Brand loyalty in video games?
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Do you feel brand loyalty exists in video games? I remember years ago I would buy game simply because it came from a developer that had produced games I had enjoyed in the past? Is this still the case for the rest of you? Would you buy a game that looked interesting regardless of the type of game it was simply because it came from a developer you respected?
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Do you feel brand loyalty exists in video games?
Probably.....
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Would you buy a game that looked interesting regardless of the type of game it was simply because it came from a developer you respected?
Depends for me....I tend to read up on reviews from industry and players before making a decision to buy.
Definitely yes. But I don't think it takes many turkeys to lose your brand loyalty.
I tend to read reviews and play demos before I buy anything, but I have been known to buy games based on brand loyalty in the past. However, if they let me down I'll be more careful in the future.
I tend to read reviews and play demos before I buy anything, but I have been known to buy games based on brand loyalty in the past. However, if they let me down I'll be more careful in the future.
i'm becoming increasingly concerned about publishers that ruin a good brand/company/game out of sheer greed.
take deus ex2 for example, what would it have been like if it was made completely for PC?
i wouldn't buy any game completely uninformed, but there's definitely some brand loyalty here. but that's going downhill nowadays (at least for me).
anyway, there are still new studios popping up with good games.
take deus ex2 for example, what would it have been like if it was made completely for PC?
i wouldn't buy any game completely uninformed, but there's definitely some brand loyalty here. but that's going downhill nowadays (at least for me).
anyway, there are still new studios popping up with good games.
I know it exist because I am myself loyal to some brands. It might sound childish, but I make it because I trust that if I played a couple of quality games from a company, more quality games follow.
However it has also happened when I get disapointed, and I stop my loyalty for that specific brand.. haven't happened much tought.
[Edited by - Coz on November 25, 2004 8:44:03 PM]
However it has also happened when I get disapointed, and I stop my loyalty for that specific brand.. haven't happened much tought.
[Edited by - Coz on November 25, 2004 8:44:03 PM]
I don't have brand loyalty, but I definitely have designer loyalty.
I'm very much looking forward to Obsidians new productions due to the fact that the people that worked on Fallout are there.
That doesn't mean I'll just buy their games without reading reviews, etc. It just means that because of what they did in the past, I'm now looking at their progress more deeply.
Blizzard is a good example of brand loyalty with their masses of raving loons who buy their games without even knowing what type of game it is.
I'm very much looking forward to Obsidians new productions due to the fact that the people that worked on Fallout are there.
That doesn't mean I'll just buy their games without reading reviews, etc. It just means that because of what they did in the past, I'm now looking at their progress more deeply.
Blizzard is a good example of brand loyalty with their masses of raving loons who buy their games without even knowing what type of game it is.
Quote: Blizzard is a good example of brand loyalty with their masses of raving loons who buy their games without even knowing what type of game it is.
Hey, I'm one of those raving loons!! Along with a good number of buddies. The fact of the matter is that they make awsome quality games that are playable for years and years. That kind of success is undeniable and hard to question why people would be so loyal.
I'm also extremely loyal to Nintendo. I didn't even want to consider anything but the almighty Cube in this latest generation of consoles. I'm not sure why, Nintendo has made MANY mistakes in the past, but they've also made MANY of the largest successes in the past, IMHO.
Square-Enix is another one of these brands. Hard for them to make a game that doesn't have a large following these days. So yes, loyalty still does exist in video games.
As ever,
**Cosmic**
Of course brand loyalty exists - at least in console games. I find it really unfortunate though that the dev team isn't more part of the brand. For example, I love Toys For Bob's games, but the only game that was really branded with their names was Star Control II (Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III).
This is especially bad for sequels, as you get the "handoff" games where a series started by a talented developer is taken over by, at best some really hard working people who completely misunderstand the underlying design concepts of the first game (like Monolith doing AvsP 2).
Personally, I have brand loyalty (and disloyalty - Monolith is incapable of making good multiplayer gaming), but I'm sure that most players just go by franchises (ooooh, new MegaMan game!).
People have been mentioning Blizzard's brand loyalty, and that outlines a problem I discussed: franchise/brand confusion. From what I understand, StarCraft: Ghost was a fairly unoriginal, uninteresting behind-view speudo-stealth shooter. Of course, it had half the world screaming to play it, because it was _related_ to Blizzard's best title (the actual game was outsourced to another design company).
Same thing with Star Control. SC1 and 2 were solid games, SC3 was from the same company (Activision, I think) but a different dev team, and it was universally derided as one of the most disappointing sequels ever.
This is especially bad for sequels, as you get the "handoff" games where a series started by a talented developer is taken over by, at best some really hard working people who completely misunderstand the underlying design concepts of the first game (like Monolith doing AvsP 2).
Personally, I have brand loyalty (and disloyalty - Monolith is incapable of making good multiplayer gaming), but I'm sure that most players just go by franchises (ooooh, new MegaMan game!).
People have been mentioning Blizzard's brand loyalty, and that outlines a problem I discussed: franchise/brand confusion. From what I understand, StarCraft: Ghost was a fairly unoriginal, uninteresting behind-view speudo-stealth shooter. Of course, it had half the world screaming to play it, because it was _related_ to Blizzard's best title (the actual game was outsourced to another design company).
Same thing with Star Control. SC1 and 2 were solid games, SC3 was from the same company (Activision, I think) but a different dev team, and it was universally derided as one of the most disappointing sequels ever.
Brand loyalty definitely exists, but I don't think it is justified any more. IMO companies like blizzard, valve, id, etc all produce wildly different qualities of games so you can't judge companies by their previous works like was possible in the past. Game companies are 'too commercial' now, and just about every time a new indie company comes up with something great, they make a sequel or two that is a clone of all the other successful commercial games out there without any reguard for continuing their legacy of great products.
I don't think it's very pronounced nowadays.
Just look at EA... everybody hates them, but everybody plays them.
Some of us old timers might buy games from Lionhead Studios because of it being Molyneux's company - and we probably bought Firaxis games while Meier was with them... but not much beyond that.
I think it was way more pronounced "back in the day" when Bullfrog was around, Interplay only released quality titles, etc.
It also kind of existed in the early battles between genre behemots (Quake 3 vs. Unreal Tournament - few Quakers gave UT the time of day).
My only brand loyalty right now is with smaller companies that work in the spirit of just making good games whatever it takes... like Paradox Entertainment for instance. Other than that I go with what's good (oh, and Paradox' games are good, so no conflict there).
If you look at the great mass of games buyers I don't think they care about brand one bit... BUT companies that have the money to put out alot of games and pay for lots of exposure (Electronic Arts, EIDOS, etc.) are gonna be closer to "top of mind" naturally - but that's market economy, not brand loyalty.
Just look at EA... everybody hates them, but everybody plays them.
Some of us old timers might buy games from Lionhead Studios because of it being Molyneux's company - and we probably bought Firaxis games while Meier was with them... but not much beyond that.
I think it was way more pronounced "back in the day" when Bullfrog was around, Interplay only released quality titles, etc.
It also kind of existed in the early battles between genre behemots (Quake 3 vs. Unreal Tournament - few Quakers gave UT the time of day).
My only brand loyalty right now is with smaller companies that work in the spirit of just making good games whatever it takes... like Paradox Entertainment for instance. Other than that I go with what's good (oh, and Paradox' games are good, so no conflict there).
If you look at the great mass of games buyers I don't think they care about brand one bit... BUT companies that have the money to put out alot of games and pay for lots of exposure (Electronic Arts, EIDOS, etc.) are gonna be closer to "top of mind" naturally - but that's market economy, not brand loyalty.
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