In the light of the recently released Anthem by EA, I feel the need to remind people why preordering video games is just an altogether terrible idea. I'll list some examples of most recent and infamous game preorder fiascos to remind gamers why preordering a game is never the best option.
The perfect example of why you shouldn't preorder is in the all too well-known story of No Man's Sky. Remember that? If you don't, that's fine. If you do, maybe you need a reminder. No Man's Sky was a game that created the hype to end all hypes. The game promised an almost endless and unique universe to explore in your very own custom made spaceship. The worlds would generate with new lifeforms to discover and the best part was that you could meet up with your friends in the game! No Man's Sky promised fans an experience like none ever before. Then the game actually came out. The randomly generated worlds were basically carbon copies of each other, the system of collecting and building was brain numbingly monotonous, and players couldn't meet up with each other. All of the promises were empty and the game just wasn't good. But what carried that games sales? Preorders. People saw the trailers full of promises and let themselves be swept up along the hype train. They were burned once, surely they learned their lesson and stopped preordering, right?
Star Wars Battlefront II came out next alongside a new wave of hype and excitement. A revisioning of one of the most loved video games of all time. Promises were made by EA for a wholly new and updated Star Wars experience, one where you could play as iconic characters like Darth Vader against Luke Skywalker. Or could you? The game came out and players found that all of their favorite characters, ones they assumed would be playable from the beginning, were locked. To unlock them would take roughly 40 hours of gameplay per each character. Or you could just pay to unlock through micro-transactions. Of course, EA tried to defend this with their infamous "player experience" comment on Reddit, but the damage was already done. People tried to refund their orders, until EA removed the refund option from their website. EA showed no remorse in their money grabbing decisions but the sheer amount of preorders gave them enough incentive to continue the micro-transaction model with the rest of their games. People learned not to preorder video games ever again. Right?
Next came Fallout 76, a new chapter in the wildly popular Fallout series by Bethesda. Of course, the preorders began anew once again. And again, game studios failed to deliver on their promises. Especially dedicated fans ordered the $200 Power Armor edition of the game. This bundle of real merchandise included, of course, a copy of the game, a replica helmet from the game, a print of the in-game map, and a handsome looking canvas duffle bag. Instead, fans received a nylon bag, much smaller than pictured, and definitely not worth the price. On top of that preorder issue, the actual game was, and still remains, a buggy mess. The game did not live up to its hype, an all too common theme, and people were disappointed, again. People were burned, and that, surely, put a stop to preorder culture.
Nope! People are still preordering video games, especially with EA's Anthem. A brand new game with no precursors to recommend it and only promises to sell. And people have been preordering off of the ridiculous list of options. Why? Why should we continue to feed this monster that was once the gaming industry? By preordering games, you only fuel the ridiculous micro-transaction and loot box craze that plagues video games. By buying games before they're ready, people only encourage the gaming industry to rely on cheap cash grabs like pre release downloadable content and micro-transactions to help complete an experience that should've been finished in the original game.
Don't trust these trailers or the E3 hype anymore. Stop preordering and start waiting for the game to release so you can judge for yourself whether or not a game is worth your time and money. Don't fall into the trap of shiny merch included in bundles, because Bethesda showed how that turns out, and don't trust a game with a legacy, because EA showed that micro-transactions are their new choice of income.
I'm still going to preorder Animal Crossing on Switch though. Don't @ me.
