Rock Band in Short Supply - EA CEO

[AgtFox]

New EA CEO John Riccitiello held a conference call yesterday to talk about EA's quarterly report (a $195 million loss and 350 jobs to be cut including an England studio). According to GameIndustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=30204) Riccitiello talked about Rock Band in the call. The key point was that units of the $170 pack will be in short supply, possibly through the end of EA's fiscal year (March 2008). Here are parts from the story:
"If I were you, on the nineteenth of November, I would get in line outside your favourite retailer, because we've got one hot product," Riccitiello said.

"We've got a lot of inventory coming. My expectation is that it will sell through," Riccitiello said.

"This is definitely not a sprint. We're not going to be able to put enough inventory to meet demand in North America or Europe this calendar year or this fiscal [year], but we expect this to sell through both the balance of FY 08 and through FY 09, with songs coming every week, add-on SKUs, all sorts of stuff."
To be honest, it was kind of a foregone conclusion that the pack would be in short supply this holiday season. EA is new to this sort of thing (having to produce a peripheral along with the game) while Activision is pretty used to it now with Guitar Hero. I'm not sure why they didn't ramp up production of the instruments once their final look was done. The good news is that Riccitiello did confirm that there would be new songs every week and add on SKUs (uh, what? Are these the singular instruments?).

[Telefrog]

The good news is that Riccitiello did confirm that there would be new songs every week and add on SKUs (uh, what? Are these the singular instruments?).[/I]

The bad news would be the $195 million loss and the 350 employees laid off.

[Suave Peanut]

I interpret "add-on SKUs" to be the DLC on a disc for those who don't have the means to download, or a standalone expansion pack that would be an unreasonable size to download.

My credit card is going to love me before the end of November, it had fallen into a state of disuse in recent months.

[Zander]

I'm now officially worried.

[EternalGamer]

EA: If I were you, I'd give us money and give us money soon. Of course, lots of people will be willing to give us money, and we will be getting more money weekly from those people who give us money by having them give us more money for downloads and add ons. So you better give us money as soon as possible because if you don't, you won't be able to give us money weekly for a long time.

[DeskJob]

So, how much of a down payment is Gamestop asking for preorders?

[Sandman]

I've got a pre-order with amazon and it's from far enough in advance that I think I'm ok.

[TheSolidHair]

So, how much of a down payment is Gamestop asking for preorders?

$20. I did mine a few weeks ago. If I don't get my Rock Band on the 20th, someone will be sacrificed to the rock gods.

[51|RandoM]

Thanks Nintendo.

[TheFlyingOrc]

OR you could just walk into Target the morning of release.

[Micasa]

EA: If I were you, I'd give us money and give us money soon. Of course, lots of people will be willing to give us money, and we will be getting more money weekly from those people who give us money by having them give us more money for downloads and add ons. So you better give us money as soon as possible because if you don't, you won't be able to give us money weekly for a long time.

And also...the market cannot survive at a $60 per game price point.

[Veregon]

FYE is my supplier of all things GH and RB. On GH2 for the 360's opening day I walked by a line of people at Gamestop and went right next door to FYE and they had the game plus extra guitars. Last week for GH3's opening I did the exact same thing, and flaunted the box as I walked by the people lined up outside the door of Gamestop.

No one thinks to check a store like FYE so they always have stock.

[Suave Peanut]

No one thinks to check a store like FYE so they always have stock.

Much like Target around here. Our Target is half a block down from Best Buy, and whenever a big game launches there will be a line outside Best Buy, but I can walk right into Target and get it and get out before the other line moves.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Much like Target around here. Our Target is half a block down from Best Buy, and whenever a big game launches there will be a line outside Best Buy, but I can walk right into Target and get it and get out before the other line moves.

Toys R Us is also pretty good.

[Suave Peanut]

Toys R Us is also pretty good.

Toys R Us is also great for their random clearances. I love walking in, scanning the aisles, and finding a great game on clearance for $5. Target has a small clearance endcap with great deals sometimes, too.

[pacman]

Thanks Nintendo.

EA: If I were you, I'd give us money and give us money soon. Of course, lots of people will be willing to give us money, and we will be getting more money weekly from those people who give us money by having them give us more money for downloads and add ons. So you better give us money as soon as possible because if you don't, you won't be able to give us money weekly for a long time.

