your thoughts on limited run/limited releases

[Anapan]

I understand the crazy prices, but I don't understand why they feel the need to limit the supply to overinflate the reseller market. Dick move IMO.

[stickem]

Usually I don't even hear about the games until after the sale is over. I listen to a few youtubers and come here and that's it for any gaming news for me. I'd just wish the games were more accessible. This limited shit ruined the baseball card hobby for me in the early 90's

[marurun]

I understand the crazy prices, but I don't understand why they feel the need to limit the supply to overinflate the reseller market. Dick move IMO.

They don't really limit supply any more. They just don't do ongoing production. They make single-batches, basically. I think it can all be explained by them being a small company and low in the pecking order for physical manufacture. Most of the games they release have been out on digital for some time, so it's not like those titles aren't otherwise available. I don't know of any true exclusives they have (feel free to correct me). I don't think they're interested in the reseller market at all, because they don't get any piece of that. I think they're more interested in making sure they sell through so that they maximize their returns and don't have to sit on unsold inventory. I mean, if I were a small publisher and dabbling in physical releases, I'd probably take that same approach.

[isiolia]

I don't think they're interested in the reseller market at all, because they don't get any piece of that. I think they're more interested in making sure they sell through so that they maximize their returns and don't have to sit on unsold inventory. I mean, if I were a small publisher and dabbling in physical releases, I'd probably take that same approach.

Their tactics still highly encourage people to preorder anything they might want, because chances of getting it for MSRP post-release are slim. While selling through print runs is obviously ideal on their end, it's not great for customers who can't commit to purchasing things on their schedule, or who just don't happen to be in the market at that specific time. IE, not buying Switch games because they didn't know they'd be getting one as a gift.

While it's true that they'd want to avoid a lot of unsold inventory, one would also think that if the potential was there to sell through another print run of a few thousand, they'd want to do that too... unless the point is to maintain a "gotta buy now!!" urgency with each release.

[marurun]

I don't think they're interested in the reseller market at all, because they don't get any piece of that. I think they're more interested in making sure they sell through so that they maximize their returns and don't have to sit on unsold inventory. I mean, if I were a small publisher and dabbling in physical releases, I'd probably take that same approach.

Their tactics still highly encourage people to preorder anything they might want, because chances of getting it for MSRP post-release are slim. While selling through print runs is obviously ideal on their end, it's not great for customers who can't commit to purchasing things on their schedule, or who just don't happen to be in the market at that specific time. IE, not buying Switch games because they didn't know they'd be getting one as a gift.

While it's true that they'd want to avoid a lot of unsold inventory, one would also think that if the potential was there to sell through another print run of a few thousand, they'd want to do that too... unless the point is to maintain a "gotta buy now!!" urgency with each release.

Yes, they are definitely keeping the "gotta buy now!!" pressure on. It's annoying for consumers, definitely, but it does make sense for them. The mistake is to attribute it to them being deliberately dickish. And let's remember that these physical releases of otherwise-available digital titles are largely collectors items in that these are digital releases that would otherwise not have a physical release. If someone wants to get the game in digital form they can quite easily, for the most part. If I were committed to physical-only or were a completionist collector this would indeed be an incredibly frustrating situation.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yeah it's not enough to just go for a North American set of games anymore. It's now North American releases + Limited Run (and that other outfit.... Strictly Limited?) + those Asian releases that are in English + ??????

Somehow Elkin manages to do it.

[pook99]

I can understand collectors hating limited run type games, trying to collect complete sets of modern consoles is basically impossible so if you are a completionist, this kind of thing makes your life more difficult.

On the other hand if you are just a gamer who prefers physical, they are great. I definitely agree with everyone that their sales model is not ideal, but I think marurun did a really good job of explaining why they use that model, which is much more out of necessity for their own survival rather than everything else. Ideally, all these games would just be in stores for us to browse and buy at our leisure, but unfortunately that is not a choice. The only choice we have is no physical games at all, or this model of physical games.

I definitely worry that the age of physical is coming to an end, as others have stated, both new consoles are pushing their digital models over their physical ones, with all of that being a reality, I would rather have the option to buy physical than not at all.

[ZRofel]

I'm always a little surprised by the negativity I see surrounding Limited Run Games, as I feel like they're doing the Lord's work by trying to preserve the physical medium. I definitely agree that some of their earlier release timetables could be pretty frustrating, as God help you if you weren't right at your computer at 10am, EST, but I'm really in love with the dedication they've shown to preserving all kinds of weird and quirky games that would have otherwise completely slipped through the cracks. Plus, now that they're mostly focusing on preorders, they've pretty much eliminated that frustration. I would also agree that as their release volume has increased not all of their releases have been winners, but I think that's to be expected. I still think the quality-to-crap ratio has been very much in favor of quality.

As far as why their releases are limited, I think it's exactly the reason others have already outlined. They're a tiny, tiny company, and the margins are very, very tight. If they wind up sitting on a bunch of unsold inventory, that could easily put them out of business. I've talked with them before at conventions, and it really is only a couple of people running the whole thing. And while it hasn't always been easy on the ol' wallet, I've been happy to see their model inspire other companies to try similar arrangements. Strictly Limited Games, Special Reserve Games, Super Rare Games, Red Art Games, and all the rest are great little companies. I have mixed feelings about Playasia's limited physical releases, but I will say I do dig the fact that someone is still publishing physical Vita games at a fairly reasonable price.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[stickem]

I get that they are a tiny company, but if you see the demand online for another print run, why not? I think they are established enough to take that risk by now. Then again, when your company is called limited run, you're marketing yourself as such.

[ZRofel]

I get that they are a tiny company, but if you see the demand online for another print run, why not? I think they are established enough to take that risk by now. Then again, when your company is called limited run, you're marketing yourself as such.

While I'm sure their company ethos has something to do with it (if they do just keep pressing more copies, it's not limited anymore), I suspect the larger issue is just the costs inherent in running another printing. Since in most cases the games they're releasing are just ones they're publishing, not developing, they have to negotiate contracts with the developers of these games in order to publish them, and I would imagine being a very small outfit, those publication rights don't last into perpetuity. So depending on when they started to detect the interest in another printing, they might not even have the rights to publish that particular game physically anymore. Then there are the contracts they have to negotiate with the factories that actual make the games. As I understand it, most of the their releases are made in the minimum quantities the factories are willing to agree to. From the factory owners' perspectives, it doesn't make sense to assign their equipment and personnel to a project unless they're guaranteed a make a certain amount of money off of it, but from Limited Run's perspective, they want to only pay for the maximum amount that they are guaranteed to sell, because like I said, too much unsold inventory could easily put them under. So basically, if they're not guaranteed to sell at least as many copies in a second batch as they did in the first, it's probably not a sound financial decision for them to pay the developers and the factories to reprint the game.

Again, I haven't been explicitly told any of this, I'm just putting the pieces together from things they've said in their newsletters, press releases, and so forth.