Something me and Suff mentioned on the latest podcast was the probability of an earlier release of PES 2010. With the announcement of the game coming much earlier than expected, it points to PES 2010 being released sooner than the usual October window. The earlier date would no doubt put it head to head with the next FIFA installment, but I ask, is that a good thing?
Certainly a head to head might not be ideal for some, but an earlier release than its rival would seem to be good business sense. It certainly worked for Microsoft and Sony at a time, with the XBOX 360 and PS2 certainly benefitting in different generations. The idea of putting your game/product out early would certainly entice many fans to give it a go, even if they have reservations about it being the best of it’s genre.
For example, would a company developing a FPS want their game coming out the same week as Call Of duty? Of course not, but a release a month before could mean a competent game would get ‘sampled’ by the public and do well off the back of it. But, back to the point, we aren’t talking about an unknown game coming out early. We are talking about a well known franchise that could come out within a week of it’s only rival. So less of Medal Of Honour vs COD, more like Halo 3 vs COD.
An early release could show a sign of confidence in the product, after all actions speak louder than words. It seems for a few years now words is all we’ve got, with none of the superlatives turning into pure gold within the game. There’s a strong indication from our side that PES 2010 will be the game the fans have wanted, and Konami might be so sure of its game that a same day release as it’s rival doesn’t concern them.
It’s not all win win however, as EA have yet to show their hand. If FIFA 10 does indeed surpass its predecessor in terms of graphics and gameplay, then a head to head battle maybe not what PES 2010 would want. This would only magnify the difference in quality, and leave people with a much easy choice to make.
There’s also the possibility of us finally seeing the very first nextgen J-league version of Winning Eleven in the East, and with that it would require an earlier release of WE 2010 to accommodate a winter release. With Konami happy with what they have achieved with the game this year, and with the tough business climate in the world today, more releases with good sales potential isn’t a bad thing.
Obviously an early release hasn’t been confirmed, but let us know your thoughts on the subject here.
