Announcing Games Way Ahead of Launch is Not a Big Deal

"Sony has gotten a lot of flack thrown its way due to the company announcing games way ahead of release. Example: Sony announced The Last of Us Part II and Death Stranding way ahead of launch; Sony stated that the two titles were still in early development. Is this good or bad? I think it’s great for the consumer, as it is futureproofing the consumer’s purchase." -- Gaming Enthusiast

[PhoenixUp]

Why would it be a problem when your platform consistently gets games released for it on a monthly basis?

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Completely agree. Knowing that the console you own is going to get so many exciting games is part of the allure, the hype, the excitement and Sony knows that's the reason why PlayStation is so well respected and well known in the gaming world. Keep announcing those games Sony! The only people getting upset are the people who know they aren't going to be playing these amazing exclusives unless they buy a PS4.

[Erik7357]

It sucks waiting for last of us 2 when you know there's nothing near as good to play on the system thats coming out now.... yea theres games coming out but not as good as last of us 2 is gonna be hence why people are noticing the wait for it.

You dont really notice people complain about the long Pokemon RPG/Metroid wait for Switch do you? There occupied with other newly released 95+ metric titles like Zelda Breath of Wild and going to be again with the upcoming Mario Odyssey next month.

[DigitalRaptor]

Get out of my head.

Nah seriously, this has always been my train of thought when people decided to complain about Sony for announcing games early. There's always something else to play while the hype is being stoked for upcoming games.

[StormLegend]

Indeed it's not. I would rather know a game is announced and being worked on then to never hear about a game. How can I trust a company to deliver games when no games are announced? Having a game shown off and then released is cool and all, but it doesn't build up any hype or give you time to prepare for it.

[porkChop]

Building hype and giving time to prepare doesn't mean they need to announce games 3 or 4 years in advance. I understand announcing a game that will come out next year. But beyond that? There's no benefit to that. It often has a negative impact because many games go through significant changes in early development, resulting in a fairly different game at release.

[OB1Biker]

And it seems on average games get announced about two years before release which I guess is about OK for you from marketing point of view. There r exceptions of games announced close to release or those announced when still early in development.
I think people are caught up in the marketing side of it and give too much attention to apparence rather than facts. What if someone asks if X game is in development? The studio replies yes it is. There you go. No need all the commercial fuss about it. The rest is smoke and we should push for honesty rather than apparence.

[TheColbertinator]

Its 50/50 honestly.

Some games were announced within a year of launch and I thought they were boring. Dead Rising 4 for one.

[OB1Biker]

'I think it’s great for the consumer'
Exactly.I agree. From a responsible grown up consumers point of view it's best to be informed. Some people act like kids you have to hide surprises because they can't cope with knowing. The important thing is that they should be honest and not pretend a cg trailer means it will release soon.
I think Hellblade is a nice example of how they can treat gamers as responsible consumers in giving an honest account of how the development is doing.

[Goldby]

I think if more developers, AAA included, did developer diaries or something similar it would create a better connection with their audience as well as having to hold their game to a higher standard.

[DivineAssault]

To me, only nintendo can do this. They need to let their fans know that beloved series' arent dead with a teaser shot or something.. Also that 3rd party games will be coming.. Whenever done with other platforms, i just ignore it. Could be cancelled or not even release the same generation..

[Araragifeels]

PlayStation can do this too except Xbox because Crackdown 3 was announced years ago.

[DivineAssault]

PS doesnt always follow the plan either.. Remember Last Guardian taking forever or that Rockstar exclusive not even out yet? Honestly Sony doesnt need to show stuff early because people know games will release for it.. With nintendo its more like reassurance certain stuff thats expected is coming.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

It's okay to an extent.

Don't be like Square Enix and announce a game then have it drop off the face of the earth for almost half a decade or longer before more info or gameplay are shown off.

[Elda]

Theres no need to announce a game that is not able to play within 18 months.Announcing a game that is going to take 3 to 10 years should be kept to themselves,no need to get peoples hopes up knowing it's years away.

[GamesMaster1982]

i disagree i prefer them to announce a game when it's 6 months away from launch. Instead of getting hopes up and that said game getting delay after delay.