Why was the launch date so ambiguous? Most games, DVDs, and CDs have a release date, usually Tuesdays. In general, highly anticipated titles are pre-shipped and put out on the release date (e.g. Mission Impossible III) while less popular titles move to the selling floor more slowly. GoW was highly anticipated, right? EB Games and Gamestop promised it on 11/7 or 11/8, while Circuit City and Best Buy would have it a day or two later. Why didn't all retailers have it the same day? Marketing and competition.
Retailers are highly competitive for our shopping dollar. Since a new release game price is fixed at launch, retailers cannot compete on price. (Note: Only WalMart is given a pass on the $x9.99 pricing model. The industry allows WalMart to lower it a whooping $0.07 to $x9.92.) If price is not a differentiator, retailers must compete for our attention with marketing. Unfortunately they usually fail and buyers pick up their games wherever they happen to be.
Well, GoW tried something different and gave most major retailers a unique way to grab the attention of prospective buyers. Why do you think EB Games and Gamestop got the earliest availability dates? They cater to the hardcore gamers, the ones that want the game the second it hits the shelf. Best Buy? They offered a free GoW T-shirt with the purchase of the game. It was not necessarily an offering that caters to Best Buy's target shopper, but it was unique. Finally, Circuit City had its own offering as well, a 15% off coupon. Buyers would have to wait an extra 2 or 3 days, but they would save money. Oddly, two of the larger retailers, Wal*Mart and Target were left out in the cold without a gimmick to call their own!
So in the future, expect big games to have big gimmicks. Pay attention to the offerings and you can decide if you want it first, cheapest or with a cool t-shirt. Maybe DOAX 2 will come with a thong?
