Will The Walking Dead be released in Australia after they lift the MA15+ rating cap?
Honestly, I find it really fucking slack to not even bother sending it for submission. If a game like Walking Dead supposedly can't get through then how the fuck do games like God of War do? Please, Telltale, it's really lazy and just shows you don't give a flying fuck for fans if you cannot be bothered to send a game for submission that has alot of eager and excited fans.
By the way, R18+ will be introduced by the start of 2013.
By the way, R18+ will be introduced by the start of 2013.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
This is from an article on Kotaku.com http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/04/telltale-games-no-plans-to-release-the-walking-dead-in-australia/
"The Walking Dead has not been refused classification in Australia, in fact it hasn’t even been submitted for classification as far as we know. Therefore we can only assume that Telltale didn’t think it was worth the cost (and risk) of attempting to classify the game in this country."
So since i can't buy this for Xbox (my gaming system) in Australia i took the next logical step and downloaded it from Pirate Bay.
Your choice Telltale, i would have happily purchased it.
There are so many fees you have to consider... Certification on the PLaystation/XBLA store. The cut each console company gets for distributing it on their platform. Licensing fees to Image, Skybound, and Robert Kirkman himself (it is after all an independently owned franchise). Fees from getting the money to develop this game... I'm sure there's more to consider...
And therein lies the problem. For such a small company like TT, piracy is a crippling strike on their budget. Even if the game was available on XBLA, for every 1 purchase of a title there would be at least 5 who pirate it... If anything, you've just told them the price of placing it into Australians hands isn't worth the financial risk
The game is not even released in australia, so how is it possible that a pirated edition of a likely american purchase which was uploaded to the pirate bay has infringed there budget? Its not like he can buy it on steam or import it. They are all downloadable editions, the old adage of stealing makes no sense anymore. There is no cost but licensing fees involved in online sales.
Its a distinct grey area, its why fan subtitled editions of anime are legal until it has a license, there is no copyright in his area.
There is definitely more people that pirate the game than those who purchase it, however if 2 of those 5 who pirate it actually buy it then its good for the system. I have already said before that i had no idea about this game, was told about it from a friend and pirated the first episode - straight away i bought the season pass. Piracy can help in certain cases just like how they are giving episode 1 away free to increase sales.
I'm aware that it's not the only cost incurred, and they payed those costs for all other regions so i ask.. Is an extra $1200 too much?
As i said above, I'm sorry that my main post didn't get placed into this topic.
There are a couple of fees here that you haven't considered...
1. If the aus classification board denies the game onto the aus marketplace (which, at the time of your original post; they would have based on the guidelines), then for telltale to modify and submit the game again they would have to pay the fee a second time.
2. I don't know the specifics of the OFLC submission process, but it could be quite likely that for each episode of the game, a rating submission may occur... again I don't know the logistics of this so it's only speculation on my part...
3. I also am unsure of the fact that for each platform the game comes out on (PC, XBOX etc) there may be the need to classify the game separately, therefor making it 3 fees for the one title... again speculation, but when discussing the amount of fees all relevant options need to be addressed
I think my point isn't as strong without my original response not submitting, but i digress...
Actually, you CAN buy it on Steam. Steam is a US service, so games that are allowed on steam in the US are allowed to be bought here in AUS. It's how I played (and loved) the game
The one problem with licensing fees is that they are not a one-time payment. for every purchase, each part of the license holders get a cut of the sale before the developers. Its like a movie deal... certain actors and agencies actor will get paid to take part in a movie, then will get further commission as the movie makes money, based on how well it sells. Obviously this isn't the case for every role/contract, but one such as TWD would have companies like Skybound or Image would have terms that state for each purchase of the game, we get a cut of it too.
Add to the fact that XBLA, PSN, and steam all take a cut out of this as well before Telltale get their share, and the amount they receive at the end of the day is still fairly small.
By all accounts, most developers get a publishing deal where they will receive X amount of dollars to develop said game, and then profits will go to the publisher who then gives out commissions based on the deal if necessary... I have no idea how this kind of deal is based on telltale and their distribution process, but I would hazard a guess that something along the same line would have occurred for the game to be made
On top of all this is the fees associated with the maintenance of the product on each distributors marketplace. XBLA for example, has a fee not only for the release of a game, but for each DLC and patch that comes with it. Each episode would be regarded as wither a new release or DLC, so an additional fee is placed for each subsequent episode. I'd hazard a guess that Sony and Valve have terms of the same nature...
If 2 of the 5 purchase the game then it isn't good for the system! that means they lost 80% of the money they are entitled to, thus proving that piracy is damaging the potential a small company like telltale have to make games
I agree pirating a game to try out can be beneficial if the download then creates a sale; but the truth of the matter is that your example of pirating the game is a very slim reality of what actually happens...