This is really a message for customer service, but support seems to direct me to the forums. Oh well, I suppose it won’t hurt to say this publicly, as there might be a lot of people who agree.
Anyway…
I’m a long-term Forza fan, and have been playing since the series began on the original Xbox. About a month ago my wife surprised me with a new Xbox One. Considering that we have kids, we’re both in college, and there are all those other expenses that go along with life, I’m rarely in the position to pay a full $60 for a game. In fact, I’m the kind of consumer that usually holds out for price drops on games.
However, I’m also the kind of consumer that will purchase DLC if I feel that it is a good value. For example, I held out on Mass Effect 3 until I was able to get it for $20 new, and since I felt that it was a good value, I was more inclined to purchase the expansion packs. The same was true for Borderlands 2, since I got it for only $10 (new!) buying the DLC season pass felt like a non-issue. Lastly, this is how I spent money on Forza 4. I waited until it was $20, and literally bought every piece of DLC for it during the “Ultimate Sale” last summer.
Considering that some 3rd party retailers on Amazon.com are already selling new copies of Forza 5 for less than $30, I was wondering if I might see a price drop on the Xbox storefront any time soon. I’m really itching to jump into Forza 5 and join the fun, and I don’t want to buy a used copy since I believe in supporting developers and Turn 10 wouldn’t see any profit from that purchase (and I’d prefer the digital version anyway). I think a competitively priced download would really help facilitate that decision for me and a lot of other consumers, and also make me more comfortable with the purchase of DLC. I’m thinking maybe $20 for a base download, or maybe more for some kind of “digital deluxe” edition that includes the season pass.
The high cost of a “new” game promotes the sale of used copies of that game… which the developer and publishers don’t make any money on at all! Given the popularity of Forza 5, it is inevitable that retailers like GameStop (and now Walmart!) will get a lot of used copies. It is in Microsoft and Turn 10’s best interest to remain competitive over used copies… getting $20 on a digital sale (which can’t be resold) is a lot better than losing a sale entirely because the consumer chose a used copy instead.
For the core game you could see a sale on it, but not for the DLC to be included. History has already shown games with DLC (Game of the year versions) only come out around a year after original release. If they do at all.
i would not wait for a goty version of forza. the forza 4 “special” edition was called forza essentials. not only did it not have any dlc, half the launch game was ripped out. it was a freekin demo not the game. forza 3 ultimate was a great deal, but essentials was probably the most disapointing experience i’ve had with xbox. i was livid.
As I told you on the old forums at the time, Forza Essentials is a stripped down version of FM4 given away for FREE with the skyrim 360s bundle (and other bundles). It was only intended as a taster of the game and nothing more, and was never supposed to be sold on its own either. It even states this on the case the Forza Essentials disk is in.
dont hold you breath for a price drop on download. get the good price on the disk. a few days ago the microsoft store had a sale on the new call of duty. it was under $20 for the disk…same title download was still $60. not only is used cheaper, new is cheaper. this is why i refuse to buy any dlc. i can not support gouging. and by the way the ms store has free shipping. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=798140
For me - these two statements just don’t seem like they belong together:
Even if the money is going to Turn10 - is paying 1/3 or less of the original cost less than 6 months after release really “supporting the developers”? At that point it sounds more like the developers are supporting you.
$20 is better than nothing… plus, I already said that I frequently buy DLC which also helps support Turn 10.
Personally, I think $60 is too much money for a game. Especially a digital game that requires no costs of manufacture or shipping, and doesn’t have to part with a retailer’s cut.
I’m afraid you picked the wrong hobby. I’m sorry but I just find it a little funny that you can spend $500 on the console, but now you are bickering over $40 for a game. Something just doesn’t make sense. Not only that, but you have options to buy the game at half the price, but that’s not good enough for you because you want it digitally. If for whatever reason you can’t afford the $60, but can afford the $30, then buy the $30 version.
I hate sounding like a jerk here, but if $30 is going to make or break you, then I think you should choose a different hobby until you have the means to support this one.
Just my two cents though. And I apologize if I offended you with my thoughts.
First of all, no offense taken. Second of all, my Xbox One really was a surprise. Because of our college expenses, and a little thing called the Child Tax Credit, my wife and I got a decent tax return. I was planning to wait a while to upgrade, and even told my wife not to get me one. But she did anyway, and it’s kind of hard to turn down a gift.
As for hobbies… well, gaming is actually fairly inexpensive compared to a lot of hobbies. I’d easily spend $50 on one fishing trip for example… and taking my wife and kids to the zoo easily tops $60. I love to hike, but Arizona simply gets too hot in the summer, and it isn’t something I can do at night.
Lastly, it isn’t that I cannot afford to pay $60 for a game… it’s simply that when it comes to discretionary spending I have more important (and less selfish) things to purchase. $20 or $30 is a lot easier to justify in my budget.
Saves $15 at least. You buy 3 $15 xbox gift cards and in a day or two you should have an email with the other $15 worth of codes. I tried my first one last night and had it in a few hours.
