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  1. #1
    Member Member dragonchr15's Avatar
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    Default Why....

    is Rome: Total War being released in North America before Europe? Isn't the game made in the UK? Is it because they have a larger market here (ie, more gamers)?

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    Default Re: Why....

    I don't know. Might have something to do with Activision producing it, I think they are an American company.
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    Member Member LordKhaine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    It's always been this way... and probably always will be.
    ~LordKhaine~

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    Default Re: Why....

    Activision (RTW's publisher) is located in CA.

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    Part-Time Polemic Senior Member ICantSpellDawg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    will the game be in stores tomorrow (22) or the day after?

    what a newbie question, but im asking anyway because i hear quite a few different dates (22, 23... so maybe 2 diff dates)
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    robotica erotica Member Colovion's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    call them tomorrow
    robotica erotica

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    Alienated Senior Member Member Red Harvest's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    It's the Royals. The product cannot be released in the UK until Her Majesty has completed at least one campaign.
    Rome Total War, it's not a game, it's a do-it-yourself project.

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    Ricardus Insanusaum Member Bob the Insane's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Harvest
    It's the Royals. The product cannot be released in the UK until Her Majesty has completed at least one campaign.
    LOL.. If Her Majesty wanted to play soldiers, she has about 100,000 real ones to go kick arse for her if she asks.....

    This was brought up in another thread and it is basically down to spped of disk production and dispatch... The publisher may be in the USA but I am pretty sure someone mentioned the disks being cut and packaged in South America somewhere, which is why it makes sense that the America's and Australia get it first and then the ROW... Apparantly a single worldwide release is an expensive thing to achieve with lots of stock having to be stored for a while and increases the opportunities for piracy...

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    robotica erotica Member Colovion's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by DisruptorX
    I don't know. Might have something to do with Activision producing it, I think they are an American company.
    bingo

    I would also put my money on the fact that America has such a massive media network and that can be good for advertising something by releasing the product to the US market.
    robotica erotica

  10. #10
    RIP Tosa, my trolling end now Senior Member Devastatin Dave's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by dragonchr15
    is Rome: Total War being released in North America before Europe? Isn't the game made in the UK? Is it because they have a larger market here (ie, more gamers)?

    Because we have a larger military!!! Actually I wish they would have released it on the other side of the pond first. I would have liked getting some honest reviews from you guys before purchasing it. But, ala, i guess I'll just have to sacrifice the next 48 hours playing the most anticipated game in the Total War series.. Poor me!!!
    RIP Tosa

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    Senior Member Senior Member Barkhorn1x's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by dragonchr15
    is Rome: Total War being released in North America before Europe? Isn't the game made in the UK? Is it because they have a larger market here (ie, more gamers)?
    I've addressed this before. If you want to get games first - START BREEDING! It's all a question of market size - not marketing.

    Barkhorn.
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    For TosaInu and the Org Senior Member The_Emperor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    I've addressed this before. If you want to get games first - START BREEDING! It's all a question of market size - not marketing.
    What the US Market is larger than the whole global market?
    "Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it."

  13. #13
    Senior Member Senior Member Barkhorn1x's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Emperor
    What the US Market is larger than the whole global market?
    No - and I did not mean to imply that it was. But it is larger than any other - so if you are forces to choose who goes first - logically this is where you go.

    That's the way it is.

    Barkhorn.
    "Après moi le déluge"

  14. #14
    Squirrel Watcher Member Sinner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Except that Europe & Britain combined have a higher population than the States - 450 million vs 325 million or thereabouts as I recall.

    The argument that a worldwide release would cause more piracy is a poor excuse. Why don't Activision try the absolutely revolutionary concept of more than one distribution center? Reduced shipping costs from a more local hub, could be used to offset any potential increase in production costs. Shipping the gold copy of the game to two - or even more! - locations won't be difficult or costly, assuming they don't just send it electronically. Manuals, etc can be printed wherever is cheapest to produce & then ship out, since you only need to worry about piracy of the actual game. With a nice and cheap eastern European country for Europe, then South America for the Americas, and other regions picked up by one of the two main distribution points, you'd be able to achieve a worldwide release with little or no extra cost.

