It was recently revealed that Shenmue 3 would have pre-order bonuses. Obviously, the Kickstarter backers were curious if they would be getting these bonus items. One such backer was Antonio Miranda. Antonio actually reached out to Ys Net and asked about the pre-order bonuses and the trial version of the game. He then went on to copy paste the reply he received from Ys Net.
The reply from Ys Net is as follows:
“We apologize for the long delay in responding. Your feedback is appreciated and we will look into having your noted points in future updates.
“Standard and deluxe versions released through retail sales are not affiliated with the crowdfunding campaign, so will not be included with backer pledges, however, they will be available for sale separately. Kickstarter Backers will receive the Kickstarter version, Slacker Backers will receive the Slacker Backer version. Both have unique content respective to their versions not available in the retail versions.
“A season pass is not included.
“Trial version release date info has yet to be confirmed and will be announced in the updates when details are available. You will be receiving your trial version, but we must ask for your patience for a little longer.
“There will be more information following in the days ahead concerning updates.
“Sincerely,
“The Shenmue III Team”
Now then, backing a game on Kickstarter is in no way, shape, or form pre-ordering it. This even includes pledging money to tiers that include getting a copy of the game. Furthermore, anyone who thinks they are entitled to a season pass is delusional. This includes those who threw $10,000 at this game.That said, it is painfully obvious that some of the $6,333,295 raised were used to create the pre-order bonus items and DLC content that will be part of the season pass. If not directly, then at least as such that the game would never have reached the place in which DLC could be produced without the Kickstarter money.
So, I want to ask one simple question that I have not seen anyone ask yet. Why didn’t Ys Net update the Kickstarter campaign the moment they were aware they would be offering these things? This would have allowed backers to upgrade their tiers or add a new tier with pre-order and/or season passes as rewards? It’s obvious that Ys only cares about money so that would seem like a surefire way to milk there fans a bit more. The only logical answer is that Ys Net are simply stupider than they are greedy.
The brain trust at Ys Net, already reeling from several controversies, decided they needed to out EA Electronic Arts and squeeze just a bit more money out of the pockets of those people responsible for making Shenmue 3 a reality.
Digital goods have no actual value, only perceived value. Usually, the game developers perceive the value of these goods as much higher than the people playing their games. In this instance, Ys Net perceived the value of their digital goods as being more valuable than the goodwill that giving them out to their Kickstarter backers would have garnered. Hell, even if they limited it to a specific tier and higher, say the $100 tier, Ys Net would have been basking in the adulation of gamers everywhere. They chose greed over common sense and for that, they can go fuck themselves.
