Do Games get Announced too Early?

the old republic announced too early

I know this is a topic we’ve talked about on the podcast some, but you guys always seem reluctant to leave your thoughts on those. Perhaps it is because we are such cunning linguists and our arguments tear yours to shreds. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.

In case you somehow forgot with all the incessant reminders on all of the gaming websites and Twitter and yes, even here, E3 2011 is next week and we’ll be seeing a few new games and a couple that we’ve been hearing about for what seems like forever. While Metal Gear Solid: Rising and The Last Guardian probably won’t be making an appearance, Star Wars: The Old Republic and the Tomb Raider reboot (just confirmed for a fall 2012 release) will be there, and we’ve been hearing about those games for a while. Star Wars: The Old Republic is particularly guilty in this regard, showing up to two consecutive E3s with only a fancy trailer. I’d hesitate to say that anything BioWare is a one-trick pony, but it’s certainly starting to look that way.

I hate to sound like I’m ragging on BioWare, who are obviously working very hard on their MMO, but if this game had been announced maybe two years ago as opposed to four, I wouldn’t have the same “hype fatigue” I’m experiencing now. I’m also apparently hurting for a Star Wars MMO, so there’s that too.

So what about you guys? What games have been announced a little too early for your taste? Any games at E3 2011 that you just want to stop hearing about? How far in advance of their release should games be announced?

Written by

mitch@gamersushi.com Twitter: @mi7ch Gamertag: Lubeius PSN ID: Lubeius SteamID: Mister_L Origin/EA:Lube182 Currently Playing: PUBG, Rainbow 6: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Total War: Warhammer 2

4 thoughts on “Do Games get Announced too Early?”

  1. Yes. Most games are definitely announced too soon. Personally, if a game is announced at E3, the developers should be 95% certain that it will be on shelves in the next 12 months. Could you imagine if it came to E3 2011 and we got told that within the next 6 months we would have Uncharted 3, Elder Scrolls V, Arkham City, MW3, Mass Effect 3, and more all with no prior warning? Granted most of these will make their release dates but for games like MGS Rising, Bioshock Infinite, Old Republic, Last Guardian, putting out teasers, trailers and screenshots 2 or 3 years ahead of time is just a way to get people frustrated. Especially since games like Uncharted are announced later but are on sale sooner.

  2. Complaining about SW:TOR? Well, it will probably do better than the infamous DNF 😉
    Anyway, there seems to be immense pressure on developers of popular games to announce a sequel as soon as possible. However, I strongly believe that they are not the ones to blame (at least directly) for all those ‘pre-emptive’ announcements.
    If you take a quick look at any gaming website or forum, you’ll find a plethora of requests for that sort of information. In all likelihood, that developer’s mailboxes get spammed with similar inquiries as well. People simply demand more and more information about their favourite games. And, as such actions build up the hype, publishers are always happy to disclose some.
    However, there is a noteworthy exception. If you take a closer look at Valve’s recent policy, you’ll find out, that they rarely crumble under pressure. For instance, they revealed Portal 2 somewhere around March ’10, which was roughly a year before its release. Moreover, they still didn’t officialy confirm the next installment of the Half Life series. It seems, that Valve is the sole major developer, which refuses to let the cat out of the bag too early. And when they finally reveal a secret, it’s usually a marketing masterpiece.

  3. Duke Nukem Forever. Even though I never played the frist ones and wont play the new one, it came out too early. Too much hype and pressure. If it sucks in any form, they are going to disappoint a LOT of people.

  4. The Old Republic was announced way too early and has had far too little in-game material advertised since.

    Fable 2, though I found the game borderline uncool, used a proper formula of posting video development diaries every other month or so following the announcement.

    I could forgive a long pre-release/post-announcement period if they would provide regular updates with in-game footage or behind-the-scenes videos documenting programmers hard at work.

    I can’t help but feel if Take-Two had demanded these kinds of updates from 3dRealms, we’d be enjoying “Duke Nukem VII: Duke vs. Sephiroth” by now.

Comments are closed.