FNR4 Demo Comes Early For Gamestop Preorders
by 
I glossed over this when it was initially mentioned in the cover press release however I think it presents an interesting topic to address. Gamestop preorders will have exclusive access to the Fight Night Round 4 demo two weeks before it is released to the general public.
Online Customers: A unique code and instructions to unlock the demo will be emailed one day prior to the demo’s release date.
In-Store Pickup / Store Customers: A Pre-order card with code and instructions to unlock the demo will be available at stores shortly before the demo’s release date.
I’m not a fan of this type of move. Who benefits here? Gamestop does especially and so does EA in securing some additional preorders. The consumers though get absolutely nothing out of this other than the feeling of being forced into an unnecessary preorder restricted to a single retailer. It doesn’t exactly vibe with the recent actions from the company that has garnered goodwill with the community.
Getting down to specifics the Gamestop site states that two week early access will be given for the demo which will be released in early summer. This year summer begins on June 21st. Considering the likely June 30th release date of the game it doesn’t appear they are accurate with that statement. The demo will need to come at the latest by June 11th in this scenario. That would provide the two week buffer and still give everyone else the few days before the game’s release to play it.
March 22, 2009 at 1:09 am
gamestop sucks.
March 22, 2009 at 1:21 am
second damn :[
March 22, 2009 at 1:32 am
Well….How about you put 5 dollars down on Fight Night. Get the demo early, and place the 5 dollars down on a game you want..Like madden.
not very hard…
March 22, 2009 at 1:49 am
exactly… these type of advertising is pointless, last time i wanted to play a demo early i put $5 down on it, got the code then transfered my $5 to the show 09. I'm basically going to be doing the same thing with FNR4. They might as well just release it 2 weeks early, its not going to sell better because of a 2 week in advance demo… the people who are going to buy it are going to buy it regaurdless, the only people it benefits is Gamestop because it ensures that most of the people who are already going to buy it goes through their store.
March 22, 2009 at 2:48 am
You gotta hand it to Gamestop. It's amazing how much they've grown as a business in just the last five or so years. I think this is BS personally, but it's only a sign of things to come. Gamestop has absolutely no competition in a market that's growing so fast every year so this doesn't really surprise me.
March 22, 2009 at 2:50 am
You gotta hand it to Gamestop. It's amazing how much they've grown as a business in just the last five or so years. I think this is BS personally, but it's only a sign of things to come. Gamestop has absolutely no competition in a market that's growing so fast every year so this doesn't really surprise me.
That said, it's not that hard to wait two more weeks…we're still just talking about a demo here.
March 22, 2009 at 4:20 am
true, true, just a demo.
March 22, 2009 at 5:34 am
This is the same company that opens sealed games and sells em as new as the employees took said disc and played it all night. and return it next day. to sell.
March 22, 2009 at 6:33 am
Aroid, you are exactly right. I have a couple of friends that work at Gamestop and I can confirm that they take home games all the time. They have a resealer machine in the back so they just reseal them. Not only that but they have a 10 day return policy as well. You can return a game within 10days for full store credit. They reseal those games as well and sell them new.
March 22, 2009 at 6:30 am
I totally disagree with your Pasta. It is not meant to benefit you or I. It is a business decision that benefits both Gamestop and EA. There is absoultely nothing wrong with it. Wait the two weeks if you don't want to put down 5$ on the game. Demos are just that, demos. We are lucky we get to play these things anyway. Remember when you had to wait and hope that they were on the disc in OPS magazine.
If you know you will be getting the game then it is a benefit that you will get access to the demo but in now way should you ever feel a sense of "entitlement" to such a demo. I think you are thinking too much from your blogging business standpoint. I personally can wait the two weeks. Boxing isn't that important of a sport anymore and FNR 4 isn't going to be that much different from FNR3.
March 22, 2009 at 1:33 pm
lol yeah i can remember when i was little i would always get the playstation magazine for the demo discs i might be mistaken but you dont see those anymore
March 22, 2009 at 8:29 am
Winky Wright: Yet another build we got wrong that we already had correct in previous years.