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    For TosaInu and the Org Senior Member The_Emperor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Arguably releasing in one part of the world first will increase piracy itself.

    Once some clever American hacker cracks the game, he can place it for download on the web... Where everyone in other parts of the world who have not got it are free to download it.

    Was Warcraft 3 heavily pirated on its worldwide release? Probably not to the same extent that Doom3 & other games were on their staggered ones.
    "Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it."

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    Senior Member Senior Member Barkhorn1x's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Emperor
    Arguably releasing in one part of the world first will increase piracy itself.
    Now that's a different argument - and I agree w/ you here.

    Barkhorn.
    "Après moi le déluge"

  17. #17
    Forum Lurker Member Sir Moody's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Guys arguably anything they do will increase piracy as the pirates will still crack and put the game up how ever they do the release

  18. #18

    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Emperor
    Arguably releasing in one part of the world first will increase piracy itself.

    Once some clever American hacker cracks the game, he can place it for download on the web... Where everyone in other parts of the world who have not got it are free to download it.

    Was Warcraft 3 heavily pirated on its worldwide release? Probably not to the same extent that Doom3 & other games were on their staggered ones.
    I already explained all of these in another thread.

    Wrong on many counts. Warcraft3 was heavily pirated. Why? Because for them to do a worldwide release, they had to delay the U.S. release. It takes time to produce games. That's why you need at least 2 weeks to get it out in the U.S. If you want to get it out simultaneously worldwide, it's going to take at least 3 weeks. That means the U.S. release is delayed by 1 week. The international release wasn't sped up. To imply otherwise was just wrong. Popular games right now are pirated before they are released. Warcraft3 was available for download 2 weeks before the worldwide release. To do a worldwide release, a company has to hold U.S. inventory for 1 week more and that's very expensive. In fact, inventory costs could be much larger than piracy costs. Never underestimate inventory costs. Not to mention that pirates have had more weeks in the U.S. to pirate the game before it was released. It is better to get each batch out as quickly as possible.

    Except that Europe & Britain combined have a higher population than the States - 450 million vs 325 million or thereabouts as I recall.
    That's 325 million Americans who only need 1 version vs. 450 million Europeans who need more different versions (language, blood, gore, packaging, etc., etc.) than there are stars in the sky.

  19. #19
    Swarthylicious Member Spino's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Quote Originally Posted by dragonchr15
    is Rome: Total War being released in North America before Europe? Isn't the game made in the UK? Is it because they have a larger market here (ie, more gamers)?
    It's because we're special...
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  20. #20
    Pet Idiot Member Soulflame's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    Most of the time its because of divisions and logisitics and protocols and all. If you want to release in the EU you need to file some more forms (plus packaging must comply with norms and such), plus the publisher usually has local divisions handling out marketing & sales (latter more important in this matter). In the country it should be evaluated which stores get which supplies etc. And of course it needs to be shipped. Now they could all plan to do it on the same time, but that would mean extra work, calculations, safety nets (in case one of the language manuals goes wrong for instance).

    One example of this has been Neverwinter Nights. Although released in the US first, there were hundreds of complaints because Atari (publicher) put in red strips in the case where the cd-keys were on, but they were missing from huge batches.
    In the EU however (a week or so later) as with almost all games released here, it was printed on the back of the manual, so no trouble at all.

    Note that there is a marketing strategy to first publish it in one region, and then others, called 'waterfall expansion'. But that is usually the case when you want customer feedback (sort of a test market first) or only have a small working capital (or culture). Which in a case of just only a week or so difference, isn't the case.
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  21. #21
    Senior Member Senior Member The Black Ship's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why....

    It's not as if the EU is one big market, as has been suggested. The EU countries speak dozens of different languages, and while the tariff system(s)have been stream-lined they are still a hindrance when compared to releasing to one large, essentially monolithic english-speaking HOME market.

    Just make friends with one of the American patrons. I'm sure we can be bothered to ship you a copy overnight provided you pay the freight, so to speak That's what Pay-Pal accounts are for.
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