Limited Run Games Thread - We only promise our NES games will work, not your console

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Squarehard

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It has truly been a pleasure to actually read the last bunch of pages of this thread and not have to roll my eyes in disgust.

I used to post here a lot in the Vita days and the beginning of the Switch but have stopped because others have started to post the upcoming releases here. It is nice to get some solid communication again from an internal source. You should take the time to post some of the information here on your own web site. I feel you don't use the web site blog enough and you could post updates and information to the blog more frequently.

After waiting a while from my initial email to when I received it, I did get my copy of Dawn of the Monsters in the mail finally and I fired up the switch for the first time in a long while and really enjoyed it.  It is a really well done kaiju beat-'em-up. Kind of wish I went with the PS5 version but it still plays great on Switch.

 
Are you going to change your rules about reprints?

If you did, I don't think anybody that matters would complain. As a Player, I'd love it if the games I wanted to play were more readily available. As a Collector, if I already have the game I don't care how many other people do, and if I don't have it I would also love if it was more readily available. And I'm sure Developers love regaining control of their product after the LRG print run, but I don't see why they wouldn't want to just release additional runs through you guys. It doesn't seem like any of them are really doing later physical releases through other publishers, at any rate, so you just might be their only desirable option.

The only people who do seem to complain are the scalpers and resellers, who need that limited scarcity in order to flip their purchase for a profit in the future. And to those people, I'd suggest... screw 'em. Let them complain. Let them take their business elsewhere. As I said, nobody that actually matters will complain at all.

The vast majority of people are behind your company because they love the word "Physical'. Not the word "Limited", which is one that they hate.

As an end game, it would be wonderful if you just had an online store, where people can buy anything they want, printed to order. Sure, this would drive down first-day FOMO sales of the initial run, but once you have enough products available for purchase and have steady incoming sales, it probably won't matter anymore. And considering the vast amount of titles you've published so far, you probably do have enough titles.

 
I, too, am pleasantly surprised with Doug's return to the forums.  Welcome back. 

I for one appreciate your candor about LRG's issues.  I think many of us here are as vocal as we are about these issues because we want to continue to support LRG as a publisher, but are also (like you) very frustrated with the incredibly lengthy delays, choices that have resulted in incomplete titles, and other logistical matters that (at least from consumers on the outside looking in) think can be handled better (e.g., holding shipping until every item is available).

Glad to hear LRG is working to reduce the delays between pre-order/production to shipment.  I think many of us have orders that have been sitting in the production queue for a long, long time so anything LRG can do to clear out those choke-points would do much to improve its relations with customers. 

BTW, would like to see PS4 Phantom Breaker Omnia finally move soon to shipment :)

Also, would like to voice support for Xerox1919's comment about reprints.  I too don't care about whether any of these prints are limited.  I care that it's a physical copy, and would prefer that it be as complete a copy as can be (i.e., all patches, DLC included).  I also support gamers having as much access as possible to your games, so reprints are of no issue. 

I also recognize the business model - but there are other ways to make a particular print run "limited," such as different cover art or a particular insert/card.  The game itself and its contents need not be any different.  Essentially, it would be sort of like having an LRG Greatest Hits line.

Of course, even the thought of something like this should come secondary to fixing the long delay/production period, but I did want to just put that out there since the poster before me just mentioned it. 

 
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LimitedRunDoug said:
Of course, always more Kemco!
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ah-haha.gif


Mattiful-Joe said:
Also, would like to voice support for Xerox1919's comment about reprints. I too don't care about whether any of these prints are limited. I care that it's a physical copy, and would prefer that it be as complete a copy as can be (i.e., all patches, DLC included). I also support gamers having as much access as possible to your games, so reprints are of no issue.
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:applause: :applause: :applause:

 
@Doug, I would seriously consider buying Kemco if there were reasonably priced collections.  $35+ for $8 (or less) games is too steep. 

I would also hope you cut back on the superfluous releases and stay within the lane of Standard, Steelcase/Deluxe edition, and maybe a CE for the really awesome gets; you could then cut orders faster without waiting for some random tat in the box to arrive.

Also, your Steelcase releases, if you wish to scroll through this thread, Facebook groups I'm in, etc. all have the same feedback lately; they are looking really lazy lately.  They're single color with little flair, making it a low value look.  Even lower when Steelcases are not sold as singular releases, but roped into $100+ CEs.  That's really crappy for case collectors who don't want more plastic garbage.

The tone of "Look, we got Bill & Ted, be happy! Better stuff will come if it sells!" was poor.  The games are awful, it's not novel nor cute; yes, I know diehards will buy anything, but some other unique acutally good indie title could have been in that slot, pressed to carts, and shared with the community.

With the space changing, and pocket books tightening, I would certainly hope LRG is looking for more killer, less filler in their lineup.  Also, I think dropping FOMO perspective, or at least not going with a "gotta catch 'em all" practice for bonuses, would be much better.  Pumping out filler titles and then saying you gotta buy it all for the trinket at the end is a really scummy practice. 

Good games, quality product, and treating your customers well with ample communication sells product (i.e., good service).  More so, don't be communicating on a games discount forum, but broadcasting this stuff on your websites front page(s) and/or as updates on the orders themselves.  I am sure the people who ordered those titles with stuff stuck in customs want to know more than I do.

Lastly, yes, leadership leaves companies after they are bought out routinely; they even are forced to say "no, we'd never leave!" when asked due to NDA and contract deals.  So you can say you'll stay, but you must have certainly thick skin and deep passion for $200+ CEs of future landfill material to keep going! 

Edit: Extra last, do you have any relationships with the people who take orders in Facebook groups, shop at your physical store, and then mail them out?  There's a demand, why not take orders at the store directly and cut out the middleman?  If I cannot go to the East Coast, why can't I just buy online?

