Do gaming company names have an effect on purchasing games?

Do gaming company names have an effect on purchasing games? Would you be willing to purchase a game from an unknown or unheard of company or publisher?

They do. It's called fame. If your company name never heard before, your game selling may not be good.

The "reputation for quality" concept strikes again. Kind of like how everyone knows that a Colt 1911 or AK-47 simply won't fail to function, or how nobody breaks the rear axle of a Rolls Royce; if you've built up a solid rep for reliably entertaining games, people will trust the brand. (See Nintendo's Mario and Zelda franchises, for example, for reference.)

I think hype has more to do with sellings

I might be more inclined to look at a game if it's by a company I know, but that doesn't make me more inclined to buy it. When I see new games, I'll usually check out the screenshots & gameplay video before I start to think about who made it. If it looks good I'll download and play the demo. If it doesn't grab me with the screenshots or with the demo, it's no buy, regardless of who made it.

It also works the other way around. There was a period when I would've flat out refused to buy a product with the EA stamp on it due to their stance on DRM and history of botched releases. Word gets around fast in the game industry. EA still makes millions because they're a giant and they can withstand it, but bad press will tarnish a smaller company's reputation and make them fold overnight.

I've warmed up to EA considerably since then, but I'm STILL wary of buying one of their games.

If a game is made by Obsidian, I'm way more likely to look at it.

For me, if a company or developer is unknown, I would need to be very interested in the concept, impressed by the screenshots, demo videos, or an actual demo to lay out the cash, because I have no idea how good they are.  An interesting concept, if it's done well, can make a fantastic game experience.

Once I did, if I enjoyed the game and felt it was worth my time and money, I'd be far more likely to buy other similar games from the developer and/or company.  Of course, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't.  And, if the game is supposed to be an official release and has serious bugs and/or grammar errors, I would tell the developer about the bugs and my concerns, but I'd probably delete the game and never play it again. 

My reasoning there is that, if you're selling a game, it's completely unacceptable to have serious defects in the product when it's an official release.  It means you clearly don't care about playtesting enough to catch these bugs, or fix the grammar/spelling errors, so why should I spend my time or money on the game?   Especially if said developer is unknown then I say "This is the best the developer can do?  And s/he's calling it a commercial release?"

So an unknown developer doing this will get put on my "Don't buy anything from him/her" list.    Now, I understand there can and will be bugs, and those won't negatively impact my opinion, unless there are a LOT of them.  A lot of "little" bugs, to me, is the same as having a severe bug.  Both throw me out of the game's world.

If it is from a known company, it won't get a free pass, either, but if there are games I enjoy from the developer I can at least say "Well, I like games X Y but hated Z"  But, if the game has severe bugs, I'd treat it the same way as the above.  I know the industry is brutal, but as players, we shouldn't give our business to companies who shove games out the door before they're ready (See the ET cartridge incident for the Atari 2600)

Of course, how do you think Bravely Default sold well? It may be a Final Fantasy spin-off but it technically didn't have any mark of quality on the box besides the fact it was developed by Square Enix.

Edit: By mark of quality, I'm not talking about gameplay footage... just to be clear.

Sadly yes. I say sadly because when I was a kid it didn't matter who made the game, I was a uninformed consumer. Now when I see a new Bioware game out I shutter because I know I can't trust them to be faithful to the game series.

It's like dating a guy that you KNOW is gonna cheat on you first chance he gets! D:<

But when I see a Square Enix title out I know the game is going to be of top quality so ehh.

On a second thought...Ubisoft gave me/us the Prince of Persia SoT Trilogy. I've kept that in mind :)

Also: Obsidian is a BIG YES! :)

EA Games? Weeeell...I don't know...They make the new SW - Battlefront game...this is their last chance: MAKE IT GOOD OR DIE! :D

For a brand name it depends on how good the portfolio is.

It's not about only game quality  though.

If a brand name uses security that ruins the game joy or demands being online all the time etc etc...

you know... stuff that make players mad if malfunction... a brand name might have negative impact on future sales.

If some games are glitchy and bugged to death, then the company might be actually doomed.

The bigger a company is the more the expectations.

But if the company is serious, it might have a great impact on buying a game.

Now on a small company, or an indie studio, or an individual...

I personally am very forgiving to a starting small indie team.

Especially if they make good, quality and nice games.

Take for instance Sugergiant Games and Bastion. Now they released Transistor.

Bastion was epic in my opinion. Now One day I will surely buy Transistor.

I don't know anything about it. I will just go and buy it though.

I trust them from their first release.

Check also guys that have a name and a portfolio of successful RPG Maker games.

Need a few guidelines?

Check out

Laxius Force series,

Aveyond series,

AND... 

Millenium series.

These are just a few examples of successful RPG Maker game series

.

Now if you tell me, there is a new game by... "INSERT INDIE DEVELOPER HERE"

that has a brilliant past, well... I will buy the game, no questions asked.

What makes someone hesitate in getting a game in my opinion is a high price, from a newcomer.

Indie scene needs a few smart moves first.

For instance what I plan to do, is to start with a free good game.

Hey! I mean GOOD! Seriously. A game so good YOU would give money for it. But you give it for free.

If it's an RPG, it should be at least 25 hours long, well made with a great story and as much original content as possible.

What  you actually achieve is publicity. A free game will be downloaded.

If it will be good, it will be recommended.

Now having your own webpage is important.

More people will visit your page.

They will get the game.

They will play it, enjoy it, talk about it to more people.

