Call of Duty Demo Open Letter

Though we don't really offer much in the way of downloads here, Blue's News is supporting the sentiments in the following open letter, which demonstrates to Activision (and hopefully the rest of the industry) what the undersigned sites feel are the general sentiments of the community about the downsides of exclusive demo releases. As a result, these sites will not be carrying the Call of Duty demo, even after its FilePlanet exclusivity (story) is over. Update: To be clear, this does not mean we will not carry news of when the demo is released, exclusive or not. Here's the letter:
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.
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411 Replies. 21 pages. Viewing page 15.
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131.
 
Re: Interesting
Aug 28, 2003, 20:05
Re: Interesting Aug 28, 2003, 20:05
Aug 28, 2003, 20:05
 
does anyone here like deviled ham i think its yum

I like SPAM.

the best part about life is knowing you put it together
130.
 
No subject
Aug 28, 2003, 20:04
No subject Aug 28, 2003, 20:04
Aug 28, 2003, 20:04
 
GOOD. Its about time someone stood up against this charging for demos bullshit. Next thing you know, we will be paying to view text on websites.

129.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 20:03
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 20:03
Aug 28, 2003, 20:03
 
i don't remember blue having any sort of exclusive demos.

i remember that blue used to serve out tons of files though :p

-------------
GNSProject.com News Cronie
*What I say is my opinion only, and does not reflect the site I work at.
128.
 
Odd.
Aug 28, 2003, 20:02
Odd. Aug 28, 2003, 20:02
Aug 28, 2003, 20:02
 
All you people saying "Fileplanet is just trying to make a buck or provide a worthy service." are missing the fact that this is exactly what Blue and the other sites are trying to do as well.



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127.
 
Bluesnews Bug
Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
Quboid
 
Bluesnews Bug Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
 Quboid
 
Just to post something completely different, are posts 110 and 111 the wrong way around for anyone? I use Flat/Newest first but 110 is higher up than 111. They both have the same post time, possibly the same post second so the script reading the database can't tell the difference. Presumably it's sorted as "posttime DESC" - it should be "posttime DESC, id DESC".

Also, when you go to edit a post (which no longer saves but that might be temporary), there is an extra line between your post and your sig in the post text box, so if you edit and then save without actually changing anything by hand, there is another line.

Cheers,
Quboid
Avatar 10439
126.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
Aug 28, 2003, 20:01
 
its pretty ironic that blue himself had exlusive demos and what a hippocrite to critizise fileplanets

125.
 
Fuck Activision and Gayspy
Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
Fuck Activision and Gayspy Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
 
Fuck them with a bit fat fucking stick. I'm just gonna get it off of kazaa or something. Someone's bound to get it and share it.

124.
 
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
Re: Some of you are missing the point Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
Aug 28, 2003, 20:00
 
"Wow, this is amazing. News sites getting their panties in a bunch over a exclusive? Wow, imagine that. The funny thing is, if any one of these sites were offered the same exclusive, they wouldn't be complaining (I've seen several of them already have exclusives on various content over the past 6 years). Not to mention, several of those sites require you to pay even to read content, view screenshots, view movies, so in essence that is making the content exlusive to their paying customers rather than everybody. So what's the real difference here?"

heh, not the sites up above.

you are probably talking about gamespot and ign, the two other corporate assholes breathing down our necks.

and if i ever had a chance to have an exclusive deal that only the sites subscribers can have access to (in exchange for brownie points and all sorts of other crap), then i'd gladly throw that oppurtunity away.

-------------
GNSProject.com News Cronie
123.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 19:59
Nox
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 19:59
Aug 28, 2003, 19:59
Nox
 
"My point is that the signed websites just gave Fileplanet a shit load of business."
It may help FilePlanet, but it doesn't help Activision.

122.
 
That will teach them!
Aug 28, 2003, 19:58
That will teach them! Aug 28, 2003, 19:58
Aug 28, 2003, 19:58
 
A scathing open letter always does the trick!



121.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
 
so what good for file planet
i dont care about a dumb demo anyways.. ill just pick up the full game from irc. Even then its cheaper, and faster then paying or waiting in file planets lines.
Im Soupkin.
I hope i dont have aids.
http://users.ign.com/collection/Serious_Soup)
s{Postal 2 sucks.
120.
 
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Re: Some of you are missing the point Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
 
"Other sites will have it in a week, does that hurt them? Maybe if fileplanet was free, but I still think the majority of gamers will wait for the public (free) release. Gamers will still plow through the ads on the other sites to get to the demo eventually. I don't see how this hurts other sites."

