Good Old Games Faked Shutdown to Avoid Being "Boring"

[lacktheknack]

Sorry, I'm still with Gametap. Good job trying to get my attention, though.

 

[sheic99]

Well I can understand that. News in gaming has gotten rather boring as of late.

Seriously? I find the EA/Activision slap fight to be much more entertaining.

 

[Brotherofwill]

Good show, I reckon. It's a bit like when David Jaffe lied about Twisted Metal [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101545-Jaffe-Explains-His-Twisted-Metal-Lie]; a little exciting, interesting lie that doesn't really hurt anyone.

In any case, I can think of some marketing moves that are much meaner and uglier.

Yeah, that's a great comparison with the Jaffe statement. They're just trying to bring back some magic, no harm done.

I liked the PR stunt. If people are 'hurt' over them 'misleading' them then they seriously need to lighten up. They never said they'd close, offered a service that would allow people to redownload their games (ofcourse that service was just a hoax as well, but they did it for those crazy folk who would have been like "ZOMG! MY GAMES! NOOOO! I'LL SUE YOU!") and the whole thing, which was confirmed a PR stunt mere minutes of it going public, only lasted a few days anyway. Come on. Lighten up.

 

[mattaui]

Actually, a big part of the stunt was the various sites reporting that they were closing, when the site itself said they couldn't exist as they currently were, so any sort of analysis might have hinted that there was more to it. Of course, this is a problem endemic to all news media outlets these days, and in far more serious cases, with everyone trying to report the newest story, as soon as they can and in the most attention-grabbing manner possible.

 

[icyneesan]

Man these guys arnt that creative... if they really wanted to be creative they should have said they were shutting down and using all of there profits to build a weapon of mass destruction to blow up the 3rd moon of Jupiter so they can invade Poland and steal all its cheese.

 

[joshuaayt]

Hey, it worked- it got every game site in an uproar, introducing GOG to most anyone who didn't know about it. Hell, I might even buy something now.

 

[Caradinist]

Well if it works, it works.

Also, really? "Those games are not exactly good"? You're telling me games like Freespace 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, and Raptor:Call of Shadows are mediocre games?

 

[Darth_Dude]

I didn't really care to begin with and.... still don't care.

Yay apathy?

 

[Unrulyhandbag]

Seriously not bothered about the 'shutdown' it would have been a shame but as long as I could re-download my games then cést la vie. They indirectly lied to get attention? well it worked and I wish them all the best.

their selection of games isn't exactly stellar. It's as bad as the selection of movies and shows on Canadian Netflix.

Really?

Giants citizen kabuto
Cannon fodder(why hasn't this been milked it a superb peice of level design and simplicity)
Jagged alliance
Fallout
Outcast
Creatures
Commandos
Master of orion
and that's just a random sample.

Not one of those games appeals to you? I'll pray you and hope you find the game playing part of your soul (and i'm Ignostic so that's a big deal).

They have a good chunk of the older games worth having, they aren't meant to have lots of games just the best.
When I look at their list of games the only worry I have is they I can't afford to buy enough of them even if they are pretty cheap.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

Hey, it worked- it got every game site in an uproar, introducing GOG to most anyone who didn't know about it. Hell, I might even buy something now.

It worked for me, also. I had no idea they existed before all of this and now when I get paid friday I'm getting some games from them (how I missed you, Redneck Rampage).

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Well I can understand that. News in gaming has gotten rather boring as of late.

Oh, and how.

If it's not some CEO being a dick, it's some company saying they might bring something out sometime.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I fully understand where they're coming from, but blatant dishonesty just doesn't sit well with me.

It wasn't blatant or dishonest, they said they couldn't continue the site in its current form and as such they overhauled the site. People merely assumed it was dead. Yes I know, it sure seemed like that but they never outright said they were shutting down, we just filled in the blanks with the worst case scenario.

Long story short, we all got played by ourselves moreso than them.

You, uh... did read the title of the article, yes? Not only that, but the comments made on behalf of GOG.com were an admission that they intentionally misled people. Dress it up however you like, but the purpose behind telling a half-truth is to misinform and deceive.

Who gives a shit

People with enough time to make worthless, low-content replies give a shit, for one. In fact, the only thing that disqualifies you from joining the prestigious Give-A-Shit Club right now is your overwhelming apathy regarding punctuation.

 

[Jared]

Well if anything it was an intresting publicity stunt. Did get everyone talking about them at least

 

[Moriarty]

"We have been gamers forever and thus decided to pick the second option, as we believe the industry has been getting dead serious for the last few years," he continued. "If even the entertainment industry - which I believe is supposed to generate emotions and creativity - gets dull, where is the whole world going? Our aim was never to harm anybody here. All we wanted is to take an exotic path to cause a debate."

The entertainment industry is still an industry.

I don't want to be entertained by their products, not their press releases. The most important thing, especially for a dd-service provider is reliabilty, so spreading rumors about shutting down is basically the worst form of "humor".

 

[GodKlown]

Where is General Disarray to proclaim "Simpsons did it!"?

 

[Something Amyss]

So they wanted attention?
That's a pretty lame stunt.

It's called good marketing.

At least they did something vaguely interesting.

It's probably bad marketing to piss off your customers. Especially in a way that blocks them access.