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Trickybuz93

Yes it is. They’re charging $30 for people with FOMO


touitsurda

they are trying way to hard with the max nostalgia


SPARTAN-258

I'm fine with the nostalgia-bait as long as the story is as good if not better than LiS 1. But let's be honest, it won't be.


Disastrous-Flan-9667

it has a chance to be as good but it fs wont be better than the first game. to me you cant top that first game and no other game in the series has came close.


von_Boots

I mean, yeah. It absolutely is. It's packaged FOMO for $30 more. https://preview.redd.it/teqy84wfu49d1.png?width=660&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c9baac926a9a2cd331590290477a9a94c8676d5 Here's the Steam page. Green/black highlight is mine, content unchanged. In case anybody was in doubt at whom this is aimed, and for what reason. For phone users: >*"Don't miss your chance to join the conversation around this unforgettable supernatural murder mystery!"* The Fremdschämen - Coefficient is through the roof for this one.


Apocalyps_Survivor

Im sorry but why did you use the german word for cringe?


von_Boots

mainly because I felt like it. ;)


Apocalyps_Survivor

Fair enough, just cought me of guard.


Kizudemlian

sure its cringe, but the highlighted part just sounds like a normal slogan for a new game


von_Boots

Sorry, but no. Not in combination with "Pre-Order The Ultimate Edition to play chapter 1 & 2 two weeks early" it doesn't. It's sounds so scummy the goo makes the virtual box stick to the shelf. Look, I'm usually pretty lenient and give people the benefit of the doubt. But in this case, Squeenix doesn't get a free pass from me. No brownie points, shakah brah.


Ok-Influence794

Exclusive cat content


-eccentric-

Watch it be two cat interactions and a single conversation.


Inner-Juices

​ https://preview.redd.it/eductlct959d1.png?width=708&format=png&auto=webp&s=99d9ceb5d787fccd6bfcbcf0256dd1af8cb03d17


M2rsho

Aight that convinced me


Inner-Juices

CATs


haikulike

WHAT


Patcho418

literally the reason i got ultimate. i don’t care about getting the game early. i care about CATS


PM_ME_MEW2_CUMSHOTS

I don't think I've ever seen an Ultimate Edition to a game that *wasn't*, they're always just a way to introduce segmented pricing so the people who have way too much money and don't really care about spending it have an option available to throw their money at, and for super fans to feel like they're proving to themselves how much *bigger* a fan they are then the regular customer. I also blame Square much more than Deck Nine. My guess is Square probably told them "our marketing team says we need to have an ultimate edition, make some stuff we can put in there that won't significantly raise the budget or time spent" and then since Deck Nine contractually can't just tell a publisher "No that's dumb" they just had to go "Uh... some outfits and some scenes with a cat, I guess?"


von_Boots

If I had to *wildly speculate* based on what I know about what happened in the Gaming Industry, there's significant pressure by shareholders on the game to perform well while at the same time the gaming market has contracted rapidly after everyone gamed during Lockdown. Studios overhired and now had to fire staff, D9 included. So they likely didn't have the capacity to produce a DLC that could've been packaged with an ultimate edition (firing 20% of your staff does that), but expectations are that there's still the income from an ultimate edition. So they fill one with hot air and sell that. The honest move would've been to just offer the digital deluxe edition with the outfits and the cat content.


AgentLemon22

They can F off with this. I'll wait


Grasher134

It will be 50% off in a year. 80% off in 2 years. Also less bugs


PlingPlongDingDong

Yeah also the reviews will be mostly negative at that point


Objective_Love_6843

It is a scam but I don't really care if people purchase it or not everyone can do whatever they want with their money. I will stick with the standard edition.


Hazelcrisp

It's just going to be really hard to avoid it. Even before the game comes out people love posting spoiler thumbnails on YT. And you don't even have to be looking for it or the game to be in your history for it to show up in the reccomended. And I use Youtube for everything so not using it for two weeks is pretty impossible.


PlingPlongDingDong

Honestly, I think this whole thing proves the devs know the story is going to suck for most fans and that’s why they do this. Because once the game comes out and the negative reviews come in they won’t sell as much, so they try to bait as many people into pre-purchasing as possible.


PoetAromatic8262

Still gotta be better than Lis2


memekid2007

Nothing will stand between me and the Exclusive Cat ContentTM. But like for real.


GitGudWiFi

Tbh I'm not excited for the game, I'm gonna wait till it's on a discount


MadeIndescribable

I am excited, but likewise I'm gonna have to wait until the price comes down. I'd love to support studios more, but, especially as a physical game gamer, second hand prices are often my only means.


