Pack-In Game (Concept)

Pack-In Game

CONCEPT

Game bundled with gaming hardware (usually a console) in order to boost sales. Most often these games are first party titles, meaning that the hardware and software are products of the same company.

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Overview

Historically games were traditionally packed-in with games from the launch of the system until the system became obsolete. Often times a single title would serve as the pack-in for half the lifespan of a console with another title serving as a different pack in afterwords. (for instance the Sega Genesis had three pack in titles throughout it's lifespan: Altered Beast, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2) However starting with the 32 bit era this thinking began to change. Sony's PlayStation was the first console to not have pack-in game but rather come with a Demo Disc that had multiple game demos on it. The Nintendo 64 didn' t launch with any software packed in. Initial shipments of the PlayStation 2 also forwent a demo disk.

What seems to be the norm these days is for a console to initially come out as a barebones package, and then eventually get pack-in bundles down the road. A notable exception to this would be the Wii, which has always come with a copy of Wii Sports.

Gears of War decals, Bro!

The Xbox 360 has a history of releasing game-themed consoles that have colors and decals that match the game it's packed-in with. Games such as Gears of War 3, Halo 4, Modern Warfare 3, Kinect Star Wars, & Resident Evil 5 all have console bundles that have custom coloring & controllers that match the game. Although the PlayStation 3 has plenty of game bundles, it does not typically do custom consoles, with the exception being the "gun metal black" colored console for the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.

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