Time-gated single-player games

[J1M]

A 'game' called Dispatch just released that is essentially a high-production values cartoon with the illusion of choice. After the first two hours, people must wait until a date in the real world for the next 'episode' to release. The game can't be subverted with a simple system time change like Nintendo games that have done similar time gating.

I find this distasteful, but I could see it catching on as a way to give a game multiple chances to go viral. I would categorize this as distinct from when players had to purchase each additional piece of episodic content of the Telltale 'games'. It also feels different than when an MMO time gates content releases.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

My guess is that they want try to foment an invested fandom who will be thinking about the game and talking about it online regularly, keeping the game discussed and circulating online for longer than just the launch week. I am already used to live service games having you come back in a week or two for the next part of a storyline or singleplayer games adding a continuation of the story in a free patch after launch, so this doesn't seem out there to me.

If the devs want to make a sequel, then keeping discussion and fanart going would be great as it allows them to extract more info on what people like and dislike.

[Oyster Sauce]

I find this distasteful, but I could see it catching on as a way to give a game multiple chances to go viral.

if it's anything like the other games that have been doing this for 20 years, the other episodes are in active development

[J1M]

I find this distasteful, but I could see it catching on as a way to give a game multiple chances to go viral.

if it's anything like the other games that have been doing this for 20 years, the other episodes are in active development

The production values are too high for me to believe that they could crank out an hour of content in a week.

[Oyster Sauce]

I find this distasteful, but I could see it catching on as a way to give a game multiple chances to go viral.

if it's anything like the other games that have been doing this for 20 years, the other episodes are in active development

The production values are too high for me to believe that they could crank out an hour of content in a week.

Oh, are they weekly releases? Guess not then.

[rusty_shackleford]

didn't Molyneux already do this

[Bertram_Tung]

didn't Molyneux already do this

Not an argument.

[ThulsaDoomer]

meettheretards.png

Can we time-gate this game from existing?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Can we time-gate this game from existing?

Aside from the bottom row (unfortunate picture, okay weird white dyed hair, men shouldn't wear earrings), this looks like sane people.

[methoxetamine]

meettheretards.png


Can we time-gate this game from existing?

This, they lost me already with the fact it's made in the western hemisphere, but if that wasn't enough to do it, it being capeshit would certainly seal the deal.

[Stack of Turtles]

A 'game' called Dispatch just released that is essentially a high-production values cartoon with the illusion of choice. After the first two hours, people must wait until a date in the real world for the next 'episode' to release. The game can't be subverted with a simple system time change like Nintendo games that have done similar time gating.

I find this distasteful, but I could see it catching on as a way to give a game multiple chances to go viral. I would categorize this as distinct from when players had to purchase each additional piece of episodic content of the Telltale 'games'. It also feels different than when an MMO time gates content releases.

I think the concept is a good thing, but that game looked incredibly gay.

[Acrux]

Can we time-gate this game from existing?

Aside from the bottom row (unfortunate picture, okay weird white dyed hair, men shouldn't wear earrings), this looks like sane people.

At least 3 of them are Critical Role people.

[Valter]

My guess is that they want try to foment an invested fandom who will be thinking about the game and talking about it online regularly, keeping the game discussed and circulating online for longer than just the launch week. I am already used to live service games having you come back in a week or two for the next part of a storyline or singleplayer games adding a continuation of the story in a free patch after launch, so this doesn't seem out there to me.

If the devs want to make a sequel, then keeping discussion and fanart going would be great as it allows them to extract more info on what people like and dislike.

Especially in games with mystery, it forces players to discuss and theorize what's going on with incomplete information (fun), akin to shows. It is one boon from this content release method that I must reluctantly recognize.

Regarding devs gauging what fans want or do not want, I'd rather they just have a vision of what they want to create and just do it. I tend to find products like these much more memorable.
To quote One Great Man of our times: "You think you do, but you don't."

[gerey]

My conspiracy theory is that they've hidden the pozz a few episodes deep, and this is a tactic to avoid mass refunds by forcing people to (re)play the game beyond the 2-hour refund window.

At least 3 of them are Critical Role people.

[Valter]

Also this Dispatch game was unexpectedly bad. Like worse than Life is Strange. I even liked the visuals, but Jesus Christ... I think I truly understand what LA brainrot means now. Definitely the worst of these episodic "Choices Matter" games that I tend to like.

Its target audience is California diversity freaks with severe capeshit brainrot. Every joke is either a dirty joke (especially **** jokes, it averaged like 1 every 5 minutes) or a reference to superhero tropes. Like incessantly. It's virtually an endless circlejerk session for superhero fans. The characters speak with terminally online lingo that the writers expect you to find relatable and funny.

And it has the least amount of choices I've actually seen in one of these games.
Absolutely irredeemable

[Oyster Sauce]

I launched it and the Critical Role logo popped up right after the dev logo

[DrSneed]

Can we time-gate this game from existing?

**** marry kill

[Oyster Sauce]

I launched it and the Critical Role logo popped up right after the dev logo

This is really ******* gay. Don't bother.

[Pizza]

Can we time-gate this game from existing?

I can recognize Jesus & Storm from the X-Men.

[asf]

what kind of ****** play these things