You will then make an announcement of a sequel (or a new game) that you will ask money for.

And you will have to make it at LEAST as good as the free.

Then there will be people that will say:

"Hey! This person made a great free game in the past. Gee I would give money for the free game. Let's get the commercial to support the person". 

Another thing that makes someone actually buy an indie game is the visual and audio artwork.

The more original content, the better.

Finally... good ideas are the cores of great games.

Think like a customer.

You have no idea what this game making team (or individual) is.

You google it.

You find out a free game to play and good comments.

Let's say you like the free game.

Will you give the commercial one a shot?

;)

Brand name HAS impact. That does not prevent you to succeed though.

So that's all I have to say.

I am actually more likely to buy a game that nobody has heard of before that has good reviews than a game from EA or what have you that everyone has played and has good ratings. Generally, in my opinion, indie games are a lot better than AAA games, and they are the only thing keeping the gaming industry alive right now. Which is good news for all of us, right? xD

I'll buy anything from Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, because they always deliver amazing games. That's really the only two though. Most Square Enix games are great too.

Generally, I will get any game made by Square-Enix, because more often than not I will enjoy the game. FF13, for instance, is a pretty good game when you ignore the linearity. (The linearity is justified, in my opinion, as you're on the run from PSICOM.)

Most games, I just have to look it up and see a basic synopsis of the story and the gameplay. That's how I got Blinx: The Time Sweeper. :3

I think it's easier to attach good experiences to names, but also a history. I like BioWare, but I don't think I would've touched them originally if not for their work with Black Isle Studios (old school Obsidian), and the Forgotten Realms IP. They've done a great job with that, especially with Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Neverwinter Night. BioWare has also made phenomenal games with their own IP, Mass Effect and Dragon Age in particular. They've done a great job developing their own IP, which has resulted in vivid worlds that feel real and meaty. Would I pick up another BioWare IP without much research? Yeah. BioWare on Star Wars IP? Nah, but I haven't played any games with Star Wars IP that were good experiences. I'll refrain from purchasing any non-BioWare games from Electronic Arts though.

Sometimes I think the risk is pretty significant with unknown dev studios and publishers. I've seen many cases where they evaporate and vanish, which leaves a pretty sour taste in my mouth, especially within the current age of games, where products ship incomplete and buggy. Sticking with a big studio like BioWare lets me know that the games I get are still going to be supporting for a good amount of time, and they won't vanish in a week. I picked up StarDrive from ZeroSum Games/Iceberg Interactive, and the game ended up getting dropped, as the developer started working on another version of the game in another engine. >_< For what it was, it was an exceptional game, but it's all about the afterservice.

Bethesda is another big one where I've found that sticking to the name is great. All of their releases (developed by Bethesda, not including games just published by them) have been pretty buggy (Morrowind, Fallout 3, Skyrim...etc), but they manage to build a phenomenal community for all their games, which ends up creating great content and fixes. Morrowind has spawned a still active project creating new lore friendly content (Tamriel Rebuilt) and even an open source game engine (OpenMW). Games with great content and story, but crappy engine, yet great community.

I can bring the OEM factor into this: I always purchase my devices from a maker with a good track record attached to their name. Even if there are other less known products that are better, what a good name can usually give you is strong support for the product, long after release. Instead of getting an offbrand Chinese android tablet (which are actually VERY capable), I chose to get one from Google/Asus and Samsung. Even if the companies were to drop support for the devices, they have the power to build a community around them that maintains them. I'm still using a Asus Transformer 100, which was actually on fairly poor hardware with the Tegra 2 platform, but there are members of the community who are still building OSes for the device, and even today, I have the latest version of Android running smoothly on it. 

It's more often the case that a strong name will build a strong community. A strong community invested in the game will allow it to live far beyond what the developers planned, and that is good for you as a consumer.

 

Of course. This is the power of branding.


If your brand is known for creating high-quality things consistently year-after-year, then when people see a product either released under your brand or you support it, then people are likely going to believe it or at least be more inclined try it out. This is why people spend a lot of time building their brand.


If I've never heard of the company, I might google it to see reviews. If they appear to be this huge successful company and everyone likes their stuff, then I will be more comfortable with putting money on it.


If I've never heard of it, and I don't see anything, I might not be inclined to do so.


There are people that are willing to give anything a chance. Who knows, maybe they'll really like it. Or they might not.


Then there are the cautious buyers, for various reasons, who will only put money if the odds are high that they won't be disappointed.

You are missing out then. Knights of the Old Republic (by Bioware) is a great game, and Knights of the Old Republic II (done by Obsidian using Bioware's engine) is seriously one of the best games ever made in my opinion.


Ignore the Old Republic though. Stupid MMO.

I think a good modern example would be Sims 4. it's getting pretty mixed reviews and it's #19 on amazon right now in terms of sales.

The problem with Knights of the Old Republic II was that you could spot the seams where Obsidian had made drastic cuts in order to meet their publisher's deadline. I love their games and the people working there to death; I've been following those guys since they worked for Interplay under Black Isle Studios, but Obsidian does have a somewhat deserved (and somewhat overblown) reputation for releasing buggy games.

Regardless of whatever faults they may have, I remain a fan because no one else makes RPGs like they do. I could not be more stoked for Pillars of Eternity.

I could go on about the flaws in KotORII for days, but what it does, it does so well I don't really care that it had problems. (A lot of which are related to the fact that it was rushed out the door by the Publisher, some of which I think are just design flaws).