Double Edit and going to back to FOMO:  Start taking open orders on reprints; once they cross the threshold for sale, ship 'em and restart the counter.  If you really don't care about creating scarcity and want everyone to have the games, reprint the older stuff that's selling for way over MSRP online and let people who want physical copies to have them!

 
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Curious if making complete on disc GOTY copies for certain "AAA" titles that left the DLC as download is a possibility?   

For instance, Fallout 4 GOTY was just the base game with DLC vouchers.  Fallout fans are hardcore and would be all over that.  

Also games like Far Cry 5, The Outer Worlds, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Dead Rising 4; Frank's Big Package, Friday the 13th Ultimate Slasher Edition. 

Even selling just the DLC on disc that is only available as a download would be big for some people here.  

 
Invicta 61 said:
Curious if making complete on disc GOTY copies for certain "AAA" titles that left the DLC as download is a possibility?

For instance, Fallout 4 GOTY was just the base game with DLC vouchers. Fallout fans are hardcore and would be all over that.

Also games like Far Cry 5, The Outer Worlds, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Dead Rising 4; Frank's Big Package, Friday the 13th Ultimate Slasher Edition.

Even selling just the DLC on disc that is only available as a download would be big for some people here.
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Shit, this is something I'd be on board with.

 
Invicta 61 said:
Curious if making complete on disc GOTY copies for certain "AAA" titles that left the DLC as download is a possibility?

For instance, Fallout 4 GOTY was just the base game with DLC vouchers. Fallout fans are hardcore and would be all over that.

Also games like Far Cry 5, The Outer Worlds, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Dead Rising 4; Frank's Big Package, Friday the 13th Ultimate Slasher Edition.

Even selling just the DLC on disc that is only available as a download would be big for some people here.
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This is a fantastic idea.
 
If third party game stores can get enough leverage to reprint high demand titles like Xenoblade 2 Torna, I would have to imagine that LRG could land some deals to print "complete on disc" copies of certain titles. 

 
If it's going to cost something significant to get the esrb rating an alt cover just do a skinny black banner or something on the original approved art and say "UnLimited Edition".   Same with the cart sticker or disc.  And remove the LRG # so full set collectors aren't feeling gouged.

Ideally you'd start with Shantae & the Pirates Curse for Switch.

There's really not a ton of games that even would need this UnLimited treatment.  Just the few key games that the aftermarket has gone crazy on (that is $100+).  One that I missed was Tiny Metal for the Switch but looking up ebay listings and it's not too bad to get it if I really want it.  No reprint needed.  Really a lot of standard edition games are still pretty reasonably priced... especially if you can find an open copy.

As far as complete on disc/cart releases... that could be cool if it's not prohibitively costly to get a new build done like that as well as whatever ESRB hoops would have to be jumped through for rating.   For this, what would be killer is something like The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.   This is the kind of thing that would be really hard to land (much much harder than just scoring a reprint of something that already exists)... but could lead to a whole other line of "Complete Edition" products.

 
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I think asking some of these AAA companies for complete editions later is a good idea and something we've pitched before but we didn't push too hard as we were fresh at AAA stuff. We could probably ask now and get something like that approved!

I saw complaints on our Steelbooks, could you let me know which ones you thought were bland? I'd love to take this back to the art team. Do keep in mind sometimes we do actually design a great one and the publisher says "nah" which sucks haha. 

 
Xerox1919 said:
Are you going to change your rules about reprints?

If you did, I don't think anybody that matters would complain. As a Player, I'd love it if the games I wanted to play were more readily available. As a Collector, if I already have the game I don't care how many other people do, and if I don't have it I would also love if it was more readily available. And I'm sure Developers love regaining control of their product after the LRG print run, but I don't see why they wouldn't want to just release additional runs through you guys. It doesn't seem like any of them are really doing later physical releases through other publishers, at any rate, so you just might be their only desirable option.

The only people who do seem to complain are the scalpers and resellers, who need that limited scarcity in order to flip their purchase for a profit in the future. And to those people, I'd suggest... screw 'em. Let them complain. Let them take their business elsewhere. As I said, nobody that actually matters will complain at all.

The vast majority of people are behind your company because they love the word "Physical'. Not the word "Limited", which is one that they hate.

As an end game, it would be wonderful if you just had an online store, where people can buy anything they want, printed to order. Sure, this would drive down first-day FOMO sales of the initial run, but once you have enough products available for purchase and have steady incoming sales, it probably won't matter anymore. And considering the vast amount of titles you've published so far, you probably do have enough titles.
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I don't know that it's just scalpers and resellers that would have an issue with reprints. Personally, I have no issue with open preorders and if they want to change their policies on a going forward basis and leave open the possibility of reprints, that would be fine. I do have an issue with retroactively allowing reprints when they have advertised from day one that everything was one and done (at least through LRG).

 
Boring Steelbooks I've seen or heard complaints about:

-Doom Eternal
-Blade Runner
-Quake
-The Shantae releases are all pretty much one note; they match, but boring
-Republic Commando
- Ep1 Pod Racer
- Jedi Academy
- Jedi Knight
- Dark Devotion
- Battle for the Grid

Just examples of "color + logo" style Steelbooks that feel like placeholders versus unique artwork to collect.

Also, again, Steelbooks should always be singular purchased releases; burying them in boxes full of tat is not cool.  And making massive CEs that are bigger than the box the console comes in is pretty absurd, IMO, and wasteful.  Sure, people buy it, but 99% of those sit sealed on shelves.  Such a wasteful practice that just delays products for plastic stuff to get made in China.  I get it that the profit margin on CEs is typically higher, but I favor the other vendors who just say "hey, here's game" versus five SKUs like its some Ubisoft release.

