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Free episode not available before Febuary

StraythStrayth
edited February 2011 in Back to the Future
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So hum, will there at least be a demo, to know if our PC can run the game or not before ordering a full season ? (If we don't want to wait 2 months before playing it ...)

BTW the cover of the game looks incredible.
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Comments

  • diskoteknodiskotekno
    edited December 2010
    When I purchased the 25th Anniversary BTTF set it had a code to get the first episode of the game for free. Today I got an email with the following info:

    UPDATE: Your FREE episode will be available for download in February, just in time for the series' second episode.

    Thank you for registering to receive your episode. Your free episode -- Episode 1: It's About Time -- will be available in February. We will notify you when it is ready for download.

    Kinda seems like a scam since this was never mentioned previously. Been a huge fan of Telltale until now....

    Comes across as a cheap ploy to milk a few extra bucks when you offered something for free.

    Oh well you can count me out for buying the rest of the episodes or any other Telltale products.

    Good day.
  • Shadowknight1Shadowknight1
    edited December 2010
    Where are you guys seeing this? :confused:
  • StraythStrayth
    edited December 2010
    Already one thread about it here : http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21207

    Also, it's FREE, you didn't pay for anything. So how is that a scam ? And anybody on the internet can get it, it wasn't supposed to be "bluray only" or anything.
  • StraythStrayth
    edited December 2010
    Check email screenshot on the first post.
  • jp-30jp-30
    edited December 2010
    Merged the 2 threads.
  • Shadowknight1Shadowknight1
    edited December 2010
    I haven't got an e-mail about it...And I do think that's jacked up that we get it later. There had better be a demo.
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited December 2010
    diskotekno wrote: »
    Kinda seems like a scam since this was never mentioned previously. Been a huge fan of Telltale until now....
    I've actually seen it mentioned a couple times that free episode people won't get the same release date as paid people. February, though, seems a bit...um. Drastic.
  • Hoopy FroodHoopy Frood
    edited December 2010
    My lord, I have to wait for the second episode to play the first episode?
  • Shadowknight1Shadowknight1
    edited December 2010
    I'm sorry, but there had better be a demo of some kind. I think it's really not right that those of us who were planning on using the free first episode to see if the game would even run on our computers won't be able to do that. That is the only reason I even activated the free episode code. The PS3 version'll be out before my free episode, so what's the point?
  • StraythStrayth
    edited December 2010
    I edited my first post with the picture, so people don't have to scroll down.

    I seriously hope for Telltale that they have a demo in store. I mean, let's talk about the elephant in the room : If Telltale doesn't allow people to test it, they obviously will one way or another. :/
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited December 2010
    I don't know if you can call it a scam (since free is free and you can't expect a whole lot), but what an odd thing for them to do. I can't imagine it'll have that much of a promotional impact if they hold out that long.
  • StraythStrayth
    edited December 2010
    I also have an important question :

    Can we buy the first episode only ? And have a promo to get the full season at 24 dollars as a whole (minus the already payed episode of course...) ?

    No cauz I got the feeling we're getting royally screwed somehow if we don't want to order the full season (and why should we if we don't even know if we like it / or if we can run it...).
  • Shadowknight1Shadowknight1
    edited December 2010
    It won't have that much of a promotional impact I don't think, I for one still plan on buying the game. I just would have preferred to at least see what the first episode was like and see if my laptop could handle it. Now I'll have to wait until probably January to actually play it on my PS3 unless I go to a friend's house. :(
  • jp-30jp-30
    edited December 2010
    Hmm. I hope the paid users aren't effectively beta testing for the free users.

    Strange marketing decision. Again.
  • Giant TopeGiant Tope
    edited December 2010
    My biggest concern is that if they wanted to do this whole free sample thing, they should put it out while people are still in the afterglow of the whole bttf 25th anniversary. February seems a bit too late for this. Idk. Definitely not on the day of release, but at the very least some time sooner. Don't really think it's scamish though. Just seems a bit odd.
  • JuntMonkeyJuntMonkey
    edited December 2010
    It makes a lot of sense because they were basically looking at almost nothing in sales on this until February when the non-free Episode 2 comes out. Maybe pre-orders weren't as good as they'd expected?
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited December 2010
    Yeah, it's not a scam or anything like that, but I have no idea how they plan to profit from this. Pissing off potential customers to try and force a sale seems like an ineffective strategy.
  • SunnyGuySunnyGuy
    edited December 2010
    Not a scam since it's free, but I honestly can't see it being good for TTG's image =/
    I seriously hope for Telltale that they have a demo in store. I mean, let's talk about the elephant in the room : If Telltale doesn't allow people to test it, they obviously will one way or another. :/

