Thats just basic consumer psychology.
Not because were wiser consumers who outsmarted the system, because thats just what seems to keep happening.
Im a big Star Wars fan, but my friendlives in thatuniverse.
Hes not a toxic fan, but he is what Id call a very intense one.
He spends thousands of dollars a year on collectibles and toys and trips to conventions.
Good or bad, if itsStar Wars, hes usually excited, right?
The sentiment didnt surprise me.
But the fact that it came fromhimdid.
And, no, it wasnt because of weirdo culture war stuff.
Hes relatively offline for a Star Wars fan.
Hed been burned too many times.
The game also didnt sell as well as they hoped.
Are the two related?
And the more that happens, the more corporations will have meltdowns about their games low initial sales.
Also Im pretty sure we all have an idea in our heads of which companies do this a lot.
Which is why its also disappointing to start to see it come from companies you trust.
I want to preface this by saying Im a very bigCivilizationfan.
Im also a very big Firaxis fan.
I own Civilization 6 on at least four different devices.
Ive bought the board games.
I have Sid Meiers book on my shelf.
I hunted down rare Alpha Centauri ephemera.
Im also, tangentially, friends with a few people who have worked at the company.
And, all cards on the table, Ill keep giving you money.
Civilization 7: A Case Study
But youre breaking my heart with this Civilization 7 release.
The game runs fine.
What Im talking about is the fact that basic features from the series are missing.
You cant name your cities?
And weirdest of all, a dearth of information on what the UI actually does?
By the end of its run, Civilization 6 feltobsessedwith telling me what everything did.
The base version of this game costs $70.
Although, that might have been a mistake considering theyve been writing a lot of negative reviews on Steam.
Hell, I expect to at least have some decenttool tips.
I actually know people who feel that way.
And - again - the gamerunsjust fine.
It just feels a bit bare bones and confusing compared to previous Civilization games.
Civilization 7 will most certainly get better but how many sales have already been lost?
Andhow muchon sale will it have to be for them to pull the trigger?
Maybe 25 percent off isnt enough if youve mostly heard negative things.
Yes, games can recover.
Were better for Cyberpunk 2077 and No Mans Sky existing and getting increasingly great.
Forget better angles, Im trying to appeal to executives worse demons, here.
Its not about letting fans down - although, hey, just dont do that.
You want them to spend more money on day one?
Whatever you do, do not look up the Byford Dolphin incident.
