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Harry Potter, Helm's Deep, and Early Game Access


CBGB

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Early Game Access at Barnes & Noble

 

Two hours before release of the last Harry Potter book, I looked through the locked doors of Barnes & Noble at the crowd outside. There were three or four hundred people already. We expected 150.

 

One of them bumped against the door, pressed by the mob behind him. A fellow employee looked at me and asked, 'Did you see Lord of the Rings?'

 

'Yeah,' I said.

 

'Remember when the orcs arrive at Helm's Deep?'

 

'Yeah,' I sighed.

 

He went back to his register. We had five. Management decided to open two.

 

The doors opened a few minutes later and the orcs massed around the registers to purchase red raffle-style tickets to get their books at midnight. The lines were slow and people streamed into the store, past our one manager on duty, who stood on a chair.

 

I brought out the first box of books. People stared. Our manager called out numbers, which no one could hear, and the crowd moved in. Miraculously, they did not grab or push, and I placed books in any outstretched hand without regard to purchase order. Other employees did the same at two other stations, but we had to pause to get each new box. By the time we locked up, it was after 3am.

 

 

The next day, I talked with an employee at another B&N, 40 minutes away. They opened six registers - they converted the cafe into an additional distribution point - and had organized their lines before the doors opened, so everyone knew which of the six places to go for their books. They hired a magician for entertainment and had black plastic glasses for kids. They had more customers than we did, and they were done in an hour.

 

 

Lessons

  • 1) The experience of getting a product matters as much as the product itself.

Big events are a chance to gain a lot of customer goodwill. Or lose it.

  • 2) Communication goes a long way.

Waiting is easier when you know what to expect.

  • 3) Invest in your best customers.

The other store had to commit employees for the shift, but they also finished faster and processed fewer complaints (they did have one, from a guy who wanted the cafe to be open). They even got a nice spot on the local news: good PR, lots of satisfied customers.

 

Launch and Early Game Access at Bioware

It's a little late to worry about lesson 1). My heart goes out the product managers for SWTOR (my wife was a product manager for Sierra/Vivendi), but there's nothing so inherently challenging about launch that can't be a time to gain goodwill from players. Rely on lessons 2 and 3.

 

Lesson 2: communicate, even about delays. That doesn't mean Tweeting/Posting that you just sent more invites, since that doesn't help anyone know when to take off time from work or arrange to meet a friend in-game.

Announce the days for the next blocks of early game access. We'll wait, without wondering how much more we have to wait.

 

And how about Lesson 3, treating your customers well? That one is as simple as ever: reinstate the grace period.

While it's no grand tragedy to wait out a week, those waiting for physical delivery of the game, including all Collector's Edition players, naturally want to play with others they know who can.

The problem is so easy to avoid. Don't require game codes until Dec 30th.

 

 

Show your customers you respect not only their purchases but their time. We're not orcs - tell us exactly when we can play, and we'll be there.

 

 

 

 

(Edited a couple formatting typos. Reponded to the peanut gallery on page 13)

Edited by CBGB
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very well written post. I agree whole heartedly. I wish there were an actual time table showing pre-orders to pre-launch invites, so I know if I can play before I actually can play before I go out of town thursday without waiting by my pc like a 16 yearold girl waiting for a boy to call. :(
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Show your customers you respect not only their purchases but their time. We're not orcs - tell us exactly when we can play, and we'll be there.

 

What on Earth makes you think you're entitled to anything beyond what you agreed to?

 

You agreed to the following: between now and the 19th. That's what you're getting. You have absolutely no case whatsoever.

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this is what the smart people did...

 

they went to Walmart and stood around the book bens READING harry potter until they got rung up at midnight... surrounded by the other 20 people that were there ready to pick up the book.

 

for TOR, I'm living vicariously through Sake and his live stream :)

Edited by illgot
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Are you serious JustTed? He never said he was entitled to anything. All the OP said was that if bioware wants to do well they should learn to communicate with their costumers rather then just make vague posts. I don't see what's so hard to understand about his post.

 

To the OP I think this is a great post and really hit the nail on the head, thanks for taking the time to write it up. I hope people from bioware read it and pass the message on.

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What on Earth makes you think you're entitled to anything beyond what you agreed to?

 

Er... nothing?

 

You agreed to the following: between now and the 19th.

Yep, no complaints about whenever I get in... just a request to learn now when it will be. In the last beta weekend test, my time started on Saturday, and that was fine. I knew well in advance.

 

Why not do the same for access? I'll then happily go off and do other things before my date comes, then see if I can plan a day off for when it does.

 

 

Everyone at B&N got their copy of Harry Potter. But at one store, even the wait was a good experience. They didn't have more books - just a better plan.

 

 

You have absolutely no case whatsoever.

My 'case' is two suggestions:

 

  • For Early Access - send the invites now, even the ones that won't activate for days, just as Bioware did with beta.
    Waiting is much easier when you know what to expect.

  • For launch: restore a one-week grace period for anyone who preordered, so everyone has access on launch day.
    Let us all play together. If EA insists on holding the CE for later delivery, then don't let the box determine the play date.

Edited by CBGB
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No offense; well intended OP but these guys are "supposed" to be the big shots and yet they look totally incompitent here. The fact you feel it neccessary to show them how to do their job makes me have zero confidence in this game

 

EA did this same kind of nonsense with warhammer and I can see the fail train steaming right along in the same way

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What on Earth makes you think you're entitled to anything beyond what you agreed to?

 

You agreed to the following: between now and the 19th. That's what you're getting. You have absolutely no case whatsoever.

 

 

Holy-miss-the-point-guy!!!

 

I would try to explain, however that original poster wrote an amazing post with such clear and specific examples that I am forced to believe you must not have read the entire post through.

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