Please make the store inventory available online; I'll repeat, there are people bootlegging the games off the shelf, that's how much demand there is for them.  Folks are paying $5 per title, $10 per CE, in just handling to these folks.  Good for them, but that kind of seems like a bad image, IMO, if people have to go through third parties to get games that are so-called "Limited Run" unless you live in a comfortable driving distance of 27511.

It's not your direct fault, but imagine if one of these bootleggers just decides to pocket the cash of an extremely large order and ghost everyone?  Not going to be a good look for LRG, IMO.  If there's stock to be put on shelves, there's stock to be put on a website.

Edit:  I get the business intent, but having folks destroy the Doom carts that required the account to play is just... I hate it.  It's still technically functional product that's now 100% e-waste.  *sigh*  You could have at least offered to collect them and recycle them or something instead of having people just toss 'em.

 
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TheKbob said:
Boring Steelbooks I've seen or heard complaints about:

-Doom Eternal
-Blade Runner
-Quake
-The Shantae releases are all pretty much one note; they match, but boring
-Republic Commando
- Ep1 Pod Racer
- Jedi Academy
- Jedi Knight
- Dark Devotion
- Battle for the Grid

Just examples of "color + logo" style Steelbooks that feel like placeholders versus unique artwork to collect.

Also, again, Steelbooks should always be singular purchased releases; burying them in boxes full of tat is not cool. And making massive CEs that are bigger than the box the console comes in is pretty absurd, IMO, and wasteful. Sure, people buy it, but 99% of those sit sealed on shelves. Such a wasteful practice that just delays products for plastic stuff to get made in China. I get it that the profit margin on CEs is typically higher, but I favor the other vendors who just say "hey, here's game" versus five SKUs like its some Ubisoft release.

Please make the store inventory available online; I'll repeat, there are people bootlegging the games off the shelf, that's how much demand there is for them. Folks are paying $5 per title, $10 per CE, in just handling to these folks. Good for them, but that kind of seems like a bad image, IMO, if people have to go through third parties to get games that are so-called "Limited Run" unless you live in a comfortable driving distance of 27511.

It's not your direct fault, but imagine if one of these bootleggers just decides to pocket the cash of an extremely large order and ghost everyone? Not going to be a good look for LRG, IMO. If there's stock to be put on shelves, there's stock to be put on a website.

Edit: I get the business intent, but having folks destroy the Doom carts that required the account to play is just... I hate it. It's still technically functional product that's now 100% e-waste. *sigh* You could have at least offered to collect them and recycle them or something instead of having people just toss 'em.
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-Doom Eternal
-Blade Runner
-Quake
-The Shantae releases are all pretty much one note; they match, but boring
-Republic Commando
- Ep1 Pod Racer
- Jedi Academy
- Jedi Knight
- Dark Devotion
- Battle for the Grid

The Star Wars and Shantae ones all have a theme which is why I think they look great. I also love the Doom Eternal one.

I'll concede on Blade Runner, Dark Devotion, Battle for the Grid, and Quake though.

A few of those definitely had a completely different design and we were asked to change them. One of them we were literally handed one piece of art and told that was it.

We will probably scale down on Steelbooks as they aren't cheap and customer mentality is that they are only a $10 or free value because places like Best Buy just give them away with most AAA games. They are able to get a better discount on the insane volume they do vs us, so it's not feasible for us to do that many Steelbooks in general.

The retail store stuff is meant for the retail store, we may sell some components or rare retro stuff online one day, but the point of the store was to have a place to sell those units in person. If someone is ripping someone off that's not our fault and people should be more careful of trusting people like that. I would ask though if that's a real thing happening that we be informed so we can ban that person from coming in. I don't want someone like that in our store.

 
Yeah, "Blade Runner" for sure.  Sometimes I get the feeling that the publisher just isn't offering up much for approved key art.  In that case, recycling the cover on to the steelbook probably would've been preferred.

I was wondering if the mini-art-boxes for the Castlevania CE were a pain and that's why it wasn't repeated for Contra.  I recall the original product description mentioned art boxes and later removed (they were never pictured).  I thought that was really cool.  Not sure what others thought.  The two CEs I was clamoring the most for were the two I think were probably the best ("Monkey Island" and "Castlevania") that LRG put out.  The design across the board was excellent.

I also like the direction of the recent LucasArts CE boxes that very much resemble the originals.  I recall the idea behind the previous Star Wars boxes (or maybe it was something else) was not to reproduce what existed, but I was never fan of the minimalist design and would've much preferred a modern take on the original artwork (or just the original artwork).  I more appreciated the back of those boxes than the front.  

If LRG ever sets their sites on classic Sierra On-Line games and they received the same treatment as "Monkey Island".... that would be awesome.

 
If there's enough to sell in a retail store, there's enough to sell online; it's just another arbitrary scarcity move.  Brick and mortar is more expensive to maintain, as well, having been around mom and pop game stores of all kinds for several decades.  Again, charge a handling fee if you have to, since people are already willing to pay it, but by not choosing to sell inventory online (or worse, keeping them in blind boxes!), you're stating you'll continue anti-customer practices. 

It's not like you don't already have an online store already setup.  It would be different if you were "Bobby's Vidja Boutique," renting out a double-wide front in a strip mall, but LRG is the leading brand being stingy.  Seems like a lose-lose for everyone (except those taking pilgrimages to Mecca, it appears).

Re: theme for Star Wars and Shantae, if it's minimalist and bland, then yes, it is, if anything, consistent.  Except for Pod Racer Revenge, which that's a rad case in comparison to the rest of the Star Wars line.  Shantae is literally just logo and color.  It's subjective, sure, but that's the feedback.  Most buy it because it's Shantae and they think they'll all be in on the next Pirate's Curse, by I digress...

