MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

[Mt Oread]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Since you didn't play last year's game, I'll excuse your lack of context. The 2K12 game I played last year ceased getting any support. MLB Today languished with no updates. they didn't update for the ADG or playoffs.

Basically, anything that needed a human to be paid stopped getting done.

http://kotaku.com/5974561/what-can-w...y?tag=sportaku

All signs last year pointed to a project that was mothballed as soon as the ill-fated "Million Dollar Challenge" (which returns this year) threw its last pitch in May. MLB 2K13 never appeared on any list of games Take-Two Interactive planned to release this year, as sure a sign as any that the game was dead. Months of reporting MLB 2K's death practically as fact went unaddressed by either 2K Sports or Take-Two. The game got one (1) title update, the free one that Microsoft gives everybody, and that was it. An email I sent to one of its lead designers bounced as undeliverable three weeks after MLB 2K12 hit shelves, which told me enough. This game was mothballed.

There was zero signes that 2K had any interest in making any more baseball games. So when this popped up at the last second, the logical speculation was that MLB decided to make a deal to provide a game for the 360 to avoid looking like a second rate league.

From the same story:

So what we have is a game built almost entirely on Take-Two's terms, and my guess those terms are do it as cheaply as possible and sell as many copies as they can, remembering that there is no competitor on the Xbox 360. This is a series that used to publish on every platform known to man—even the DS—as 2K Sports strove to pry any kind of sale it could out of an extremely expensive license struck years before under old (and profligate) management. It's now coming out only on the 360 and the PlayStation 3.

This is stuff we knew in in early January. Of course, he might have been wrong, but it sure seems like everything played out like a game 2K has no interest in releasing.

Yes, they are marketing the game, and despite the heft reward, the Million Dollar Perfect Game Challenge is a cheap way to get hundreds, if not thousands of blurbs in all manner of non-traditional outlets. Everything from radio and TV morning shows, to regular news web sites will mention it. And they won't talk about the game's history, its past reviews, or anything else. It's a good way to sell games to mom and dads and casual gamers.

But 2K doesn't owe anyone a game until they pay for it. So if there is anything you don't like about the game or how it was marketed, it is so easy to just move on.

And look at those numbers I posted above. There was not that large of a difference considering the large gap in how the games are received and touted. Baseball games are not great sellers. 2K has every reason to believe that there are very few additional sales to be had by investing more in either marketing or development.

The Show is not only a solid game, but it has a fiercely loyal community. I don't think there are many additional sales to be had. This is why 2K exclusive deal was so bad. They acted like it was a football game in terms of popularity.

It's not hard to see why the game is being released as it is this year.

[Mt Oread]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Hmm, I saw very different numbers. I saw 900k compared to 400k. But maybe I can't read. I'll take your word for it.

The Show sold a bunch of Vita versions, but I'm not counting handheld. 2K12 sold both Wii and PS3 versions that added to their 450K number, bring it up over 650K.

Of course, VGChartz has to be taken with a grain of salt, but I think we can trust the relative numbers in this case.

[Cardot]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

2K HAS put resources into this game. They are putting up $1 million in their Perfect Game challenge, money spent on hiring a bunch of athletes like David Price for their cover and commercials, etc. I think it is very fair to wonder if they have allocated these resources properly. Stop making 2K out to be a martyr in this thread. They are a business whose sole interest is in taking our money.

Good points Rudy. I had forgotten about the Million Dollar challenge. That might account for the $60? Get full price from the folks going for prize money (which is obviously their target audience), and probably a price drop once that is over?

[Mauer4MVP]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Pleasantly shocked at the trailer (that may say more about my expectations than the actual game). The only problem is you can clearly tell it is not worth 60 bucks.

Why not sell it for 40?

I will never understand how sports games sell for as much as a rpg, shooter, etc. and maintain their value a lot longer than games like Mass Effect.

Anyways, just not sure I am willing to spend 60 bucks on an average product, even if I have quite a bit of in-store credit.

[lnin0]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

I don't buy the logic that Baseball was so concerned about its 360 presence yet too dumb to realize no other publisher was going to produce a 360 title this gen. Where they hoping Sony might port The Show over? Also, if baseball is that concerned about the 360 - then why wait? Why come begging 2K at the last minute when you knew it was 2K or nothing all along. That doesn't sound like a smart way to negotiate.

I personally don't think 2K was fully intent of leaving this gen. They made a big spectacle of their break up and hoped it would buy them a better hand, but to get real leverage, they had to show baseball they were done. That walking away was a better option.

So, no more patches, no more publicity, no stock holders reports, no more answering emails. I don't think 2K removed everyone from the game but I expect it was treated like a b-rate title. Working almost anonymously without a true deal means they aren't out scouting stadiums or working with MLB assets. But 2K has been at this business long enough to know that is not the stuff you spend your early dev cycles on anyway.