March 22, 2009 at 2:17 pm
You guys are killing me LOL. Complaining about 5 bucks! Okay hands up how many people in here have a job? When I was a young un (12) I mowed lawns for 10 bucks for the front and 15 bucks front and back. If you need a couple of dollars it's time to get your hustle on. Besides I know how to get demos as soon as they are finished but I won't teeeeelll.
March 23, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Man I agree with you Nickels. People complainging about $5 for a fricking demo. Man if you don't like it wait two weeks for the fricking demo to come out regularly…DAMN!!! Plus can't you pre-order online and get the demo that way without having to go to the store? I'm not big on demo's anyway, 9/10 I know hat game I"m going to buy based on my own interest and a few safe critics…Gamespot and Game Informer
March 22, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I bet you are one of those guys who thinks minor scratches affects game play huh? The only minor scratches that affect game play are the ones on your brain. Just say no A-Roid it's your best move
MC Nickels
Comedian Extraordinaire
March 22, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Pasta! I see that you are making big moves on this site. The advertising has dramatically increased that means a lot of ching ching in your pocket. Not hating just congratulating keep it up
MC Nickels
Comedian Extraordinare
March 22, 2009 at 2:27 pm
What's wrong with Winky Wright's build huh? Something tells me that you don't watch boxing for the boxing LOL!
MC Nickels
Comedian Extraordinaire
March 22, 2009 at 2:53 pm
just go to gamestop n pay the five bucks and come back the next day and cancel the preorder n get your money back or transfer it to something else. i always do that when gamestop give something away. so we do benfit from it if you do the way i always do it.
March 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm
only thing i care about is who is in this damn game!!!!!
March 22, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I don't see the demo advanced via pre-order being that big of a deal. I honestly don't know how it benefits GS or EA because the $5 is refundable. Put $5 on the game, you get the demo code. Hate the demo, go get your $5 back.
I agree that most fans of the series are going to buy it anyway so putting down a pre-order is natural.
EA not releasing the demo for free is really not a good business decision. If I am a casual gamer, I am not going to drive to my local GS just to get a demo. However, EA is missing a majority of the casual gamer crowd by not offering this as a free download. I just don't know how EA or GS thinks this is going to equate to more sales.
The best way to allow gamers to try a new game prior to release in this fashion is with beta testing, ala COD: WaW.
March 22, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I dont think GS is looking to boost sales… theyre just geared towards ensuring that the hardcore gamers who are buying this game regaurdless go through their store to get a demo 2 weeks in advance. Gamestop does this alot with big name games and demos to pull in the customers who are deffinetely buying a game and would otherwise just drive to a mom and pop store because its closer.
March 22, 2009 at 4:16 pm
you must be one of those cheap-ass bastards that never buy new game.
March 22, 2009 at 4:17 pm
we know why u watch boxing you jock watcher.
March 22, 2009 at 4:18 pm
um ok, i see you need attention jock watcher.
March 22, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Fight Night Round 4 is a big enough title to merit $5 for a demo. I'll be on my way to reserve, and I'm sure many others will too.
March 22, 2009 at 7:33 pm
why should you have to go through all that to get a damn demo?
March 22, 2009 at 8:25 pm
LOL Fags
March 23, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Now this is a funny ass thread lolol
March 22, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Gamestop is A POS
March 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm
are you jreally oking on someone for wanting visual realism in a boxing game hailed for its visuals?
March 22, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Pasta,
You may not be a fan, but this is a good move on EA's part and does benefit Gamestop as well. I know I'm getting this game for sure. Now, lets say someone is on the fence, they put $5 down to reserve, they get the demo early, and if they don't like it they can switch it. I really don't see how you don't like this move.
March 22, 2009 at 1:58 pm
SkiHawks, I think you may have misread, your not paying for the demo, your preorder grants you early access to an otherwise free demo available to everyone 2 weeks later
March 22, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I understand that the demo isn't $5. What I don't understand is why EA thinks this is a good strategy.
My point is that most people who are on the fence in regards to buying FN4 aren't going to go to GameStop and put a pre-order down just to try the game.
Most people who are fans of the series will put a pre-order down and get the demo while most casual gamers may not.
March 22, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Also that picture looks like glass joe from punch-out……..I hope stars appear over their heads
March 22, 2009 at 11:37 pm
But they could get the same result if the demo was released on XBL or PSN…Maybe even better results in terms of people buying it new because more people will have access to the demo….