Managing customer expectations regarding cost is a separate issue, which you do control regarding whats valuable and what's not.  The Dead Space super mega bundle has pretty much most gobsmacked over the cost.  As a curious connoisseur of cat helmets, I know you'll be very wary of quantities with that one, because they usually bottom out unless they are absolute premium art pieces; which $250 isn't typically the range for actual collectable figures, statues, and replica products.

I'd certainly love if LRG focused less on pre-ordering new stuff and moved to back catalog modern remakes of high demand retro titles; ones that are both good and cost $100s in the aftermarket.  OG collectors get to keep their first prints and modern retro fans get something on the shelf that's playable and affordable.  You can still do new stuff, but then the lead times will be shorter as you can issue pre-orders on titles that have gone through the whole "release broken, get patched, patch the patch, and then issue the GOTY version" cycle. 

Still fits with the ethos of LRG and physical forever.

The one thing I don't know is if you have to have a license from Sony or Nintendo and get minimum prints on new carts or discs; it's pretty obvious those things can be made as the aftermarket is filled with high demand knock-offs of NES, SNES, GBA, DS, Dreamcast, etc. games.  Official ones would be a standout, IMO.

PS: To make it seem like I'm not 100% cynical, I forgot to pre-order Gotta Protectors for Switch, but look forward to that one greatly.  And I have a soft spot (perhaps on my skull) for the Mercenaries SRPG series and have bought all the releases.  I think the services you provide have great value, just don't like the trend of where it's going.  Per your own archive, you 374 standard editions and whopping 689 collector's editions... more killer, less filler, please!

 
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bojay1997 said:
I don't know that it's just scalpers and resellers that would have an issue with reprints. Personally, I have no issue with open preorders and if they want to change their policies on a going forward basis and leave open the possibility of reprints, that would be fine. I do have an issue with retroactively allowing reprints when they have advertised from day one that everything was one and done (at least through LRG).
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Yeah, this might be an issue regarding some kind of "false advertising" thing, and people arguing with "This was the only reason I bought it" claims. (Though I still think the only people actually saying this will be the fools who thought it was an "investment". The actual purchasers who just wanted to play will just let it slide and not care.)

Also though, they're already bending these rules anyway, with stuff like "We won't ever release reprints... except on a different system!" So I don't see why they can't add more loopholes. Some people above have already had excellent suggestions, like releasing the current titles as a "Greatest Hits" line, without official numbering or other certificates of authenticity, and maybe even with an obnoxious green stripe on the box or something. So the original black label versions will still sell for more, but the majority of customers who only care about having a physical disc will also be able to actually play the game itself.

But regardless, even if we assume the older games are locked away forever, this just emphasizes that this rule change needs to be implemented ASAP. The sooner that future titles are released from this restriction, the sooner the catalog can start growing. The best time will always be "right now". Just sitting on the decision is only digging the hole deeper and deeper each day. And also in that hole is a lot of reputation and goodwill just waiting to rise.

 
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TheKbob said:
If there's enough to sell in a retail store, there's enough to sell online; it's just another arbitrary scarcity move. Brick and mortar is more expensive to maintain, as well, having been around mom and pop game stores of all kinds for several decades. Again, charge a handling fee if you have to, since people are already willing to pay it, but by not choosing to sell inventory online (or worse, keeping them in blind boxes!), you're stating you'll continue anti-customer practices.

It's not like you don't already have an online store already setup. It would be different if you were "Bobby's Vidja Boutique," renting out a double-wide front in a strip mall, but LRG is the leading brand being stingy. Seems like a lose-lose for everyone (except those taking pilgrimages to Mecca, it appears).

Re: theme for Star Wars and Shantae, if it's minimalist and bland, then yes, it is, if anything, consistent. Except for Pod Racer Revenge, which that's a rad case in comparison to the rest of the Star Wars line. Shantae is literally just logo and color. It's subjective, sure, but that's the feedback. Most buy it because it's Shantae and they think they'll all be in on the next Pirate's Curse, by I digress...

Managing customer expectations regarding cost is a separate issue, which you do control regarding whats valuable and what's not. The Dead Space super mega bundle has pretty much most gobsmacked over the cost. As a curious connoisseur of cat helmets, I know you'll be very wary of quantities with that one, because they usually bottom out unless they are absolute premium art pieces; which $250 isn't typically the range for actual collectable figures, statues, and replica products.

I'd certainly love if LRG focused less on pre-ordering new stuff and moved to back catalog modern remakes of high demand retro titles; ones that are both good and cost $100s in the aftermarket. OG collectors get to keep their first prints and modern retro fans get something on the shelf that's playable and affordable. You can still do new stuff, but then the lead times will be shorter as you can issue pre-orders on titles that have gone through the whole "release broken, get patched, patch the patch, and then issue the GOTY version" cycle.

Still fits with the ethos of LRG and physical forever.

The one thing I don't know is if you have to have a license from Sony or Nintendo and get minimum prints on new carts or discs; it's pretty obvious those things can be made as the aftermarket is filled with high demand knock-offs of NES, SNES, GBA, DS, Dreamcast, etc. games. Official ones would be a standout, IMO.

PS: To make it seem like I'm not 100% cynical, I forgot to pre-order Gotta Protectors for Switch, but look forward to that one greatly. And I have a soft spot (perhaps on my skull) for the Mercenaries SRPG series and have bought all the releases. I think the services you provide have great value, just don't like the trend of where it's going. Per your own archive, you 374 standard editions and whopping 689 collector's editions... more killer, less filler, please!
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Thanks for the feedback on a lot of this stuff.

Reprints on the retro consoles isn't possible with Sony or Nintendo unfortunately. Sony cut off production on a lot of their older consoles, and the same with Nintendo. Neither seems interested in bringing them back.

