13:18:14.439-08:002011-12-10T13:18:14.439-08:00PTK, you're right, the developers could still ...PTK, you're right, the developers could still sell their games - but in this case, they're self-publishing, for the most part (Clever Mojo buys games; Sirlin Games does not). Developers selling games to publishers is kind of outside this entire discussion, though it is a very valid issue.<br /><br />And there is international distribution for these games. However, no online stores will be able to buy the games, regardless of location, which will serve to drastically limit international sales.<br /><br />The contract does not limit (or even apply to) developers selling games to publishers. That's an entirely different discussion. The contract does, however, expressly forbid anyone who signs it from supplying an online store with the published games.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-10860625027337030192011-12-10T09:46:59.453-08:002011-12-10T09:46:59.453-08:00Sorry for double posting: What does exactly those ...Sorry for double posting: What does exactly those contracts forbid exactly?<br />a) Selling the published games to stores who would sell them online<br />b) Selling the game to new publishers<br />c) Both "a)" and "b)"PTKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-43897853355931534282011-12-10T09:40:40.561-08:002011-12-10T09:40:40.561-08:00Am not sure if those contracts with Game Salute wo...Am not sure if those contracts with Game Salute would prevent the developers from selling the games to new publishers. I mean, most of the games I want to buy here in Spain are published by Spanish publishers, so I am benefiting national economy and letting the (usually) small publishers in Spain subsist at the same time. I think this is a moral responsibility, like buying a CD from a band you really like: you've got to support people making what you like. However, sometimes this is not possible, since some games seem risky to publish as they are very unknown. That's the reason I bought Puerto Rico Anniversary Edition from an import store, still not publish here nor in development.<br /><br />But the point I'm trying to make here is: does all you said mean games belonging to Game Salute are not going to be sold out of the US? Because, if any store decides to import it, it would be the big ones, which sell on-line. If this is the case, Game Salute are a bunch of "estúpidos" or "idiotas" or even "capullos", as I would call them in Spanish.<br /><br />I couldn't agree more with you and you're doing the right thing. They are like those evil musical managers who make profit of starting bands by offering them draconian contracts which they would accept hands down, as their chances of getting any better chances are just close to none. The difference is they usually know better how to making the bands than Game Salute knows how to sell their products.PTKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-89121797547730123652011-12-09T19:53:23.184-08:002011-12-09T19:53:23.184-08:00Well, three things:
1) I don't really know an...Well, three things:<br /><br />1) I don't really know anything about the Mayfair thing you mentioned. Like, that's the first I'd heard of it.<br /><br />2) A 20% max discount is not the same thing as not letting a retailer carry the game at all. Hell, gaming consoles set the prices, and don't let retailers discount at all, and I'm pretty much OK with that. And at least you can actually get a PS3 on Amazon.<br /><br />3) I don't review for Mayfair, anyway. They don't send me anything, and most of their games are boring.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-51156884281761953992011-12-09T19:45:24.885-08:002011-12-09T19:45:24.885-08:00Pretty much agree with you, but if price fixing is...Pretty much agree with you, but if price fixing is the problem - what's your stance re:Mayfair and the max 20% off enforcement?Derek Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02304738509197799386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-32197487297522991732011-12-09T14:48:44.237-08:002011-12-09T14:48:44.237-08:00I'm just going by the contract Game Salute has...I'm just going by the contract Game Salute has posted on their site. Here are a couple salient quotes:<br /><br />"For all Game Salute Select Stores Exclusive products, Shop.GameSalute.com serves as the official online store."<br /><br />And<br /><br />"The retailer also agrees not to distribute or wholesale any Game Salute Select Stores Exclusive products to any other retail establishments or parties."<br /><br />I grant you that not all the games they carry are subject to these rather draconian exclusions, but a heck of a lot of them are, including Alien Frontiers, Yomi and some others that you might actually want to buy.<br /><br />I also grant you that the publishers are welcome to make up their own minds. But just because you're free to get screwed doesn't mean the guy screwing you is off the hook.<br /><br />I really like the guys at Clever Mojo and Sirlin Games. Hell, the guys at Clever Mojo bought me beer. I'm not the least bit delighted to wave them off. But until I hear an explanation that makes that Game Salute agreement sound like something besides price-fixing, I'm not of a mind to help them sell games.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-49751646013904939792011-12-09T14:23:30.145-08:002011-12-09T14:23:30.145-08:00"So up to this point, Game Salute isn't s..."So up to this point, Game Salute isn't so much bad as it is misguided." I was with you here. Maybe the business model isn't one that you agree with, but apparently enough small publishers believe it will help that they've signed on to Game Salute. <br /><br />And Game Salute isn't really a monopoly. The individual publishers are free to distribute through Game Salute or through internet channels. They've chosen to go with Game Salute. But Game Salute doesn't <i>make</i> any company go through them. <br /><br />So, I guess what I'm saying is, while it wouldn't be my preferred method of distribution either, I also don't make games. I think the small publishers are competent enough to make their own decisions about how to distribute their games.GeekInsighthttp://gfbrobot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-69544239160006776942011-12-09T13:52:31.774-08:002011-12-09T13:52:31.774-08:00/salute to you. No pun intended . . . that takes .../salute to you. No pun intended . . . that takes some brass ones.Sarebearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09208596053319110470noreply@blogger.com