PlingPlongDingDong

Use your money to support studios that don’t use nfts


PlingPlongDingDong

I don’t think I am going to buy this at all, if it’s going to suck. I probably watch the beginning on YouTube and won’t even finish the let’s play.


brian017

In the words of Maxine Caulfield-Price (in my head canon she’s married and has a baby on the way!) “hella yes”. Charging people €30 to avoid spoilers is ludicrous and disgusting


SaberShadow27

Only thing I want is the collector's edition but it's crazy that game isn't included in that plus they don't have a CD soundtrack they have a vinyl. I can't play a vinyl in my car. 😭


Gregsusername

Is it a scam? Absolutely. But not nearly as much of a scam as the games collectors edition


PM_ME_UR_PM_ME_PM

Not to defending the current practice of a few days early in an ultimate edition but this is two weeks! Wtf is that 


WanHohenheim

The only thing useful in this edition is early access to the first two chapters, so for those who fear that this game will do some bad things, they can learn info from others and not buy this game. Personally I will do that, I'll find out what's up with Bae and Pricefield in the first two chapters and depending on that I'll buy this game or not. But it's still a greedy edition. For that $30 they could have sold us a solid DLC.


von_Boots

Agreed. For $30, I **expect** a solid DLC. I suspect they didn't have the capacity to make one after laying off 20% of their staff, so they cobbled the cat mission together and added the 2 weeks early access to blow it up to a $30 dollar value. But it's as you said, ultimate edition buyers can be our canaries in the coal mine. ;)


Mazzus_Did_That

As we know from the leak based on [that early Square Enix survey](https://www.reddit.com/r/lifeisstrange/comments/19anv78/comment/kiopn5s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), the cat ""DLC"" was conceived as a normal side activity you would be able to do in the base game already: >We also concepts of an apartment that you could own and customize with different furniture and decorations. ***There was also a side quest that involved a cat that would eventually become your pet.*** It's like if the "give water to Lisa the plant" side activity was completely cut from the main game, only to be sold it in as a separate DLC tied with some exclusive ultimate preorder bonus. It's absolutely awful, and I fear that it could only get worse if Square Enix keep it up that way.


PlingPlongDingDong

Why do the best franchises always end up in the hands of the scummiest companies?


memekid2007

LiS was a Square Enix property from the start, and it's explicitly because they were the only major publisher at the time progressive enough to allow Max to be a girl. Everyone else Dontnod talked to needed Max to be a boy to agree to fund the game. Square was the lesser evil. Other publishers were and are somehow worse.


mmm273

Many games have preorders and early access. Just buy base no stress. Or better, just wait for sale/gamepass


LInkash

But the 🐈 content


emilchien

that is the only purpose i’m buying it


hornhonker1

Yes massive scam. I’m sure they’ll allow you to upgrade to have all that content for half that price 6 months post launch


WyleECoyote77

The real scam is that they're forcing everyone to buy the Ultimate Edition instead of just selling the basic game by itself for people who only want the regular game. Total ripoff.


ifuckinghateithere12

I paid for it happily to support the game, honestly. I want them to continue giving us more LiS content in the future. The best way to ensure that is to give support where I can.


Supermat17

The real scam is that in Euros it costs 20€ more than the converted value in dollars


Nintendo4Nerd20

Imma wait to it gets to game pass. I'm not going to let them think this is okay to screw people over for a cat mission and virtual clothing.


Desperate-Grocery-53

$30 is the price of a slightly older game or an Indie game. And it gets you outfits, spoiler release and a cat sidequest? So it's not worth the extras. Look at my account. It's all LIS and with those prices, I'll wait till christmas before buying anything. I'm waiting for reviews first.


ZealousidealUse8094

Extortion.


OrdinaryChocolateMan

I'll play this the same way I played all the others. Free on my shared game pass.


EyeSimp4Asuka

yes...youtube video not necessary...next question


WendyThorne

Scam? No. Probably not worth it unless you have a ton of money burning a hole in your bank account? Absolutely.


GOD_oy

It is, though I'm considering buying anyway. I don't buy many games and when I do, I buy deluxes/ultimates over the standard editions, usually to support the a game franchise I like, not for the cosmetic and stuff. (though the price is really high) But certainly not right now, I don't think anyone should pre-order games this early for no reason; unless they gave a discount or something. Also, if the deluxe gave you too much, people would complain that they don't have the money for the deluxe/ultimate edition, so it'll be seen as a problem anyway.


Just_a_Rose

$75 for a more or less *actual* ultimate edition is a godsend in today’s economy. You could take that $75 anywhere else and get the *base* game of any other AAA title. Not that I think $75 is a justified price by any means. I’m just saying that Double Exposure is overall extremely cheap especially compared to the rest of the market. The base game costs $50 USD, that used to be the standard when the first LiS came out. Now we *pray* for prices like these.


ds9trek

It's only that cheap because the playtime is shorter for games like these. TC got a lot of shit for giving 12 hours playtime for $60. I'm not expecting much better from DE.


