Don Bradman Cricket 14 PC PLAYABLE NOW!

[blockerdave]

well the package branding is usually dependent on whether it's sold (or fulfilled) by amazon, or not - essentially whether you use amazon as a retailer or a market.

if i sell you something through amazon it's not coming in amazon branded packaging unless they are fulfilling the order for me. but if they are selling it, or fulfilling it, it comes in their packaging and goes through their warehouse - i.e. they "handle it", which was the bone of contention.

you may be right about the TruBlu/HES relationship with EB, but it's odd to on the one-hand say that you want to do a simultaneous release worldwide, and on the other hand give a single retailer in one location a head start while ignoring one of the biggest retailers in the world and one of the only ones with a worldwide distribution. secondly, it's not just amazon, but no significant UK retailer who has this absolutely anywhere.

you'll note my query earlier of what the UK publisher/distributor has been up to. Ross said in the twistie video that they had a date and while this was before the ashes debacle, so it's fair enough if that date moved, but if they had a date and were going simultaneously worldwide that would indicate that UK retailers had signed up... so why is this market basically devoid of any pre-order? because in another universe - where ashes wasn't released - this game would apparently already be on UK retailers' shelves. it beggars belief that they are signed up to sell, know it's coming soon, and don't want a single pre-order.

cricket being niche doesn't wash, plenty of niche games are up on retailers' sites for pre-order, even without a release date. there being a competitor doesn't wash because we had the same situation with rugby union a while back.

it was a reasonable query from me and Saeglopur about the absence of this on the website of a major retailer in a major market - a website that sells everything - and the response was, being charitable, inaccurate. all i did was point that out.

 

[cricket_online]

Well we don't have to wait long as Ross is gonna disclose the release date this friday

I can already see Ross' inbox runneth over

 

[StormySteve]

Do yourselves a favour and put them on the ignore list, do me a favour and don't quote them.

...and do us a favour and release DBC14

Steve S.

 

[xvalerianx]

Well we don't have to wait long as Ross is gonna disclose the release date this friday

I can already see Ross' inbox runneth over

Did he mention that he is going to reveal it this friday? All I heard was that there will be a ca update this friday.

 

[blockerdave]

Have a re-read and see if there are any clues he might be joking...

 

[SpitfiresKent]

I'd like to know the cut off point from where a 2013 release is impossible.

16th December?? 20th December??

 

[Lee1981]

Cut off point been and gone already

 

[kasabian21]

Only Amazon products that say 'dispatched from and sold by Amazon' are actually stock purchased by Amazon's retail buyers. Most of the time it is others stock, sent to Amazon, who then 'fulfil' the order by shipping it out (as Blockerdave has pointed out).

So...with the RLL2WC being 'dispatched from and sold by Amazon', it would seem that a BigAnt game is handled directly by Amazon? Or is the chain of ownership, command etc..different with RLL2WC than it is with DCB14? There must be a fundamental difference between the two games for Ross to state Amazon doesn't handle his games directly.

 

[Biggs]

...secondly, it's not just amazon, but no significant UK retailer who has this absolutely anywhere.

I can't comment on the EB Games thing, none of my business and I don't know. Just spitballing. I think it's pretty obvious that Australia is the major focus for BigAnt, that's their area of expertise. It's not a leap to suggest their delay for release is probably just as much to do with international distribution as it is the Ashes13 debacle.

It's prudent to remember these guys are not big players, globally. They make niche sports titles for predominately the Australian market. This being one of their bigger releases they've done, I guess that cautious approach is validated and that also feeds into their international distribution methods, I guess?

...it was a reasonable query from me and Saeglopur about the absence of this on the website of a major retailer in a major market - a website that sells everything - and the response was, being charitable, inaccurate. all i did was point that out.

