Christmas Release Game Schedule is becoming obsolete...FAST!

Hey! We can buy our own games now!

MercuryNews.com - For parents considering buying the Xbox 360 as a holiday gift, one final word of warning.

New game systems tend to attract hard-core older gamers who are willing to pay a premium for a new console -- just to have it first. A number of the limited new titles available at launch -- including Activision's ``Gun,'' Id's ``Quake 4,'' and Sega's ``Condemned: Criminal Origins'' -- are mature-rated games for adult players. Microsoft says some 200 older Xbox titles will play on the new console, but there's no guarantee that every game you've purchased will do so.

Consider yourself warned.

While it may be true that most of the market is still supported by people buying gifts, it can not be denied that the percentage of “hard-core older gamers” as been increasing.

Nielsen Media Research - Playing video games, once considered the domain of teen boys, has evolved into a medium that is now capable of reaching expanding demographics of gamers, including females, Hispanics and older players...[/quote]

Gamasutra.com - Nielsen also suggested that males between the ages of 25 and 34 and Hispanics represent the most valuable emerging market for video games

They fact is, has publishers seek to expand gaming markets, they fell to realize that there core market is in fact not dying, but growing. And some of them have kids which will either are or will follow in their footsteps.

ESA
For Computer Gamers...

* Thirty-five percent of most frequent game players are under eighteen years old.
* Twenty-six percent of most frequent game players are between 18 and 35 years old.
* Thirty-nine percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years old.

For Console Gamers...

* Forty-six percent of most frequent game players are under eighteen years old.
* Thirty-five percent of most frequent game players are between 18 and 35 years old.
* Twenty percent of most frequent game players are over 35 years old.

The facts are simple. Older hard-core gamers will be the dominant force in the game industry. This model of releasing games around Christmas and a drought for the rest of the year must be changed as gamers will demand a more constant supply of games. Instead of going broke from buying all these games at once and presents, with no time to play them. Moreover, a more constant model would allow developers full-time eight hour a week jobs. Instead of crunch time 22 hour days to meet the deadlines of a sales calendar model that will clearly become outdated. The fact is, a normal release schedule would benefit everyone. And I could take time to enjoy my turkey instead of wolfing it down so I can get back to finishing FEAR.

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I have said for years that the 4th quarter rush for games makes no sense to me. Developers and publishers have pushed out poor content for that model for far too long.

I personally prefer the old winery approach: "we will sell no wine before it's time", and would prefer to see that model used with games as well.

If a title is worthy, then release it when it's done. It certainly didn't harm World of Warcraft (as one example), it hasn't harmed Sony with the Playstation portable (PSP), and it hasn't hurt games like the Grand Theft Auto series. You can also clearly see it hasn't hurt the EA sports titles, Madden, NCAA Football, etc.

It seems to me that the ones relying most on the holiday season rush are the ones that have pumped out crappy content. They rush their content to get it out in a season when it can be lost in the noise and deficiencies aren't as noticable.

Anyway, I for one (as someone that buys games on a regular basis) would be happy to have a calendar full of great release dates, rather than one packed during one time of the year.

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