I hear you on the store but as it stands now it's not going to change anytime soon. The store wasn't cheap so we definitely need some stuff there that would make people want to journey out to it. But as with most stuff it could evolve.

On the topic of reprints, I don't think printing the same game on another platform is a reprint personally. It's a completely different console so it's a different build. But yeah we can't and won't reprint games on the same console in the same region. When you see reprints in other regions I feel like that is fair since it's not the exact same product. We also don't lock up rights which is why you see reprints come out sometimes.

 
bojay1997 said:
I don't know that it's just scalpers and resellers that would have an issue with reprints. Personally, I have no issue with open preorders and if they want to change their policies on a going forward basis and leave open the possibility of reprints, that would be fine. I do have an issue with retroactively allowing reprints when they have advertised from day one that everything was one and done (at least through LRG).
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I could not agree more. What is done is done. Obviously studios can go after reprints based on the contract to revert rights. LRG would be in legal trouble if they did reprints of anything that was guaranteed not to be reprinted by them.
 
LimitedRunDoug said:
Thanks for the feedback on a lot of this stuff.

Reprints on the retro consoles isn't possible with Sony or Nintendo unfortunately. Sony cut off production on a lot of their older consoles, and the same with Nintendo. Neither seems interested in bringing them back.

I hear you on the store but as it stands now it's not going to change anytime soon. The store wasn't cheap so we definitely need some stuff there that would make people want to journey out to it. But as with most stuff it could evolve.

On the topic of reprints, I don't think printing the same game on another platform is a reprint personally. It's a completely different console so it's a different build. But yeah we can't and won't reprint games on the same console in the same region. When you see reprints in other regions I feel like that is fair since it's not the exact same product. We also don't lock up rights which is why you see reprints come out sometimes.
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I appreciate at least patience with prolific posts; a little alliteration goes a long way.

Re: The Store; that's why I think its kind of crazy y'all opened one, since it seems to both go with the company ethos, but also against. I would say supporting more mom and pop physical stores with physical, in store product, would have been the better compromise versus opening up your own store. Holding events at partner stores across the country would also lead to more folks having the opportunity to partake versus just NC. I typically buy from partner stores when I fail to notice a pre-order, and I appreciate that partnership greatly.

It may have been more chatter from us types on Facebook, but some store owners (maybe not LRG partners, just others I know) thought it would be a rough deal to be a partner store and then see the publisher open a competing storefront.

Shame Sony and Nintendo won't do retro deals. It's not like anyone is out there selling Vanguard Bandits. Even more, Square partnering with y'all for the Valkyrie Profile Remaster would have been nuts; a PS4 game in a classic PS1 case with artbook would have been something that had folks wrapped around the block. Then the collectors edition could have a PS1 re-release; now that'd be a true CE!

And as "well, actually..." I may be, I don't see printing the same game on a separate platform as "reprints." Then again, I want actual reprints for high demand titles, as playing games is better than just collecting them! And more, affordable, easy access to legit copies, the better for everyone involved. Just label them #XXX-2, or #XXX-3. Collectors and speculators can lavish over their first prints and the rest of us can play some games.

 
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LimitedRunDoug said:
I hear you on the store but as it stands now it's not going to change anytime soon. The store wasn't cheap so we definitely need some stuff there that would make people want to journey out to it. But as with most stuff it could evolve.
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That smacks of someone not doing an accurate CBA prior to deciding to build it.

 
Twilightsparkle said:
That smacks of someone not doing an accurate CBA prior to deciding to build it.
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Most physical game stores, video or otherwise, are poor businesses to get into. You either have to corner a market, offering a unique service, or be a brand willing to loss lead. Games Workshop uses its Warhammer Stores as advertisement, as seeing people building, painting, and playing the game has immense value in keeping the product moving.

Board game stores have their lights kept on with Magic the Gathering, no surprise.

Video game stores typically need to be used game stores that dabble in everything nerdy. The best ones build rapport over a long period of time and the owners typically are not rolling in cash. But they become a focal point of the hobby in the community. That's why I would think LRG would double- or tripple-down on building that in neighborhood partnership versus opening a single flagship store.

You get the good PR of supporting small businesses in the community, those shops get foot traffic of unique titles, and LRG does not have to worry about the high overheads of commercial rent, utilities, insurance, staffing, etc.

Having been friends with store owners over the past several decades, its a labor of love. If a company is going to open one, it should almost be anticipated to be a brand or marketing move, not a for-profit endeavor, simply because that's a cut throat market. I would be surprised if LRG intended it to turn a profit! Niche game store that only deals in premium releases of even more niche content? That's a tall order!

If they're operating on thin margins, then those bootleggers might be what's keeping the lights on since I routinely see them shipping out dozens of orders weekly from people in Facebook groups using them to get stuff that's sold out online.

Edit: I have no ill will to those buying games as a service for others, but they are taking a risk and its a PR risk for LRG, as well. Whether that's a rational thing or not is beside the point, though.

 
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TheKbob said:
I appreciate at least patience with prolific posts; a little alliteration goes a long way.

Re: The Store; that's why I think its kind of crazy y'all opened one, since it seems to both go with the company ethos, but also against. I would say supporting more mom and pop physical stores with physical, in store product, would have been the better compromise versus opening up your own store. Holding events at partner stores across the country would also lead to more folks having the opportunity to partake versus just NC. I typically buy from partner stores when I fail to notice a pre-order, and I appreciate that partnership greatly.

It may have been more chatter from us types on Facebook, but some store owners (maybe not LRG partners, just others I know) thought it would be a rough deal to be a partner store and then see the publisher open a competing storefront.