My guess is baseball knew it needed 2K, and 2K knew it needed baseball. Since last March they have been at a stalemate of the license. Holding their breath and waiting for the other to blink first. I don't think it has all been done while the game sat in mothballs. I think the game was being developed while the two fought over a deal and until that deal, nobody heard a word of the game.

[kev13dd]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

I don't buy the logic that Baseball was so concerned about its 360 presence yet too dumb to realize no other publisher was going to produce a 360 title this gen. Where they hoping Sony might port The Show over? Also, if baseball is that concerned about the 360 - then why wait? Why come begging 2K at the last minute when you knew it was 2K or nothing all along. That doesn't sound like a smart way to negotiate.

I personally don't think 2K was fully intent of leaving this gen. They made a big spectacle of their break up and hoped it would buy them a better hand, but to get real leverage, they had to show baseball they were done. That walking away was a better option.

So, no more patches, no more publicity, no stock holders reports, no more answering emails. I don't think 2K removed everyone from the game but I expect it was treated like a b-rate title. Working almost anonymously without a true deal means they aren't out scouting stadiums or working with MLB assets. But 2K has been at this business long enough to know that is not the stuff you spend your early dev cycles on anyway.

My guess is baseball knew it needed 2K, and 2K knew it needed baseball. Since last March they have been at a stalemate of the license. Holding their breath and waiting for the other to blink first. I don't think it has all been done while the game sat in mothballs. I think the game was being developed while the two fought over a deal and until that deal, nobody heard a word of the game.

I hoped that too! When it was announced!

Except if you're silent about a game to win a stalemate, you don't STAY silent once you've won it

There is no reason for 2K to not be announcing improvements if they've invested in improvements. Even the flimsy "they don't want to gloat to MLB that they were putting on an act" excuse doesn't work since MLB will see the game once it's released and know if they were played or not

I like your optimism. But that's all it is

K

[Cardot]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Why not sell it for 40?

That has been my thought for the last few weeks. And it didn't occur to be until rudy's post a few back, but now it makes sense to me that 2K is putting almost all of their focus on the Million Dollar challenge. Obviously just speculation on my part. But the guys who are buying the game for the $$$ challenge can't wait around for a price drop. And their decision to buy isn't going to hinge on the game details/improvements that us folks on OS care about.

That certainly isn't the strategic direction that I wanted to see them take. But if that is the route they are going, then it makes sense to charge $60 out of the gate, while making minimal changes to the game and even less time promoting the gameplay. Just advertise the challenge.

[Radja]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

whats funny to me is that every year with various sports franchises, people say if they just upgrade the game play and not worry about new features i will be happy. that may be true for a few guys but to the reviewers and overall public that has never worked.

one of the best examples of this was 2ks versions of 2k3 baseball and the follow up espn mlb. or 2k4 though they never named it that.

2k4 was freaking awesome for its time. it was everything fixed from 2k3 which was a pretty good game by its own rights. however, mvp 2004 came out, (which was a very cleaned up version of the first MVP where catchers would not tag out anybody heading home among its many issues), and espn was pushed aside by the media and the public.

granted mvp was a pretty good game with a huge glitch where lefty's could not hit hrs, but espn was still better. yet, 2k had to revamp its entire game and put out 2k5. one of the glitchiest games of all time. it was super pretty for the old gen and had so many things right. i tried for a couple months to make it work, but eventually had to go with the 05 show and eventually mvp 2005. that game destroyed 2k and then they grabbed the exclusive. they have been chasing the show ever since.

(i loved the 05 show. it is the only baseball game i played every game. it too had a few issues, mostly fielding, but it was more strategic than any console game ever up to that point. very high heat for you older guys. some of its features have never changed to now)

i would hope that 2k12 gets all the improvements it needs. it has promise. i play both the show and 2k. both have things that make them unique and fun. but if 2k wants to really take off they cannot simple put out a bug free improvement. they are going to have to take a chance and invent a new gimmick to get the casual interested. otherwise, they will always lose money.

[jeffy777]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

I'm guessing it will be a bit more than a roster update, and there will probably be bug fixes too, but mst likely no new features, yet probably some new bugs. It seems that every time they try to fix something they break something else.

[bkrich83]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

I can live with the wonky player models, and even the washed out colors (although they looked better in the trailers) but the squirly fielder animations in particular for some reason drive me insane. They did not appear to be much improved in the trailer. This factored in with 2k's lack of support for the game particularly on the PS3 platform makes it a wait and see purchse. Just can't justify this as a 60 dollar first day type purchase.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

whats funny to me is that every year with various sports franchises, people say if they just upgrade the game play and not worry about new features i will be happy. that may be true for a few guys but to the reviewers and overall public that has never worked.