March 23, 2009 at 12:33 am
This is a bad move because EA contradicted themselfs on the release dates
March 22, 2009 at 7:26 pm
OXM still has them but it's already stuff you could have downloaded way ahead of time if you have Live.
March 23, 2009 at 8:40 am
everyone knows by now not to expect accurate player models from EA sport. each game is like a video game version of transformers when it comes to bodies, they are just mixed and mashed.
March 23, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Are some of you guys just plain STUPID? The demo doesn't COST five bucks! If you pre-order the game as most people do, you will have EARLY ACCESS to the demo before it drops on XBL or PSN. You're not paying five bucks for the demo, you're paying five bucks to reserve the game like you do with any other game! I pre-ordered FN4 already and I'll just have early demo access over the folks that didn't pre-order. What is so hard to understand about that?
March 23, 2009 at 5:36 pm
It doesn't hurt the bottom line for EA at all, and the possibility of getting people to purchase the game at this retailer when released increases. I think this is a win win. I hope they do this all across the board.
March 23, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I don't understand how this would increase sales. Those that want the game will put a pre-order in. Those that may want to try it won't have a demo to download UNLESS they go to GameStop.
My point is that a downloadable demo on XBL and PSN would provide more exposure for the game instead of gamers who may be on the fence forced to drive to their local GS to put $5 down. Many may not find this appealing.
My opinion is that EA would be best served to put the demo out on XBL and PSN so everyone can try it without the hassle of driving to a GS. Just because someone puts $5 down doesn't necessarily make it a lock purchase.
I guess I don't understand why EA equates a pre-order with a sale. Pre-orders can be cancelled and for the most part the only pre-orders that will be made will be those by fans of the series.
In short, I don't think this makes sense. Most people, I believe, would rather have the download available without having to go to a store to pre-order the game first.
March 23, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Pasta,
What is the deal if you pre-ordered FN4 a couple of months ago? Would I have to go to my GS to pick up a code? If so, this is another reason why I hate this whole set up.
If GameStop would make an automated call, as they do with pre-orders, providing the code to those that pre-ordered the game prior to this announcement that would be outstanding. Otherwise, I probably won't drive the 25 minutes to get a demo code…
March 23, 2009 at 7:37 pm
No one is saying that they are paying for the demo…The minimum pre-order is $5. I think it is stupid that people think that this type of demo release is a good thing. It's not even about business. It is about inconveniencing XBL subscribers who drop $50 a year to GO TO THE STORE TO GET A CODE SO THEY CAN TRY THE DEMO BEFORE THE GAME RELEASES.
If this is the wave of the future, than that is stupid….
March 23, 2009 at 7:38 pm
THEY DONT WATCH BOXING LIKE I SAID MONTHS AGO
March 23, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Would it make you feel better if they didn't give an option to release the demo early? What's wrong with giving consumers an incentive to reserve the game?
March 24, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Why not just release the demo early via download instead of inconveniencing consumers? My point is most people that want the game will pre-order it. Those that are on the fence may not want to place a pre-order just to try the demo. I think EA, which has announced since Peter Moore's arrival that they want to appeal to a larger audience, is missing the boat in regards to making the demo available to everyone without the hassle of driving to a GameStop and pre-ordering the game.
Most people wait for the demo to have a chance to try a game and see if it appeals to them prior to purchasing. I just don't see many people who may be on the fence in regards to this title, or any title for that matter, running to their local GameStop to pre-order it so they can try the demo.
For me, a specific example would be Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and The Force Unleashed. These were two games I was not planning on purchasing until I played the demos. If these demos would have been offered the same way that the FN4 demo is being offered I would not have bothered.
I just think that if EA is trying to expand its audience this isn't the most viable way of doing so. It's more of a way to meet a "number".
March 24, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Wow, can't believe this is coming out in only a few months. Been waiting for yearrrrrrs.
March 24, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Consumers do NOT need to pre-order just to try the demo. They just have to wait a couple of weeks longer.
March 27, 2009 at 4:48 am
He,
A lots of argument here….
But nice ones….
http://www.boxing.com