Shame Sony and Nintendo won't do retro deals. It's not like anyone is out there selling Vanguard Bandits. Even more, Square partnering with y'all for the Valkyrie Profile Remaster would have been nuts; a PS4 game in a classic PS1 case with artbook would have been something that had folks wrapped around the block. Then the collectors edition could have a PS1 re-release; now that'd be a true CE!

And as "well, actually..." I may be, I don't see printing the same game on a separate platform as "reprints." Then again, I want actual reprints for high demand titles, as playing games is better than just collecting them! And more, affordable, easy access to legit copies, the better for everyone involved. Just label them #XXX-2, or #XXX-3. Collectors and speculators can lavish over their first prints and the rest of us can play some games.
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Thanks again! Yeah, the store is thankfully not anywhere near another store which is why we felt safe building this one. We needed a store in our area and didn't have to worry about making another store upset. I do think the partner store event idea is great!

Twilightsparkle said:
That smacks of someone not doing an accurate CBA prior to deciding to build it.
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Well actually, (pushes up glasses) our finance team did a CBA and it's on track to be profitable sooner than projected but it still wasn't cheap to make. Materials during COVID were rough.

 
Hey Doug. I had a question about the Dead Space CE. The thing looks awesome, but in the reveal on the dead space stream it looked like the helmet was just a solid brown/bronze plastic. Will it have the wear and dirtiness the key art shows on the site? I really think it'd look great with that grittiness rather than the solid one color that it looked like on the reveal.

Thanks 

 
TheKbob said:
Then again, I want actual reprints for high demand titles, as playing games is better than just collecting them! And more, affordable, easy access to legit copies, the better for everyone involved. Just label them #XXX-2, or #XXX-3. Collectors and speculators can lavish over their first prints and the rest of us can play some games.
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SInce LRG can't do it... this would make a great small business for someone.

 
redrum666 said:
https://twitter.com/LimitedRunGames/status/1586042751979692032?s=20&t=YwgOVQ2gfhAWnPZMN5GleQ
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Is this the same game as the iam8bitversion (just without a slipcover)? Either way, all the adventure game love is awesome. DOTT, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango. Now let's get the Monkey Island remasters on PS4. Or like someone else mentioned, how about some Sierra stuff? Space Quest, Kings Quest, or Quest For Glory would be great places to start!

 
Staind204 said:
Is this the same game as the iam8bitversion (just without a slipcover)? Either way, all the adventure game love is awesome. DOTT, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango. Now let's get the Monkey Island remasters on PS4. Or like someone else mentioned, how about some Sierra stuff? Space Quest, Kings Quest, or Quest For Glory would be great places to start!
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yes same game as the Iam8bit release just without the Slipcover, Golden Train Ticket, and Matchbook Notebook from the Calavera Cafe

iam8bit | Grim Fandango - PlayStation 4 Physical Edition - iam8bit

 
nightc1 said:
SInce LRG can't do it... this would make a great small business for someone.
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I can never get the details right but LRG simply won't print more copies of a game with the same exact cover. They can do variants though.. they did a variant PAX cover print of River City Girls I think?

 
@Doug Do you think you could bring over Tales of Innocence R? It was a Vita game that never got brought over. Don't know how many cartridges of vita are left. Maybe you can port it to Switch? Probably tough

 
Whenever I would go to the LRG store for events, I was always surprised at what a game store desert Raleigh is. It's literally LRG and a bunch of Gamestop locations. Even Greensboring puts it to shame.

I do wish you had clarified what the damaged game discounts were going to be. The first time you did it, it was 25/50/75% off depending on the amount of damage, which felt reasonable, but to find out right before it started that it was only 10% off across the board really put a damper on the mood of people in line who were expecting the same discount structure. And having to wait hours for slightly higher discounts wasn't much better.

One of the guys in line said that you had additional pallets of damaged games for future sales, and I hope you guys will reconsider the discount structure in the future, or make it clear well ahead of time


Edit: since you are here and have always seemed open to customer service even in person, I wanted to share a disappointment that I had from when the store had its grand opening, even if nothing can really change it.

When you had the grand opening, there were several vita games that were among the earlier runs that were on the store shelf for sale. Nothing really rare or expensive, but I am going for a complete NA vita set, and didn't really start buying until about 40 releases in, so iwas excited to knock out a solid chunk of games off my list. When I got home, I was opening one of the games and underneath the price sticker (do they have to be so damn hard to remove from the games??) was a hole punched into the bar code. I started checking other games and most of the stuff from the earlier run I could feel the hole punch through the bar code as well. As a gamer and also collector and fine OCD enthusiast, I went from joy to feeling crushed, like the copies of my games were inferior to the normal games.

My biggest issue is that, there was no way of knowing that this was the case unless I felt the hole when I was there with the crush of people behind me. There was nothing on the games indicating that they were promo copies, and the price stickers covered up the bar codes, so it put a real damper on an otherwise fun(and long) night and day. I just wanted to share that experience so that you were aware and it didn't happen again to anybody else.
 
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Doug, since you're here, I want to raise an issue I had with an LRG order a while ago that didn't resolve to my satisfaction (I detailed this issue in this thread at the time, extensively), and I'd like to know your thoughts on it.

I pre-ordered and received the 'Streets of Rage 4' collectors edition with the statue and steelbook, and the steelbook, along with the larger Genesis style box came damaged. There was a forceful puncture that went through the plastic case (which had loose broken pieces) into the steelbook that prevents the steelbook from closing. It looks like someone rammed a nailed through the bottom.

Now, everything outside of those cases was fine, so the damage must've happened either during production of those cases or more likely when the CE was packed together. I'm not at home for pics at the moment, but I did provide plenty to customer service at the time. After a lengthy back and forth, the best CS would do was a 10 or 15% refund. I just wanted a undamaged steelbook so it would sit amongst my other Switch games on the shelf properly.