Umm, so why would FilePlanet pay for exclusive rights if it doesn't make a difference then? Do you understand basic economics?

Cuz Fileplanet makes a ton more money off one new pay subscriber than the free sites make off one guy who wanders in, maybe clicks an advertisment, then grabs his file and leaves. Fileplanet is trying to draw in new, potentially long term subscribers by offering incentives, but the vast majority of gamers are not willing to pay for download sites currently, so they will just wait for the public release.

Basic economics eh?

119.
 
Re: Non-Issue
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Re: Non-Issue Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
Aug 28, 2003, 19:57
 
Wow, this is amazing. News sites getting their panties in a bunch over a exclusive? Wow, imagine that. The funny thing is, if any one of these sites were offered the same exclusive, they wouldn't be complaining (I've seen several of them already have exclusives on various content over the past 6 years). Not to mention, several of those sites require you to pay even to read content, view screenshots, view movies, so in essence that is making the content exlusive to their paying customers rather than everybody. So what's the real difference here?

In the news industry, exclusives are a part of the biz. So Fileplanet gets it for a week before everybody else does, big deal. As someone said earlier in this thread, it's just a demo, not the game, and it will be available to all at some point. Magazines and press get exlusives on screenshots, stories, and movies all the time. A lot of those sites require you to pay to read the story / view the screenshots / view the movie, so what is the difference here?

What these news sites are doing with this boycott, is generating more buzz and press for the game (considering I used to work with the IW guys, I'm wishing them all the best, and this will only help them). A great game is a great game, it will speak for its self. If the demo shows that, then the word will spread. Meaning that at some point, people are really going to want to play that demo and see what all the buzz is about and pass their opinion on it. At this point, if the game is great, then these news sites will put the demo up because they could not afford to miss out on the downloads and hits. Again, it will all depend upon the caliber of the game (and from what I've played at E3 and from what I've seen, and knowing the team, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a fantastic game).

If you want to jump on the typical internet message board bandwagon of being enraged at every minor attrocity and proclaim that you're not going to buy the game when it's out, then it's only you who will be missing out (most of you that claim this are the ones that warez the game anyways, so why should the game industry even listen to you). The vast majority of the people that buy games aren't on the internet. Do you think that of the 2.5+ million units of Half-Life that sold, that all of those people are in the gaming internet community? Most of those people are average joes with average computers and rarely use the internet except to pass some email and browse a website or two. They'll get that same demo through a print magazine, a display disc, any number of other ways that they normally get it, and if they like it they'll buy the game regardless of what's said on the internet.

118.
 
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
Nox
Re: Some of you are missing the point Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
Nox
 
"It does make a differance. People are impatient. If only one venue offer's a service the vast majority of people would rather go to that venue than wait for another venue to offer the service."
I know it makes a difference. I was responding to the poster who acts like it doesn't, in case you didn't notice.

117.
 
Re: No subject
Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
Re: No subject Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
Aug 28, 2003, 19:56
 
who buys their games? who reviews them, who enjoys them, and who play their demos? us gamers do.

and although we can always wait a week, the mere act of these exclusive deals hurt every other site more than it could possibly hurt us.

-------------
GNSProject.com News Cronie
116.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 19:55
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 19:55
Aug 28, 2003, 19:55
 
And these other companies are doing what they feel is necessary as well. So what's your brilliant point?

My point is that the signed websites just gave Fileplanet a shit load of business.


115.
 
Re: What does the future hold
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Nox
Re: What does the future hold Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Nox
 
"This is business ladies and gentlemen, you do what is necessary to sell your service/product. I'm sure Fileplanet is overjoyed to hear about this open letter because they are now the only ones hosting this demo, which means more subscribers for them. Is that what Fileplanet's competitors wanted?"

And these other companies are doing what they feel is necessary as well. So what's your brilliant point?

114.
 
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Re: Some of you are missing the point Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
 
Umm, so why would FilePlanet pay for exclusive rights if it doesn't make a difference then?

It does make a differance. People are impatient. If only one venue offer's a service the vast majority of people would rather go to that venue than wait for another venue to offer the service.

113.
 
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Re: Some of you are missing the point Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
 
file planet is a waste of money.
Im Soupkin.
I hope i dont have aids.
http://users.ign.com/collection/Serious_Soup)
s{Postal 2 sucks.
112.
 
No subject
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
No subject Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
Aug 28, 2003, 19:54
 
ya i agree.. who the hell cares what a company wants to do with THEIR GAME. Its the choice not ours. this is really dumb that people even care about this.

411 Replies. 21 pages. Viewing page 15.
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