...It's the method you 'point things out' recently that I think myself and many others have issue with, Blocker. Take it from me, you don't always have to assume everyone else are assholes and you're the smartest man in the room. That being said, you do raise a valid argument but I think you've massively over-simplified the Amazon process. I don't think it's nearly as easy as "just throw it up on the website" or "send them some stock" because it's most likely more complicated than that and you would need a relationship there between TruBlu/HES and Amazon, who would require a certain amount of stock, guarantees and various other finance-ish boring back-room stuff that we're not privvy to or give a shit about, really.

Your assertion that Ross isn't doing everything in his power and/or exploring all avenues to get the game out is quite frankly, ridiculous. You've been suggesting that for some time and I simply don't see a case being made that validates such a position, especially given his openness and interactions for the past year or more. The only thing he's been hush about is actually this god-forsaken date, we literally know and have seen about 80% of whats on offer in the game, that's not the actions of someone who doesn't want us playing it, yesterday.

As he said, it's his money and his risk... and it's a big one after a colossal and absolute failure of a game being sold as direct competition to his product. Caution is annoying for us, but it's a business and there's a bottom dollar to account for.

Should the game be out now all across the major cricketing countries? Absolutely. It's that time of year. Should they strike while the iron is hot with Ashes13 dead and Australia winning cricket again? Absolutely... but there's plenty of risk involved that is vastly more complicated than you make it out to be. That's Ross' point and nothing he's indicated here suggests he's bullshitting us and/or doesn't want the game available to everyone as soon as possible.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Cut off point been and gone already

But if this was the case then Ross would've already told us that the game wouldn't be coming out this year.

 

[kasabian21]

Why is everybody assuming the announcement will come on a friday? I'm sure if the final pieces of the jigsaw came together in the next 24 hours we'd get an announcement pretty much straight away. It's clearly a day-by-day thing and it's also clear that 'cut-off' point has not been reached or we'd know by now. I don't have a clue about the industry but if Ross is confident he can get a game to market in a week or two then I'm sure it can be done.

 

[issue]

Did DBC 14 game disks and printing ready....or....yet to start making them ??? ........ How many days it takes to ship games to world wide after announcement (in case it's world wide release)

 

[Lee1981]

But if this was the case then Ross would've already told us that the game wouldn't be coming out this year.

Really?

Why has he got to say anything?

I find it hard to believe that a company who have a finished product ready to go do not know when to release, they must have at least 2-3 potential dates to release

For me the best time to release was in the last 3-4 weeks, now you can pick any date next year and it is gonna make any difference, cricket game during ashes is the one and only time to release a cricket game especially for uk and aus customer base.

It just seems crazy to me to not have it out now, unless there is a problem with the game, (not saying there is BA brown tongues, before you start the sniping)

 

[cricket_online]

Really?

Why has he got to say anything?

I find it hard to believe that a company who have a finished product ready to go do not know when to release, they must have at least 2-3 potential dates to release

For me the best time to release was in the last 3-4 weeks, now you can pick any date next year and it is gonna make any difference, cricket game during ashes is the one and only time to release a cricket game especially for uk and aus customer base.

It just seems crazy to me to not have it out now, unless there is a problem with the game, (not saying there is BA brown tongues, before you start the sniping)

Yup, this is the best time to release the game with Ashes series at its peak just before christmas. The longer the game is pushed back the more sales will be lost with folks going to next gen consoles and/or unwilling to pay the same price for current gen (PS3/X360) as they do for next gen (PS4/Xbone)

The problem which Ross alluded to was retailers not willing to stock the game at the price Big Ant wanted. At the end of the day it all boils down to money But yeah it could have been issues related to the game as well since Ross also mentioned about gameplay balancing in November.

 

[Biggs]

I think the NextGEN argument is the greater argument vs the Ashes series on right now as a reason for release. The longer that time elapses the more likely potential customers are going to upgrade consoles and move themselves away from old technology and games. I would say the case could be made for the "GTA Release" period being the old systems last hurrah... Games will of course continue to still be released for months (if not years) for the old systems but more and more people will be prioritizing new technology over niche sports titles released at the end of a consoles life span.