The whole situation was one of the major reasons I started to sour on LRG, because they were willing to send a second outer slipcover for the large CE box, for some reason, but didn't want to do anything about the damaged items. I'm just curious what you think, if this type of thing has happened before, and if so, if anything has changed since?

 
I do appreciate Doug engaging with the community and the acknowledgement of some of the more prominent issues, and the civility has been encouraging. However, I'm personally very pessimistic that any change is coming to the company. I don't think anyone at the company has ever acted maliciously, but they have a tendency to over-commit themselves.Doug has noted that they're aware of and trying to fix the issues with shipping times. I don't see how they're going to clear out 300-400 items from the backlog in any reasonable timeframe, especially with releases every single week. I couldn't really discern a plan or any specifics. The platform-holders are always going to be a bottleneck and hiring more shipping team members would just result in more overhead during the slower periods. Also, I can't imagine inflation is kind to the company considering the fact that they charge up-front.

The EU expansion in particular seems poorly timed. Granted, this probably won't exacerbate the backlog in NA because the people work on fulfilling those orders aren't the people scouting property, going through regulatory bodies, etc. Embracer probably helps them a lot with connections and navigating the appropriate channels, so I can understand why it's moving forward now. But the economic forecast is pretty bleak and boutique collectibles are not high on the list when shit hits the fan. Additionally, the EU has some of the most stringent customer protection laws in the world. The infinite backlog and the delays without update just wouldn't fly.

I'm wrong before, and I'm sure I'll be wrong again. But I really feel like what LRG needs to do is batten down the hatches. Otherwise it feels like they're trying to build a new room onto their house while the home is on fire.

 
Tothoro said:
I do appreciate Doug engaging with the community and the acknowledgement of some of the more prominent issues, and the civility has been encouraging. However, I'm personally very pessimistic that any change is coming to the company. I don't think anyone at the company has ever acted maliciously, but they have a tendency to over-commit themselves.Doug has noted that they're aware of and trying to fix the issues with shipping times. I don't see how they're going to clear out 300-400 items from the backlog in any reasonable timeframe, especially with releases every single week.
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Precisely.

Shipping times were bad four years ago. It has only gotten much worse. Talk is cheap.

 
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Nothing- said:
Precisely.

Shipping times were bad four years ago. It has only gotten much worse. Talk is cheap.
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I completely agree ! It’s disingenuous LRG is back here. They aren’t here cause they care about the customer. They’ve seen sales take a hit (over year plus shipping on their products) and they are trying to do damage control.

I don’t believe asking them to change is the solution. I believe we are the ones to fix their shipping SNAFU by simply cutting back on our purchases. Then we don’t ask them to fix it, we force them to by forcing them to ship less product.
 
Thomascagger said:
It's really one of the biggest problems, they've said they were working on it over and over but it never gets better
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Ever since I was in their discord the constant response to the shipping issues is "We'll hire more people" as if throwing people at the problem they created would fix it, rather than just slowing down on releases in general.

Granted, a lot of stuff nowadays doesn't even hit MOQ unless it's a banger game like Radiant Silvergun, so part of me wonders why they don't just print MOQ amounts for PS4/5/Switch stuff that aren't likely to hit MOQ, wait to get the standards in hand, and then put them up for sale, since that would make things a lot easier for everyone involved. Like, that Bill and Ted collection I don't even know when that will ship, since the digital version doesn't exist yet! and that sort of holdup led to the standard Shantae Pirate Curse PS5 edition being stuck for over a year without a status update, and well... Yeah, it's just a flood of releases and the impending recession isn't helping things.

I'm not surprised most things I'd used to expect as numbered titles (Windjammers 2, Atari Mania) are just being thrown up as Distro fodder for amazon/other retail stores now. Gunbrick selling under 1K during the entire preorder period (and IIRC, isn't NA MOQ for Switch 5K?) pretty much means stuff like that is gonna be getting dusty on the amazon store page for quite a while.

For me, the future that could possibly be bright for them is the Carbon engine. It's why Embracer bought them, and I dug the two they put out so far. If Rendering Ranger R2 drops and is a godly port, I'll be in heaven! If the limprint market isn't working hot, maybe a full shift to putting out great obscurities via Carbon and being the Discotek of obscure retro license rescues would be a smart idea. I'd support their CE ports if they continue to be quality.

 
portnoyd said:
It's that time again.
http://limitedraregames.com/
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Man hard copy games sure as heck loves to continue their lame grift, don’t they

nightc1 said:
Keep in mind that site is http only and any info you put into their forms has a solid chance of getting stolen.
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Considering they did a stupid NFT bit for their hype as they continued roleplaying as their racist stereotype OCs, security/professionalism is the last thing these guys care about.
 
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byebye.man said:
I completely agree ! It’s disingenuous LRG is back here. They aren’t here cause they care about the customer. They’ve seen sales take a hit (over year plus shipping on their products) and they are trying to do damage control.

I don’t believe asking them to change is the solution. I believe we are the ones to fix their shipping SNAFU by simply cutting back on our purchases. Then we don’t ask them to fix it, we force them to by forcing them to ship less product.
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I can promise you this isn't damage control, it's simply me hearing about this thread being upset and thinking maybe I could help shed some light on some stuff. I literally spent the entire last week fixing processes and I've been signing less games so our shipping can catch up. We 100% recognize it's an issue. We even said just Friday let's stop doing CE's unless it's a big IP. We know people are stretched thin and we know the recession is going to be a thing so we are gearing up to take that into account.

HaloGX said:
Doug, since you're here, I want to raise an issue I had with an LRG order a while ago that didn't resolve to my satisfaction (I detailed this issue in this thread at the time, extensively), and I'd like to know your thoughts on it.

