IG holding game back?

[vee4473]

go galciv go

ecclipse moo

gotta love the underdog

[Corentor]

Just to add more fuel to the fire, Rantz's comments about the retailers having the game seems to be all but confirmed.

I was at EB today browsing and decided to bug them to see what they had to say. The guy punched it into the computer and Moo3 was in the system.

He told me that this only occurs when they have the games in the warehouses and the shops are about to recieve them. He also said when this happens it usually means that it is, at the very most, a week before the game hits the streets.

So maybe there will be an early release.

[Cedayon]

Originally posted by Corentor
So maybe there will be an early release.

Legal or otherwise

[viciouscycle]

Originally posted by Corentor
Just to add more fuel to the fire, Rantz's comments about the retailers having the game seems to be all but confirmed.

I was at EB today browsing and decided to bug them to see what they had to say. The guy punched it into the computer and Moo3 was in the system.

He told me that this only occurs when they have the games in the warehouses and the shops are about to recieve them. He also said when this happens it usually means that it is, at the very most, a week before the game hits the streets.

So maybe there will be an early release.

Watch it come out tomorrow while I'm spending ten+ hours on the road with a friend to go deliver a jet ski that he sold on ebay.

[gunnergoz]

I can't recall many games being released by retail on the weekends...that's their peak shopping period anyway...weekday releases are preferred as they bring in customers who wouldn't ordinarily be in the stores.

[Arnelos]

There's supposed to be a huge snowstorm on the Eastern coast of the U.S. this weekend... I probably won't be able to go out and get the store to buy the game (or the game to reach the store) even if it DOES come out this weekend (which it won't).

My bet is mid-way through next week at the earliest... given the lack of signs of it actually arriving in stores, however (there's got to be a shipping clerk who would mention it or something ), I'd guess late next week at the very earliest and far more likely running right up to the February 20s that Rantz told us long ago seemed nearly impossible

oh well.

[rhofman]

Must.. hang... in.... a... little... longer.......

[Araanor]

Originally posted by TheMaestro
IG + Strategy First is prolly a pretty darn good combo...Strat First has been making some great war/strategy games.

Publishing.

[Alex-C]

Gunnergoz, here in England games are frequently released at the weekends (usually the friday), and i assume its exactly because it is their busiest time and will therefore have a greater chance of impulse buying. I can see reasons for weekend AND midweek release though, i wonder which is more successful?

[Jack_www]

I just cant wait for it any longer, I wish I had the game already, but I am going to have to wait with everyone else. I hope they release it soon and stop holding it back!

[Arnelos]

Ok, I hadn't read the posts just above my own when I posted my last post

Apparently, the retailers indeed already have the game.

If that's the case, a release early next week IS a possibility.

Let's hope for it.

[Kc7mxo]

Originally posted by Arnelos
Ok, I hadn't read the posts just above my own when I posted my last post

Apparently, the retailers indeed already have the game.

If that's the case, a release early next week IS a possibility.

Let's hope for it.

I wouldn't count on an early release. . . .

[gunnergoz]

I'm betting on a release next Thursday, 2/20. Just a hunch.

[patrickjb53]

Originally posted by QwertyX
I'd like to put a few thing into perspective if I may.

I know only a little about manufacturing from a job I had with Motorala -made them strange little chips that go into these fancy gizmos we love so much for awhile; but I know more about distribution as a former Wally World employee-5 years and two of those as a dept manager.

IG had two products that went gold at the same time- Unreal2 and Moo3. Moo3 was late and U2 was on time(as far as I know) U2 was already on the schedule for the "big production line", So the proably either held Moo3 til U2 run was over or moved Moo3 to a "small production line" in order to send out review copies and to start building stock. Also there is this to consider they will most likely sell more U2 than Moo3. i'm sure that was also considered, but I don't know IG's standards of practices so I'm guessing they went with the ever successful corporate model i.e. the allmighty dollar.(btw this is all conjecture but its logical as far as I can tell). When U2 finished it intial run IG probably switched Moo3 to the "big production line" to complete their inital order fullfillment.

The next stage in the game is distribution. I'm going to use Wally-world cause I know hgow they work, but its easy to imagine that EB or Amazon uses simliar means. When a product is announced these business use market analysis (i.e. how did similiar products sell in the past, market saturation etc) to figure out how many they are going to need to fufill inital demand. They submit that number to to the manufacturer. IG is most likely contractually obligated to fulfill that order, as well as the orders of all the other distributors. So IG has to guage how quickly they can get the TOTAL amount of all those orders to the distributors so they can ALL get the product on the shelves at the same time. Thats the "release date". No distributor- especially Wal-Mart likes getting "shutout" of product and Wal-Mart especially has a rep in the biz for playing nasty with companies that do. So there is no way that IG is going to shoot itself in the foot- so to speak- by sending to say Amazon and telling them to go ahead and ship before anybody else.
Remember that hoo-ha a few years back about the inital release of the PS-2 (I think) when Sony couldn't make enough to ship over here and all the backlash that occured bacause of it. Do you want Moo3 in the same boat? I didn't think so...

Manufacturers have shortages all the time. I can't imagine IG holding back the release of MOO3 to make sure the distributors have enough copies on their shelves (ex. The release of playstation 2, C & C Generals). They may be holding back for some other reason, but it’s not to make sure they have enough copies for all their retailers.

[viciouscycle]

Well, I made it back from my trip and I see that MOO3 has not yet been released. I don't know whether to be happy that I didn't miss it or sad that it still is not yet available.

Hmmmm... okay... how about a little more reckless speculation: Any bets that the game will be released on Tuesday, 2/18/03?