Curious On What People Think

[Eski33]

Being a long time gamer (we are talking 30+ years), and having seen the evolution of graphics and A.I., one recent trend has got me thinking in regards to release dates for sports games -- Why are sports games released so early?

I will be the first to say I used to enjoy getting a game a month before the season started but over the past few years I have fallen into a trend. I will play the game for a few days but then not touch it until the season starts.

I find myself doing this with NCAA Football, Madden and now The Show. I played a few exhibition games but now I am waiting for the season to start so I can have accurate rosters and hopefully a patch to fix a few of the issues.

I am wondering what people think. Should sports games be released so early, especially since a number of issues are usually identified by gamers, or should the release be closer to opening day which would allow the developers more time to test for quality?

My take is that developers release the game early so bugs can be detected by gamers. I am not sure if this is true, just opinion. I am not sure how many testers are used with each game but that number is sure to grow by the thousands upon a game's release. And if developers are using gamers as testers, does this mean games are shipped with intentions of releasing a patch?

I know most gamers have become accustomed to having the opportunity to get a game a month early but I would prefer to get a game with less bugs and inaccuracies a month later than to get one and HOPE for a patch....

Thoughts?

[Jamin23]

they do release these games too early. The baseball season doesn't start unitl early April and they insist on releasing the game a WHOLE month before the season even starts. They could hold it back and iron out the kinks in the game. I don't really like playing games until the season starts anyway so I can get the opening day rosters, but I usually do end up playing them before that. I just would prefer them releasing a couple of days before the season starts.

[lstephen]

Quote: Originally Posted by Eski33

My take is that developers release the game early so bugs can be detected by gamers. I am not sure if this is true, just opinion. I am not sure how many testers are used with each game but that number is sure to grow by the thousands upon a game's release. And if developers are using gamers as testers, does this mean games are shipped with intentions of releasing a patch?

I think this will be true when ever the game is released. If number of users is not more than the number of testers there is a serious problem. I don't think this is restricted to the games industry either, but is true of a lot of software.

The issue of releasing later IMO is a business decision, especially with competing products in the market. I think there would be lost sales due to purchases of a competitors product in that time frame. In a lot of areas of the software industry being first is more important than being the best.

I don't think the developers deliberately release the game with errors that need to be patched. However, due to the release date (that must be met for business reasons), some bugs (even known bugs) are likely to be present.

[Eski33]

Good points. I like getting the games early but I would prefer a later release date. Not being a developer, I am not sure what an extra five weeks would do but I would think it would help.

I would rather see developers release a strong demo of the game with multiple teams and stadiums available with offering the gamers to supply feedback on bugs / glitches found. This could help the final product before its release as well as providing strong buzz....

[kehlis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Eski33

I am wondering what people think. Should sports games be released so early, especially since a number of issues are usually identified by gamers, or should the release be closer to opening day which would allow the developers more time to test for quality?

This would only be a one year fix. Say next year they release it closer to opening day, then the year after that they would be back to a one year cycle.

I think now with the ability to patch games, it makes sense to release the games a month early because any glaring issues can be caught and hopefully patched within a reasonable amount of time.

I remember the old games used to be release right around opening day if not after, but that was mostly before the ability to patch games.

All games will have bugs and issues, releasing them a month early gives fans hope they can be fixed relatively quickly.

[lstephen]

Quote: Originally Posted by Eski33

Good points. I like getting the games early but I would prefer a later release date. Not being a developer, I am not sure what an extra five weeks would do but I would think it would help.

But, wouldn't another extra five weeks after that help also?

I reminded of a quote somewhere that went along the lines of 'A project is never completed, just abandoned'. There will always be things to improve and fix, so you could develop forever and not have a complete/perfect game.

IMHO for a continuing project such as The Show it is the best approach to select a release date that works from a business perspective and release the best product you can at that release date.

[Russell_SCEA]

Quote: Originally Posted by kehlis

This would only be a one year fix. Say next year they release it closer to opening day, then the year after that they would be back to a one year cycle. I think now with the ability to patch games, it makes sense to release the games a month early because any glaring issues can be caught and hopefully patched within a reasonable amount of time. I remember the old games used to be release right around opening day if not after, but that was mostly before the ability to patch games. All games will have bugs and issues, releasing them a month early gives fans hope they can be fixed relatively quickly.

We are bound by the MLB to release the game on a certain date every year there is no flexibility there at all. What the MLB says goes.

[pbz06]

I prefer it early. That way we can mess around with sliders, get a feel for the game, and get custom rosters etc. Once the season starts, I'm in full baseball mode and by that time I have all the kinks of the game worked out to my likings and can just play my exhibition/season/franchise/rtts as I please.

Sports games are also time sensitive anyway, so the earlier the better (but no earlier than a month).

Besides, I would have been pissed if I spent a week and a half testing the "conspiracy" of the "comeback AI" being reversed, only to find it in fact worked as designed, haha. What a waste of time that would have been if it happened during the regular season where I could have been playing meaningful games!