I pre-ordered and received the 'Streets of Rage 4' collectors edition with the statue and steelbook, and the steelbook, along with the larger Genesis style box came damaged. There was a forceful puncture that went through the plastic case (which had loose broken pieces) into the steelbook that prevents the steelbook from closing. It looks like someone rammed a nailed through the bottom.

Now, everything outside of those cases was fine, so the damage must've happened either during production of those cases or more likely when the CE was packed together. I'm not at home for pics at the moment, but I did provide plenty to customer service at the time. After a lengthy back and forth, the best CS would do was a 10 or 15% refund. I just wanted a undamaged steelbook so it would sit amongst my other Switch games on the shelf properly.

The whole situation was one of the major reasons I started to sour on LRG, because they were willing to send a second outer slipcover for the large CE box, for some reason, but didn't want to do anything about the damaged items. I'm just curious what you think, if this type of thing has happened before, and if so, if anything has changed since?
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I'm really sorry this happened to you. I can say with the change in management a few months ago in CS the policies are much more reasonable and relaxed. I wanted to make sure that we just took care of everyone going forward and the shit in tone on CS seems to have had a positive reaction so far.

SeafoamGaming said:
Ever since I was in their discord the constant response to the shipping issues is "We'll hire more people" as if throwing people at the problem they created would fix it, rather than just slowing down on releases in general.

Granted, a lot of stuff nowadays doesn't even hit MOQ unless it's a banger game like Radiant Silvergun, so part of me wonders why they don't just print MOQ amounts for PS4/5/Switch stuff that aren't likely to hit MOQ, wait to get the standards in hand, and then put them up for sale, since that would make things a lot easier for everyone involved. Like, that Bill and Ted collection I don't even know when that will ship, since the digital version doesn't exist yet! and that sort of holdup led to the standard Shantae Pirate Curse PS5 edition being stuck for over a year without a status update, and well... Yeah, it's just a flood of releases and the impending recession isn't helping things.

I'm not surprised most things I'd used to expect as numbered titles (Windjammers 2, Atari Mania) are just being thrown up as Distro fodder for amazon/other retail stores now. Gunbrick selling under 1K during the entire preorder period (and IIRC, isn't NA MOQ for Switch 5K?) pretty much means stuff like that is gonna be getting dusty on the amazon store page for quite a while.

For me, the future that could possibly be bright for them is the Carbon engine. It's why Embracer bought them, and I dug the two they put out so far. If Rendering Ranger R2 drops and is a godly port, I'll be in heaven! If the limprint market isn't working hot, maybe a full shift to putting out great obscurities via Carbon and being the Discotek of obscure retro license rescues would be a smart idea. I'd support their CE ports if they continue to be quality.
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We sold a lot of those units in other places, the overall sales you see when you look into Shopifys code isn't always 100%. We also mess with numbers there due to post like these and have since we started.

 
 Hi Mr. Doug!

Thanks for taking the time to post.

And thanks for making physical games. I like all my Limited Run games and it sure is unlikely all the Limited Run games would have been released on physical media by other publishers.

We are all physical media fans here and ultimately want the company to succeed and be better (or at least more like it used to be), hence some of the criticism for things we all want fixed.

Also appreciate you acknowledging some of the issues and expressing that they do indeed need to be fixed!

I don't understand the uber fans who say everything is perfect and think valid criticism is an attack... I guess they are elated to find out their order is going to take 15+ months to ship and hope it will take longer... those customers are gold, never let them go!!

I know a few touched on doing reprints and trying to make titles more available... but I have to admit I miss the thrill of the hunt for some of the limited number titles. Missing the morning drop but getting the evening drop was a rush!

I suppose that really goes against the mentality of making physical games available for everyone, but I still quite enjoyed the drops of actually limited run games... especially when the game was in stock or shipping soon.

Sorry I don't have any complaints to lay on you right now.

 
@Doug,

You *should* post production quantities; if you're in the business of collectibles, putting out quantity reports is part and parcel.  Doing so otherwise is encouraging FOMO and means you directly want to profit from psychological manipulation.

People should be able to buy product knowing the market.  Being obtuse only benefits the company and hurts the customers.  And it helps scalpers, as well.  Scalpers are not taken to kindly by the actual game player and collector enthusiast market.

If you are actively misconstruing numbers, that's a *real bad red flag,* my friend.  I would make certain that is published on your site.

Also, I hope it doesn't need to be said, but don't partner with WATA, VGA, or any other graded game houses.  That's the NFT-bullpoopie of the game collector world and is actively tanking (as it is a pump-and-dump scheme, allegedly).

 
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TheKbob said:
@Doug,

You *should* post production quantities; if you're in the business of collectibles, putting out quantity reports is part and parcel. Doing so otherwise is encouraging FOMO and means you directly want to profit from psychological manipulation.

People should be able to buy product knowing the market. Being obtuse only benefits the company and hurts the customers. And it helps scalpers, as well. Not a market taken to kindly by the actual game player and collector enthusiast market.

If you are actively misconstruing numbers, that's a *real bad red flag,* my friend. I would make certain that is published on your site.

Also, I hope it doesn't need to be said, but don't partner with WATA, VGA, or any other graded game house. That's the NFT-bullpoopie of the game collector world and is actively tanking (as it is a pump-and-dump scheme, allegedly).
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We were having issues with another customer using our site data against us and being completely wrong but telling people it was fact so we made changes a long time ago to combat that. We used to put reports out of what actually was produced but that was something we had to take time out of our day to do (on top of other stuff) and it just became a bit unmanageable. I'd like for us to do that again someday though...

I'm not a fan of WATA personally but there is nothing wrong with VGA. I don't personally enjoy having things graded but if someone wants to that's on them, but there is no plan to do anything with graded stuff expect maybe a charity here and there.

 
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