Feel the love :D

Actually, I agree. I'm tired of purposeful delays and shortstocking in hopes of creating the "to-get" item. It really was bad enough when Nintendo was the only company delaying games for quarters at a time, but now everyone is doing it.

[beefyjr]

OR you could just walk into Target the morning of release.

Every time my brother-in-law goes in to Gamestop without a preorder and they don't have something and tell him that there's no way he'll be able to get it anywhere since he didn't preorder, he always walks into the Target next door and buys it off the shelf. It's like a ritual for him.

[KarmaGhost]

I wasn't going to get this, but now I'm thinkin' eBay....

[TheFlyingOrc]

Every time my brother-in-law goes in to Gamestop without a preorder and they don't have something and tell him that there's no way he'll be able to get it anywhere since he didn't preorder, he always walks into the Target next door and buys it off the shelf. It's like a ritual for him.
That's because Gamestop is looking from their perspective - no other game store is going to have copies of the game because people are idiots.

The only time I haven't been able to get a game was Bioshock on release day, which was the day before classes started at the university. I only couldn't find it because of the college students who have nothing but time on their hands and a pocket full of that semester's spending money. I probably still would have gotten it easily had I gone before noon.

[MSUStud911]

I'd take these predictions to heart. It wasn't that long ago that GH1 launched during holiday time and you couldn't find it until the following Spring. I'm glad I have a preorder through Amazon already.

[Roc Ingersol]

OR you could just walk into Target the morning of release.That's my plan. Works like a charm.

[oldjadedgamer]

OR you could just walk into Target the morning of release.

Funny, I remember reading the same thing on gaming message boards right before the Wii launched...

[51|RandoM]

Funny, I remember reading the same thing on gaming message boards right before the Wii launched...

it was true for a day or two at any store not sucking the pre-order teat. :P

[Roc Ingersol]

And yet when it was still sold out, when the Mrs decided she wanted one, we went down to Best Buy for the 'shipping day' ritual, and lucked out. As it turns out, they were out of extra wiimotes so we went across the street to Target - where they had 6 wiis sitting on the shelf.

Target doesn't always have everything.
But ime it always has more than anywhere else you can just wander into.

[KingGorilla]

Add on SKUs? Keytar, accordion, flute? I am thinking of the Rick Roll, Wierd Al, Kenny G mash-up...drool.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Funny, I remember reading the same thing on gaming message boards right before the Wii launched...
This is not true of system launches. I learned that the hard way, I had to camp out at a target to get mine.

[pomeroy]

I really think this isn't going to sell as well as people are thinking...especially at first.

It might sell to me, though. ;)

[handsalad]

Does the general public know about Rock Band? They know Guitar Hero and they know what to expect out of Guitar Hero 3. They may already have the equipment for Guitar Hero 3 and they look at Rock Band and think "Wow I can spend twice as much for the game with the potential of spending a lot more on other instruments and albums, why would i do that". Guitar Hero is a good casual game, Rock Band more hard core and a new investment all over again in equipment that you can only use with that game.

[oldjadedgamer]

Does the general public know about Rock Band? They know Guitar Hero and they know what to expect out of Guitar Hero 3. They may already have the equipment for Guitar Hero 3 and they look at Rock Band and think "Wow I can spend twice as much for the game with the potential of spending a lot more on other instruments and albums, why would i do that". Guitar Hero is a good casual game, Rock Band more hard core and a new investment all over again in equipment that you can only use with that game.

Wii and PS3 owners don't already have the equipment for Guitar Hero.

[Shadowmage952]

I wasn't going to get this, but now I'm thinkin' eBay....

I hate you.

That is all.

[bickle]

"If I were you, on the nineteenth of November, I would get in line outside your favourite retailer, because we've got one hot product," Riccitiello said.

Why even bother posting this crap? It's just a stupid commercial pretending to be news.

[Headcase]

"add-on SKUs"

Jazz Band? Includes game, sax, and keyboard; the Guitars\Drums\Mic are available depending on the song. You heard it here first :D

"it" being something totally unrelated to their actual plan