    Well, the episodes themselves are the demos until you activate them AFAIK, dunno if this applies to the stand alone games too like Poker Night. If you only want to see how it will run on your PC I assume you can still download it (not through your My Games though) but your code for the full game won't work
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited December 2010
    Its a free episode..... STOP COMPLAINING!!
  • StevenMcFlyJrStevenMcFlyJr
    edited December 2010
    U realize this means a LOT of people will be WAREZ-ing this game now because of this delay? Damn, pssh.
  • Anthony817Anthony817
    edited December 2010
    This is sad... :(
  • CertifiableCertifiable
    edited December 2010
    Telltale, I get that you're a business, but a delay of a month and 9 days for the freebies?!
    (If the first episode is good, you'll STILL see the full sets sell like hotcakes!)

    Why not just a 9 day delay? "Have you no concept of TIME?!"

    The business decision has shades of Lucasarts about it. Not the golden days. The L.A days AFTER the "Sam And Max Freelance Police" Axing.
  • CertifiableCertifiable
    edited December 2010
    I'm also worried that decisions like this will encourage piracy over purchase.
    (Hopefully you will still give out the demo on the 22nd December!)

    I've always purchased myself (check my purchase history) but I know some sites and people who DON'T.
    (I've tried reporting them, but both the site listings and people vanish.)
  • MrDaaarkMrDaaark
    edited December 2010
    Irishmile wrote: »
    Its a free episode..... STOP COMPLAINING!!
    It wasn't free for everyone.

    The first episode was advertised as being included with the new Bluray release of the movies. When we paid for our copies, it was supposed to (and did) include our blu-ray copies, our digital copies, and the first episode of the BTTF game. It was even stickered on the shrink wrap.

    This predates it being given up freely to everyone. That's a completely separate situation.

    Everyone who bought the bluray and registered for it deserves to feel ripped off.
  • SpykesSpykes
    edited December 2010
    Irishmile wrote: »
    Its a free episode..... STOP COMPLAINING!!

    This.

    And seriously, the full season is only 25 bucks. Why anyone would complain about that when every other new game is 60 bucks is beyond me.
  • SynSyn
    edited December 2010
    Wow, this email left me with a really sour feeling. I was originally struck by how amazing telltale was and how much confidence that they had in their product. It seemed so unprecedented that they'd allow the first episode go out for free. Now it just rings of sneaky marketing sleight of hand.

    Had they mentioned this delay right up front I wouldn't have had any issues. It's how it was mentioned by surprise that really rubs me the wrong way. I saw the email titled "An Update on Your Free Episode of Back to the Future: The Game" and got really excited. Then I read the email and felt this dark cloud of gloom encapsulate me.

    In an instant I just lost all my excitement for the first episode to come out.

    Instead of the "free" episode that I thought I'd be getting next week all I got was some direct marketing to try to get me to buy the full season right now.
  • Anthony817Anthony817
    edited December 2010
    Yeah, I payed $80 for the boxset thinking I was getting a great deal with the game inside, now as it is my favorite trilogy and movie franchise of all time, I am still glad I got it but putting the sticker on the front of the package saying the game is included free is false advertisement.
  • CertifiableCertifiable
    edited December 2010
    I gave in. Not willingly Telltale. I've been a fan since FOREVER. BTTF introduced me to Sci-Fi. It's the first lot of films I rewatched many times!

    You FORCED me to buy or MISS OUT until FEBRUARY. :eek::confused:

    Damn you for that underhanded move Telltale. :mad:
  • markeresmarkeres
    edited December 2010
    Anthony817 wrote: »
    but putting the sticker on the front of the package saying the game is included free is false advertisement.
    Huh? How is it false advertising if the game is still free? They never said when the free game would come out (before today). The free game could have come out in five years and it still wouldn't be false advertising.
    Certifiable wrote: »
    I gave in. Not willingly Telltale. I've been a fan since FOREVER. BTTF introduced me to Sci-Fi. It's the first lot of films I rewatched many times!

    You FORCED me to buy or MISS OUT until FEBRUARY. :eek::confused:

    Damn you for that underhanded move Telltale. :mad:
    You realize you just did exactly what they wanted you to do, right? And nobody "forced" you to do anything.
  • BeacroyBeacroy
    edited December 2010
    Not the nicest mail to start the morning with, I must say. I've really been looking forward to the game, but right now, I'm inclined to wait til February to check it out.