I see this too. I bet you can read dozens of posts from 2K9-2K10, 2K10-2K11, 2K11-2K12, and 2K12-2K13 that say: "Just work out a couple of kinks and I'll be fine."

You know what else I also see a lot? People calling the next version of a game a "half-assed" attempt, so to speak. In other words, they'll call 2K10 "2K9.5," and 2K11 "2K10.5," and 2K12 "2K11.5," etc. But wait, wouldn't 2K12 technically be 2K10.5 if they were all half-assed attempts? At least be consistent.

[Motown]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

I just can't grasp how they can't seem to make the player models resemble, or even come CLOSE to the player models in NBA 2K...it's just mind bogging.

[Galvatron]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Maybe should worry more about the people who bought and enjoyed the game more than those that show up in the 2K baseball forum annually to heap scorn on a game they have no intention of buying.

Did you even consider the fact that I'm one of those that bought and enjoyed it? I've bought every game in this series this generation, but all you saw in my post was "Show supporter" apparently.

You are the one missing the point. 2K essentially admitted they failed to provide gamers the baseball game they wanted, and killed the series. MLB came back and asked them to release one more game in order to have an MLB game on the shelf for the 360.

This is not a release to build good will with gamers. I'd say the odds of a next gen 2K baseball game is beyond slim.

So if the gripe is that the game should not exist, because apparently it is evil for 2K to even release this game, why aren't gamers ignoring it? 2K didn't plan to release the game. If they got their way, we would all be playing 2K12 and living with the fact that, at least on the console, the schedules and alignment would never be right.

I look at it as a lucky bone. From the moment it was announced I admitted it would be a bad value for most gamers. It's such a bad value that I expect it to be selling for $20-$30 with six weeks or so.

But I can't get mad at 2K for refusing to market this game aggressively. If the price offended me, I can do exactly what I would have done if they didn't release it.

There is absolutely nothing to be mad at 2K about. They lost. They fully admit that most sports gamers don't want their game. They don't want to sell it anymore, either. They have marketed it as such.

Hell, you might as well get mad at EA and Konami for not releasing games this year, too. Get mad at SCEA for not releasing The Show for the 360. Get mad at Microsoft for not rebooting High Heat.

But no, the real rage is reserved for the company actually releasing a game that you don't have to buy.

Yeah so you're essentially saying a company that admits that it's game failed to satisfy it's core fanbase and publicly throws in the towel is gonna turn around and release another title with virtually no marketing besides the $$$ challenge, update the roster and slap a $60 price tag on it....and you don't expect to hear complaints? This isn't some no-name indie company, these are the guys that publish GTA, Bioshock, NBA 2K...

And of course people don't have to buy, and if they have no problem paying full retail then great for them, I would never argue that. But to charge a full premium for something that you said yourself is a "lucky bone" for it's supporters, is basically overcharging for something they know isn't a satisfying product for it's price. Not good business IMO, at least for the consumer.

[bkrich83]

Re: MLB 2K13 Official Trailer

Did you even consider the fact that I'm one of those that bought and enjoyed it? I've bought every game in this series this generation, but all you saw in my post was "Show supporter" apparently.



Yeah so you're essentially saying a company that admits that it's game failed to satisfy it's core fanbase and publicly throws in the towel is gonna turn around and release another title with virtually no marketing besides the $$$ challenge, update the roster and slap a $60 price tag on it....and you don't expect to hear complaints? This isn't some no-name indie company, these are the guys that publish GTA, Bioshock, NBA 2K...

And of course people don't have to buy, and if they have no problem paying full retail then great for them, I would never argue that. But to charge a full premium for something that you said yourself is a "lucky bone" for it's supporters, is basically overcharging for something they know isn't a satisfying product for it's price. Not good business IMO, at least for the consumer.

Agreed. Very well stated.

Gotta love the blind brand loyalty some of our posters have. The lengths they go to defend something is ridiculous. He's one of them.

2k fans also have this weird inferiority complex when it comes to the Show. Not sure why they are so defensive about a company that doesn't care about them in the slightest.

[CMH]

2k fans also have this weird inferiority complex when it comes to the Show. Not sure why they are so defensive about a company that doesn't care about them in the slightest.

That's absolute bs, Bk, and you know it.

Moderating these forums and I can guarantee you the complex is on both sides.

Lets not start this argument once again. Both fans need to relax and cut the crap with defending each of their titles. To single one out because you're seeing past the full court press being made by the other side, is exactly the issue here.



Sent from my mobile device.