Newegg reviews of SH 5

Iron Budokan · 03-09-10, 02:21 PM

This is it, guys. This is the death knell. Game shops taking back an opened PC game with no questions asked.

I'm just...I'm speechless.

This does not bode well for Ubi on any imaginable level.

jdkbph · 03-09-10, 03:00 PM

Yep, if this is corporate/franchise wide (Bestbuy and Gamestop) and not just something local, it represents a major departure from policy, and UBIsoft will certainly feel this directly.

As has been said by others here... I do feel bad for those who have purchased the (right to play the) game and can't, but at the same time I must admit that I am rooting for the failure of this kind of DRM and cheering every new development toward that end.

Please note that this does not mean I am anti-DRM in principle. I am 100% behind the defense of legitimate rights and property. What UBI doesn't seem to realize (or want to realize) is that this DRM scheme is impinging on their customer's legitimate rights and property. The fact that it doesn't even serve it's intended purpose while doing so makes it all the more egregious.

I hope most can understand this point of view even if they don't necessarily agree with it.

JD

janh · 03-09-10, 03:04 PM

At this point we can only speculate how the new DRM scheme (and of course also the release quality) will affect the sales here. Somewhere someone posted a reference to Steam (I can't find the thread quickly), where Silent Hunter V and Assassins Creed II seem to be doing fine relative to other titles. Although I was surprised that Operation Flashpoint 2 Dragon Rising rerelease did better.

On Newegg, or amazon.com/.de/.uk the titles don't seem to be doing so well judging from the sales rank, and the consumer reviews. However, there are several versions of the releases, and you'd have to average them to get a more representative picture. Finally, all those relative sales ranks don't tell you about the total volume of sales, which is the meaningful property (and allows to estimate the all-important revenue). Finally, those are only a few sales channels, and I don't know how much percentage of sales Ubisoft makes through only those 3 channels.

So I guess we will have to wait a couple of weeks for Ubisofts official quaterly report, or the official information for their stock holders. Judging from the price development of SHV in several European Online stores established from price search engines (somewhat credible I guess), SHV price dropped from an average of ca 46 Eur to meanwhile 39 Eur within a week, steadily. On Amazon it appears to be similar. Maybe that is a market indicator for the customer reception of their OSP ideas.

The future will be exciting for sure, waiting for the effect on Ubis sales. I still hope that was Ubi's last voyage to intrusive DRM worlds (or resale limitation, etc), and that other companies will learn from it without repeating the experiment.

Brag · 03-09-10, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron Budokan

This is it, guys. This is the death knell. Game shops taking back an opened PC game with no questions asked.

I'm just...I'm speechless.

This does not bode well for Ubi on any imaginable level.

The Amazon forums are ripping it, too. The sales rank has dropped to #500+

Ubi's announcement they were infecting SHV with DRM was the first step toward what probably is the most disastrous launch in publishing history.

Who has ever heard that peeing on one's customers is good for business?

Nick Holden · 03-09-10, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brag

Who has ever heard that peeing on one's customers is good for business?

That depends on your type of business.

KG_Jag · 03-10-10, 01:26 AM

It has been a very problematic start for this game. Core customer pushback (DRM, game design and bugs...) and bad reviews by gamers are not things of which success is made.

03-09-10, 02:21 PM	#1
Iron Budokan Sea Lord Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 1,778 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	This is it, guys. This is the death knell. Game shops taking back an opened PC game with no questions asked. I'm just...I'm speechless. This does not bode well for Ubi on any imaginable level. __________________ "You will take on England wherever you find her ships, and you will break her power at sea." --Iron Coffins, Herbert A. Werner http://kennethmarkhoover.com

03-09-10, 03:04 PM	#3
janh Stinking drunk in Trinidad Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 349 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	At this point we can only speculate how the new DRM scheme (and of course also the release quality) will affect the sales here. Somewhere someone posted a reference to Steam (I can't find the thread quickly), where Silent Hunter V and Assassins Creed II seem to be doing fine relative to other titles. Although I was surprised that Operation Flashpoint 2 Dragon Rising rerelease did better. On Newegg, or amazon.com/.de/.uk the titles don't seem to be doing so well judging from the sales rank, and the consumer reviews. However, there are several versions of the releases, and you'd have to average them to get a more representative picture. Finally, all those relative sales ranks don't tell you about the total volume of sales, which is the meaningful property (and allows to estimate the all-important revenue). Finally, those are only a few sales channels, and I don't know how much percentage of sales Ubisoft makes through only those 3 channels. So I guess we will have to wait a couple of weeks for Ubisofts official quaterly report, or the official information for their stock holders. Judging from the price development of SHV in several European Online stores established from price search engines (somewhat credible I guess), SHV price dropped from an average of ca 46 Eur to meanwhile 39 Eur within a week, steadily. On Amazon it appears to be similar. Maybe that is a market indicator for the customer reception of their OSP ideas. The future will be exciting for sure, waiting for the effect on Ubis sales. I still hope that was Ubi's last voyage to intrusive DRM worlds (or resale limitation, etc), and that other companies will learn from it without repeating the experiment. __________________ Scientific facts are not determined by the opinion of the majority, nor by a democratic vote.

03-09-10, 03:00 PM	#2
jdkbph Captain Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 508 Downloads: 104 Uploads: 0	Yep, if this is corporate/franchise wide (Bestbuy and Gamestop) and not just something local, it represents a major departure from policy, and UBIsoft will certainly feel this directly. As has been said by others here... I do feel bad for those who have purchased the (right to play the) game and can't, but at the same time I must admit that I am rooting for the failure of this kind of DRM and cheering every new development toward that end. Please note that this does not mean I am anti-DRM in principle. I am 100% behind the defense of legitimate rights and property. What UBI doesn't seem to realize (or want to realize) is that this DRM scheme is impinging on their customer's legitimate rights and property. The fact that it doesn't even serve it's intended purpose while doing so makes it all the more egregious. I hope most can understand this point of view even if they don't necessarily agree with it. JD

03-10-10, 01:26 AM	#6
KG_Jag Bosun Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Braunfels, TX & Reno, NV Posts: 67 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	It has been a very problematic start for this game. Core customer pushback (DRM, game design and bugs...) and bad reviews by gamers are not things of which success is made.