Fallout 3 - Preview @ The Escapist

Most of that is true, Hedek (I mean regarding the Bethesda could have done it on their own stuff) but I believe you are wrong as far as Fallout's popularity is concerned. I believe that it is because of rabid fansites like NMA and because of a very vocal hardcore fan base and lastly also because of Fallout's long term sales success that Fallout is a pretty perfect target for an acquisition. The name (the brand) is gaming legend. It doesn't really matter how many people have actually played the Fallouts in practice. The games are popular just from hearsay. Everyone with a bit of interest in computer gaming will have heard of Fallout since it is permanently listed on top 10 lists and is constantly being referred to by people as a comparison to other games. Fallout is everywhere. Fallout is a legend. It is right on par with -say- Ultima. There will be many, many kids today who have never played a single Ultima game but they will have heard about it. It has this almost mythical, mystic sound to it that makes it cool and interesting to the kids even if they won't really know what it is about. Same with Fallout. It's a marketer's wet dream come true.
That's why I think it made sense (from a business point of view) for Bethesda to acquire the Fallout license instead of creating their own IP. They are working with a franchise that has a "legendary" reputation from the start. They don't need to build it up on their own. If there's one thing you will never be able to buy with money it's time. And it takes time for something to become a legend so Bethesda took a shortcut by investing in Fallout rather than taking the risk that their own project would never reach a similar level of popularity. It was a pretty smart move and with all the talk surrounding the game their plan is working out very well so far. The legend of Fallout lives and there is a very good chance IMHO that Fallout 3 will be a smashing success for Bethesda.

That's where I fundamentally disagree with you. I believe there's a huge gap between what gaming journalists are interested in and what Walmart costumers just looking for a few hours of entertainement buy. The problem is that you, Moriendor, Rendelius, Calis, Desslock, etc, and me a few years ago don't represent the typical costumer. We are as you said people "with a bit of interest in computer gaming". The reason why you hear so much about Fallout 3 on the internet it's because the people who run these sites aren't typical gamers, most of them are 25+ and to THOSE people Fallout is a myth. So yes they are eager to talk about Fallout because it's something that means something to THEM!

The real costumers, those that are meaningful to publishers because of their sheer number, those guy don't know about Fallout, don't care about Fallout. When I talk to friends of my generation, ie. those that were teens when Fallout 1 came out most just heard the name once if not at all and yet these friends are still gamers despite their age (mostly mmorpg players). And the teens of today are too young to know about Fallout.
Are they ignorant? No they're normal, we're the minority.

Now where you're probably right is us that us debating and being that "hardcore vocal minority" leads non-specialized magazines and journalists talk about it and thus giving some exposure to a larger crowd. But the fact is, did Oblivion have that sort of purists and fanatics complaining and speculating all over the net? No, they still managed to get their game hyped anyway. Did it prevent it from selling well? Neither. So again you haven't convinced me why Bethsoft needed the Fallout franchise.
 
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Actually as far as the Wal-Mart customer (the "non-gamer") is concerned, I'm pretty sure that those people do not buy games based on any knowledge or information at all (you're right... to them, Fallout most likely means nothing). They are mostly impulsive buyers. They'll pick up a game if the packaging is attractive and if the blurb on the back of the box sounds interesting. The most important aspect of selling to these people is mere availability IMHO. You need a good distribution system. You need to rent and reserve tons of shelf-space. The game will then sell well simply because if there is a lot of boxes of something then it must be at least decent and popular, right? I believe that's how the Wal-Mart customer ticks. If there is a huge pile of games or several rows of the same game on the shelf and if the packaging looks promising then they'll bite.

I don't know how much (in %) that group of buyers comprises though. Is it really the majority of buyers that make a totally uninformed buying decision like the Wal-Mart customer? I sort of doubt it. It is certainly a significant portion of the market but it can't really be dominating either. I believe that most buyers of video games make at least a somewhat informed buying decision. ~$/EUR 50.00 is not a fortune but it is quite a painful loss for your average Joe if the game turns out to be not as good as you expected. It's not the kind of money to just flush down the toilet or to take any chances on.
That's why I believe that the Wal-Mart customer with no clue at all is actually in the minority. The Wal-Mart customer might not know that Fallout 1 and 2 were turn-based and he will not know about S.P.E.C.I.A.L or any details like that but what he will probably know from magazines or from watching the game trailer in a cinema or on TV or from hearing it on the radio or from reading it somewhere on the Internet is that Fallout is a popular, legendary gaming franchise and that part 3 is supposed to be bigger, better, faster than anything before it. This "fly-by" information will be casually stored in a corner of the Wal-Mart customer's brain and it will go *click* when he sees the boxes on the shelf and thus he buys a copy of the game.
Well, this is how it might work anyway. I'm not a market research expert or anything :) but that's how I would guess this stuff works and why it makes sense to have an established, popular, legendary franchise to sell. I bet that Bethesda will be playing this card in the marketing campaign later on, too. Probably with some bloomy language such as "Fallout: A gaming legend reborn" or some typical blahblah like that. Pete will figure something out for sure :biggrin: .
 
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The mantrum "any coverage is good coverage" doesn't actually hold true if you're trying to create hype. You're trying to get a "I've heard this was good" reaction, not a "I've heard of this before" reaction. Two different things, one conductive of spreading free publicity, the other conductive of spreading hype. Despite the common misconception, they're not the same, and not freely interchangeable.

Yes, except that I believe in this case it still works. We all (NMA, RPG Codex, even us) are all part of building the Fallout legend but the mainstream gamers don't give a shit about being TB or even true to the source. They get explody Orc heads...uber cool. And for many hardcore-gamers-but-not-CRPG-site-readers, disagreeing with NMA is all part of the fun and almost a sport in its own right.
 
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The other thing which flows from Mo's point, is that number 3. A game MUST be good if it's up to number 3!! It may be subtle, but it's there.
 
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Yes, except that I believe in this case it still works. We all (NMA, RPG Codex, even us) are all part of building the Fallout legend but the mainstream gamers don't give a shit about being TB or even true to the source. They get explody Orc heads...uber cool. And for many hardcore-gamers-but-not-CRPG-site-readers, disagreeing with NMA is all part of the fun and almost a sport in its own right.

You'd be surprised how many people hate us, yet agree with us. Along with the people that hate us and disagree with us, of course.

It's odd that your above statement is exactly applicable to Fallout:BoS. Names rarely sell like word of mouth does, and provided it does, Bethesda sells more than Fallout. Not to mention the negative word of mouth that 6 million bought them.
 
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