After discussions with Activision, the following websites will not be carrying the Call of Duty playable demo, even after its exclusivity is over. This is due to Activision's decision to not accede to the reasonable request of making the demo freely available to all game enthusiasts at the same time.
3D Downloads
3D Gamers
AusGamers
Blue's News
EdgeFiles (Callofduty.org)
FileFront
FileShack
GameGossip
Gamer's Hell
Loadedinc
Tiscali Games
WorthPlaying
The above-listed websites hope to show Activision that the enthusiast industry is strongly opposed to the idea of exclusive demo releases.
Feedback from our users shows that gamers hate to be forced through a single point of congestion if they want a demo right away. While these websites are actually competitors, this competition provides the freedom of choice that enthusiasts want by offering the widest possible distribution of any demo (a sample intended to interest as many gamers as possible in the full product, after all) rather than the most restricted one.
Therefore, something this disrespectful of the industry as a whole has inspired all of these websites to stand together in this open letter.
Deals like this hurt the industry much more than they could possibly enhance a single relationship, and we ask for your support in sending out this message.
I don't see anything like that happening. It is in Activision's best interests to publicly release demos before the games come out. An initial period of exclusivity means little.
So you wouldn't mind for example paying for the next Counterstrike patch to get it let's say two weeks earlier than the rest of the world which won't pay for it?
An initial period of exclusivity means little? Patches and demos are not the same but who will decide where to stop?
"Both the “left” and the “right” pretend they have the answer, but they are mere flippers on the same thalidomide baby, and the truth is that neither side has a clue."
- Jim Goad
o you wouldn't mind for example paying for the next Counterstrike patch to get it let's say two weeks earlier than the rest of the world which won't pay for it?
So you wouldn't mind for example paying for the next Counterstrike patch to get it let's say two weeks earlier than the rest of the world which won't pay for it?
An initial period of exclusivity means little? Patches and demos are not the same but who will decide where to stop?
2 things of note.. first, notice how IGN/ve3d.com are strangely missing from that list?Several more sites were asked but didn't/couldn't decide to participate.
I also noticed how bit torrent sites like gametab.com and filerush.com weren't asked to be added to the list even though they both get substantial download numbers these days. I guess since we don't offer pay services we're not worthy.First of all, 3D Gamers supports BitTorrent and has no paid download service so that has nothing to do with it. It was a simple matter of not thinking of everyone we could ask about this. Sorry if that hurt your feelings, but you weren't the only one we forgot to contact.