Collector's Editions Absurdities are Getting Worse - Gamers are Fed Up
Prices for collector's editions often exceed more than $250, and their contents usually consist mostly of digital items. Such practices by developers are arousing increasing opposition among gamers.
When a high-profile game is released, it is practically always accompanied by a collector's edition equipped with a few extra items. However, in recent years publishers seem to be increasingly exaggerating their offerings for "true fans."
Horrendous cost of collector's editions
The price of a collector's edition is never small, but the developers' demand of well over $250 for such a set seems highly exaggerated.
Moreover, publishers also decide to sell different collector's edition variations - for developers, this can be a great way to make extra money, but such practices can confuse the players. As an example, consider the upcoming Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon by FromSoftware. Bandai Namco has prepared a total of three versions of the game offering additional content. Among them is:
- launch edition: physical game, poster, game cards, stickers;
- collector's edition: physical game, mecha figurine, steelbook, artbook, pin badges, poster, digital soundtrack;
- premium collector's edition: physical game, mecha figurine, mecha garage, steelbook, artbook, badges, poster, digital soundtrack.
As you can see, gamers have plenty to choose from. The collector's edition costs around $300, and if they opt for the premium collector's edition, additionally equipped with a garage for the mecha, they will have to prepare around $400 and cover shipping costs from another country, as this set is sold exclusively on Bandai Namco's website.
Collector's set without physical game
The high price for collector's editions seems all the more absurd, as they contain increasingly more digital content rather than physical items. In addition, they offer several days of early access to the game for a not inconsiderable sum - for example Diablo 4 (five days early for about $25) or Legacy of Hogwarts (three days faster for about $12).
Upcoming Starfield will also have a collector's edition (Constellations), which consists only of a watch, steelbook and patch. Everything else already comes as digital extras, i.e. the game, soundtrack or artbook. Of course, there will also be a skin pack, early access and the first DLC, which will be released some time after the game's launch.
Just like Marvel's Spider-Man 2. In this case the set will consist only of a steelbook and a figurine; the rest of the content will be digital only - for such a product we will have to pay around $230. As one forum user wrote regarding this set:
"First decent reviews, then purchase. Otherwise you finance the festival of mediocrity, day-one patches, you make it profitable to release unfinished and bugged games."
As long as it is profitable for the developers...
There is no denying that the developers, thanks to collector's editions, have found themselves an additional source of earnings. Even if the game does not get good reviews, there will always be a group of interested parties who will buy a collector's edition - in this way some part of the money will be returned anyway.
The gaming community seems to be increasingly noticing these absurd practices of developers on collector's editions, but as long as there is demand - there is supply, so since it will be profitable for companies, collector's editions will continue to be delivered at high prices.
What do you yourselves think about collector's editions and their current prices? Are you willing to take advantage of such an offer or do you rather stick to the standard version of the game?