    My suggestion (picking up Strayth's question): put out the option to buy the first episode for a couple of bucks (including the donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation) and offer a price-reduced upgrade for the rest of the season. Should make everyone happy and used to work fine for Sam & Max Season 1.
  • CertifiableCertifiable
    edited December 2010
    markeres wrote: »
    You realize you just did exactly what they wanted you to do, right? And nobody "forced" you to do anything.

    It was a marketing strategy to grab the fans who HAD to know the "next chapter".

    Let them try the free game, you'd get sales regardless.
    Their choice was to force them to buy the whole lot in one go or wait over a month.

    They didn't put a gun to my head, but as a BTTF fan, there was little choice but to buy it or miss out for a month plus/be flooded with spoilers.
  • OzzieMonkeyOzzieMonkey
    edited December 2010
    I always figured that the reason all 5 episodes were $24.95 instead of $34.95 like all the other seasons was because episode 1 was free, and anyone only wanting to get the first episode would have to wait until February. By that logic, this isn't anything new or horribly earth-shattering, Telltale did it with Tales of Monkey Island and The Devil's Playhouse, so there isn't anything to complain about.
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited December 2010
    That is true, now that I think of it. The past couple series have launched in season-only form, and only become available as individual episodes later in the season. This particular situation still strikes me as bizarre, though.

    I think in the future, Telltale should probably limit their crazy marketing experiments to one per season. BTTF has had so much weird crap going on that, while one incident may have gone by relatively quietly, it is all piling up into one crunchy mess.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited December 2010
    Not that I haven't bought the game in October, but here's my complimentary and community-complementary complaint concerning this cr... I mean, what alliterates with c... ;)

    The initial decision was probably made to not have the servers explode on December 22nd, but really, almost one and a half months? Why not January the 9th or something??
  • SpadgeSpadge
    edited December 2010
    Man up, guys... The free episode is bonus content for the fans, right? As far as I can tell it's still free and you're still getting it.

    I have no problem waiting another month for an episode I didn't pay for. I don't see what the big deal is.
  • DerJanDerJan
    edited December 2010
    If the free Episode 1 would be available earlier, most of the fans who pre-ordered right away would feel ripped off, even if they weren't.
    Since it is a free episode and it was never mentioned WHEN it will be out it is not false advertising.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited December 2010
    I can relate to that... still, one and a half months?
    For the people who bought the Blu-Ray in October?
  • DerJanDerJan
    edited December 2010
    If you look in the Bttf for 19,95 $ thread some of the guys who pre-ordered are already feeling ripped-off, and there are also some guys saying they wait for the free episode just in order to get all other episodes cheaper later.
    It is a buissness decision in order to make some profit with the game, which is not a bad thing. Telltale is still a company and they have to make profit in order to keep the company alive.
  • Ash McQAsh McQ
    edited December 2010
    markeres wrote: »
    Huh? How is it false advertising if the game is still free? They never said when the free game would come out (before today). The free game could have come out in five years and it still wouldn't be false advertising.

    You realize you just did exactly what they wanted you to do, right? And nobody "forced" you to do anything.

    Well even though they never said when, almost everone assumed the first episode would be just free, with no restrictions whatsoever. "Honey, I never lied about me having an affair, I just never told you about it"

    This better be a joke, seriously. Telltale has the chance of reaching a whole new audience with the bluray collection code. Don't piss those people off, don't screw this. Those people may loose their interest until february. That's good busniess? I don't know.

    I just hope there will be some sort of e-mail delorean that takes me to feburary on December 22.
  • MrDaaarkMrDaaark
    edited December 2010
    Beacroy wrote: »
    Should make everyone happy and used to work fine for Sam & Max Season 1.
    I'll be happy when I get the rest of what I put down my money for. ;) Me and Anthony817 (and others) already bought into this as paying customers. I'll happily photograph and e-mail my trilogy set and voucher to customer support. You can't go back and change the deal after we already paid for it.

    I'm not here to bash Telltale. They make high quality games. I have purchased a Season compilation of the Sam n' Max games (like I did the previous Sam n Max games from the early 90s) for myself, and a copy for someone else as a gift too. I also fully intend to buy the eventual BTTF release with all the episodes on it, as I am really looking forward to them.
    Spadge wrote: »
    I have no problem waiting another month for an episode I didn't pay for. I don't see what the big deal is.
    I have a problem waiting a month for something I paid for. This is a 2 sided issue. Telltale/Universal home video made this mess, not us.
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