This led to me kind of throwing up my hands in exasperation, as the primary function of a demo is to get people excited about a game and, in turn, go out and generate those pre-orders based on the strength of that demo. So Sony's gone and done it backwards by offering up a small chunk of the game to people who at least act like they're going to buy the retail release. On top of that, they force you to act like you're going to buy it from GameStop.
MTV Multiplayer went on a search for clarity and managed to find some. For starters, Sony has announced that the demo will be available for download on February 26, the day before the retail release. So there's that. Stephen Totilo also got a quote out of Scott Steinberg, SCEA's VP of product marketing:
“Offering a playable demo to motivate preorders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2. We take this approach when we are convinced that the experience will cement a consumer’s interest in purchasing. Retailers will then merchandise those demos within their stores and online to maximize their visibility. Through this process, consumers are often times able to reserve their copy of the final game, which provides an incentive to purchase and helps seal the deal. We also offer demos on the PSN, which we have done in the past with great success, and will continue to make that available. Killzone 2, for example, will have a downloadable demo launch in North America the week that the game is launching, for consumers who prefer that option.”
OK, that's a basic rundown of the concept of pre-ordering that doesn't exactly answer the questions I had about the initial exclusivity of the demo. But I'm a bit confused by parts of what he's saying here. It sounds like the path he's suggesting people take is that the existence of the demo as a pre-order bonus inspires pre-orders. Then, it's the quality of that demo that turns those pre-orders into full sales. Wouldn't the pre-orders be the things that indicate the final sales, demo or otherwise? I feel like the big part I'm missing here is a statement on the importance of pre-orders and how they relate to the number of copies that a retailer like GameStop decides to stock. Because if final sales were all that mattered, wouldn't everyone benefit in this situation by making the demo as widely available as possible, as soon as possible? Surely some of the people downloading that demo will find themselves in a GameStop to purchase the final product without pre-ordering beforehand.
This is the part where I remember why I hate shopping at GameStop so much... they never ever stock enough copies to satisfy launch day demand. Then they snidely remind you that you should have pre-ordered. Meanwhile, I'm already halfway to a Best Buy. Is Sony goosing the GameStop machine by making the demo exclusive in hopes of increasing orders at the nation's #1 games-only retailer? I guess I don't quite know enough about all the moving parts and what sorts of deals get made behind closed doors to make the retail machine spin, but that's sort of what this is sounding like to me.
At this point, I'm throwing in the towel on this mess because it's been on my mind non-stop for like a week. I continue to think that Sony has a long way to go when it comes to getting the word out about Killzone 2. But I'm no marketing man. Perhaps there is some sort of hidden genius to all of this that is utterly lost on me. At this point, I'll be content as long as I get to play the final product.