Call of Duty Demo Open Letter [Aug 28, 2003, 6:31 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
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.
411 Replies. 21 pages. Viewing page 14.
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This is amazing!! Good stuff!
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ExcessDan
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 20:22
Aug 28, 2003, 20:22
So is my local Tesco's, they only offer grocies and such for the money - yet I still buy from them.
Exactly, this world revolves around money and for as long as that is true people have every right to expect money for the work they do. If blue suddenly became a subscriber site I'd be a member with in thirty seconds, blue provides a good service and if chooses to make money off of it I support him.
I can't see how exclusive screenshots and movies are *not* the same! (Reviews and Previews are different, these are made by the company offering the exclusive). How are they different? This is stuff released by the company making/publishing the game in order to hype the game on release. Sure, a demo is the biggest form of that but it's still the same sort of thing as screenshots and movies.
Activision and Fileplanet have every right to try to maximize their profits through fair means and I believe this is fair. I don't think the sites listed have a reason to complain but, none the less, they have every right to, and good luck to them because I'd like to see the end of exclusive demos even if I do think that they're morally and legally ok.
I agree with companies like Gamespy, Gamespot and IGN are only in it for the money. So is my local Tesco's, they only offer grocies and such for the money - yet I still buy from them. Why should the gaming industry be any different? If there is money to be made, someone's going to go for it and while I may not like it, until they break a moral or legal law, I can't complain.
Cheers,
Quboid
Activision and Fileplanet have every right to try to maximize their profits through fair means and I believe this is fair. I don't think the sites listed have a reason to complain but, none the less, they have every right to, and good luck to them because I'd like to see the end of exclusive demos even if I do think that they're morally and legally ok.
I agree with companies like Gamespy, Gamespot and IGN are only in it for the money. So is my local Tesco's, they only offer grocies and such for the money - yet I still buy from them. Why should the gaming industry be any different? If there is money to be made, someone's going to go for it and while I may not like it, until they break a moral or legal law, I can't complain.
Cheers,
Quboid
Is there something like a top 10 list of the fastest growing threads on bluesnews?
There is a top 6 threads of all time in terms of size, but not fastest growing. Check the archives.
This time it's the Call of Duty Demo but what's next? Pay for exclusive patches?
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.
Oh so FileShack can have a exclusive to work out kinks, but FilePlanet can't have a 1 week exclsive on a demo? Yeah whatever.
"Valve wanted the steam beta to be limited to only a controlled amount of people, so it was released via fileshack. Its not like it would have been free for everyone to have normally, until the software was more mature."
"Valve wanted the steam beta to be limited to only a controlled amount of people, so it was released via fileshack. Its not like it would have been free for everyone to have normally, until the software was more mature."
VE3D sold out, thats why.
those two bittorrent sites boycotting it wouldnt do crap anyway, because it allows people to send their own torrents so they can share it through that.
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*What I say is my opinion only, and does not reflect the site I work at.
those two bittorrent sites boycotting it wouldnt do crap anyway, because it allows people to send their own torrents so they can share it through that.
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*What I say is my opinion only, and does not reflect the site I work at.
this thread is almost like IRC.
Instant feedback
Is there something like a top 10 list of the fastest growing threads on bluesnews?
Anyway, I support Blue on this topic. This time it's the Call of Duty Demo but what's next? Pay for exclusive patches?
Instant feedback
Is there something like a top 10 list of the fastest growing threads on bluesnews?
Anyway, I support Blue on this topic. This time it's the Call of Duty Demo but what's next? Pay for exclusive patches?
In my opinion, Fileshack's CS 1.6 beta is something really different than this 1) 1.6B was for some time previously available to common Steam members who had luck to get the file 2) it was just beta upgrade, while everybody could get 1.5 MOD/FULL from other sites for free
Did even you read this article, you retard?
2 things of note.. first, notice how IGN/ve3d.com are strangely missing from that list? 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.
yeah... fileshack did. it was still easy to find the steam beta by going to google though :p
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GNSProject.com News Cronie
*What I say is my opinion only, and does not reflect the site I work at.
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GNSProject.com News Cronie
*What I say is my opinion only, and does not reflect the site I work at.
Re: Some of you are missing the point
Aug 28, 2003, 20:13
Aug 28, 2003, 20:13
Demos are suppsed to be for free.
And it will be free, Fileplanet is just offering the demo a week early.
Valve wanted the steam beta to be limited to only a controlled amount of people, so it was released via fileshack. Its not like it would have been free for everyone to have normally, until the software was more mature.
The game is probably is a p.o.s. anyway.
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.
The signed sites have decided to operate as primarily non-profit websites. As a result this closes off the opportunity to purchase exculsives of their own. Were any of the above to go to a more commercial model they would likely seek out exclusives as well as exclusives=more subsribers.
I can't seem to figure out the motivation of the signed websites besides wanting to cut down on board traffic: exclusive demo=tons of bitching gamers eating into the bandwidth they can barely afford. Gamers whine about anything they can find. A one week exclusive demo isn't worth whining about in the grand scheme of things but all the folks on gaming message boards have to whine about it because their life seems to revolve around the trivial.
All the websites have done is cater to the bitchy gamer. Hell this will just give them more motivation to bitch. This won't hurt activision because despite the fervor everyone is so full of shit they will download the demo the moment it is available. This also won't hurt Fileplanet because they now have a whole bunch of new subscribers.
I see this accomplishing nothing more than sparking a flame war.
I seem to remember some of thse sites having other exclusives. Didn't FileShack have an exclusive steam beta and they didn't seem to care. Yet funny when the shoe is on the other foot. You're a bunch of hypocrates.
Businesses have to do this sometimes to stay in business. Get over it and deal with it. It's a one week exclusive, omg you have to wait a week, big f***ing deal.
Businesses have to do this sometimes to stay in business. Get over it and deal with it. It's a one week exclusive, omg you have to wait a week, big f***ing deal.
you can't honestly say that exclusive demos are the same thing as exclusive screens, movies, priveiws and reviews. That's just stupid. I wouldn't mind so much that it was fileplanet exclusive, but subscriber exclusivity is ludicrous. Demos are suppsed to be for free. Asshole companies like gamespy, ign, gamespot have no care for games, just money, money, money.
Yeah yeah yeah , we are. Just look at us here like some starved pimp smacked up whore needing another fix , yeah that us alright, it not like there sixteen zillion shooters comming out or out atm no no no thats not good enough for us, Ya see we eat sleep and drink this stuff up like starving junkies we NEVER can get enough gaming in so F the whore at my back door I got a game to beat and then i'll go to sleep. Cheers 8)
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.
Exactly, but free sites cater to those who are unwilling to pay extra for extra services while Fileplanet caters to those who are willing to pay. With the extra cost, comes extra benefits. If fileplanet wants to attract enough people to support itself it has to make its pay service significantly better than free services. Thus, exclusive offers.
Also, to reiterate: I am not a fileplanet subscriber.
Everyone of these sites has had exclusive content at some point in their lifetime. Be it a demo, a screenshot(s), a movie, a preview, a review, they've had exclusive content. It's all the same.
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