Gamertell

Way back when I worked at Gamestop, I noticed that a lot of the new games coming out came with this extra junk that came bundled with the game as an incentive for reserving it. It would range from free in-game items or weapons to a Call of Duty dog tag.

Some of the stuff you could only get if you reserved the game while other incentive had thousands of laying around the store. So the main question is how effective were these items in selling games?

Sometimes it seems like a wasted effort. If you reserved a copy of Harvest Moon for Gamecube, for example, you got a free stuffed cow. That’s cute but the only people who are going to reserve that game are people who wanted to buy that game in the first place. It’s doubtful some newcomer is going to walk into the store and think, “Well, I had absolutely no interest in this game but a free cow? How can I pass it up?!”

Alternately, most people only bought Halo 3 special edition because it came with that Master Chief helmet. So in that case an incentive was helpful but, again, I think die-hard fans of the game would still buy that edition regardless of the helmet.

The way bundles are most effective is when they are given away at the time of the reserve because people like leaving with something in their hands even if it’s something simple like a key chain. People are less likely to reserve a game if they don’t get the item until you receive the game because all they walk away with is less money. 

They will reserve it if the item is really worth it, such as an exclusive in game item that you can only get with a special one use code. However, sometimes people will reserve a game just to get the free item, then cancel the order when they get it. So the company and the store lose money. (Editor’s Note: Some retails chains do require that you return the incentive along with the purchase item.)

So the benefit of bundling items is to influence gamers to buy a game they wouldn’t normally buy. The better the item, the more likely the reserve and it helps to give the item before the game come out.

Read [The Digital Home Video] Via [CNet]