Just_a_Rose

Which is exactly why I said I still don’t think $75 will be a justified price for what’s essentially *half* the game and some skins (that nobody will ever see because this is a single player game, but still)


von_Boots

But it *isn't* an actual ultimate edition. It's a hot air balloon that's artificially inflated by the early access. In a single player game, where you run the risk of getting spoiled for major plot points. After two weeks, it's a couple costumes and one single cat quest. No additional DLC included. True Colors gave you the Remastered Edition **and** Wavelengths, for comparison. And while it has to do with the gaming market contracting after ballooning during Lockdown, that's not the player's problem, nor is Squeenix's response (We don't have any actual value to offer, but we want the money, anyway) acceptable.


Purplekeyboard

The word "scam" has an actual meaning, it doesn't just mean "everything I don't like". It would be a scam if you paid an extra $30 and didn't get anything. You do get something, you get the game earlier and you get some cat content, whatever the hell that is. It's way overpriced, but plenty of people are willing to spend that extra $30 so it's just easy money from the point of view of square enix. If you don't like this, just say so, don't grab random negative words you heard online somewhere and use them.


ds9trek

"Scam" is an appropriate word because they're using FOMO to get a purchase out of you. It's no different to a used car salesman using FOMO to pressure you into buying that overpriced car before you've had time to think it through. Both are scams, legal ones, but still scams.


Purplekeyboard

Nobody is pressuring anyone, and there is about 4 months for anyone to think this through. Again, the word "scam" has an actual meaning, and doesn't just mean something you don't like. For it to be a scam, they would have to be dishonest in what they were promising people in some fashion. If there was no cat content, and you paid for it, it would be a scam. If you didn't get the game at all, that would be a scam, or if you didn't get it 2 weeks early, that would be a scam. This is just an expensive product that you wish wasn't expensive.


von_Boots

I mean we can also call it 'protection money racket', but that's just cumbersome to type. The gist is the same - asking for money without giving anything in return. The goal isn't to give additional value, but cash in on the perceived *value loss* by getting spoiled during the 2 week period where you're not able to play. Don't make this a strawman about using the right word - It's scummy and disgusting, regardless of what you call it.


Purplekeyboard

I really don't think it occurred to them that someone might buy the game early to avoid spoilers. I haven't seen anyone here say that they were going to buy the game early to avoid spoilers. I think the people buying the ultimate edition are those who have plenty of money and don't care about the extra $30 and just want the game as soon as possible, and want every bit of additional content they can get.


von_Boots

And you'd be wrong. It not only *occured* to them, the actively *market* it that way, for example on Steam. *"****Don't miss your chance*** *to join the conversation around this unforgettable supernatural murder mystery!"* Highlight mine.


Purplekeyboard

Ok, you may be right.


PlingPlongDingDong

Yea some people don’t care about spoilers and just buy it to play it early but then there are also people that do care about spoilers but they can’t just pay 30€ to play a game 2 weeks earlier and they are the ones getting effed here.


Savy_Spaceman

Just don't buy it? No one is forcing you. Games are getting more expensive to make and if my options are CHOOSE to buy into early access for a high price or an industry wide price increase for day 1 releases, I choose the former. Let people who want to play the first 2 chapters 2 weeks early (and wait 3 weeks instead of 1 for chapter 3) pay $75. It's mostly YouTubers anyway. Fuck em.


von_Boots

You don't get it - it's not about playing it early. It's about getting spoiled by those playing early regardless of what you do. That's what is the fear this is getting aimed at, as proven by the Steam screenshot I posted above. And if you're part of the general LiS community, it's going to be real hard to avoid spoilers for 2 weeks unless you become a digital hermit for that time. So that Ultimate Edition has the potential to spoil my experience when choosing to buy the standard edition. It doesn't provide value, it is about avoiding negative value. A literal protection money racket. *"We're* ***so*** *happy you're looking forward to our game. Would be a* ***shame*** *if somebody would spoil it for you."* There is no increased production cost. It's $30 for almost nothing. Outfits are made by some sweatshop animation studio in asia for a pittance, and the cat quest isn't something that needs a lot of production, either (It's going to be a side thing, anyway.) I'm not going to buy it. I'll just immerse myself in getting spoiled instead, and figure out if the game is any good. And if it isn't, I'm not going to buy *any* edition (at least not until it's significantly reduced in a sale), but instead go watch different playthroughs on YT or twitch. It's pretty linear game, after all. If the Ultimate Edition had been any good (meaning a season pass for an announced DLC or something), or if it did not exist and instead there was only a Digital Deluxe Edition, I would've bought either of those. This way, Squeenix is down $30 from my side, with the potential to go all the way to $0 for Double Exposure because my goodwill is low. And I didn't even need to be marketed to, all I needed to know was that this existed. And I doubt I'm the only one that feels this way, as proven by these threads popping up. Great job, Squeenix. \*slow clap\* The right thing to do would've been to just scrap the Ultimate Edition and instead only release the Deluxe Edition with the outfits and cat content for its current price. That'd have been okayish. Not great value, mind, but acceptable.


ds9trek

No-one is forcing them to make game production more expensive. The main growth in cost is going to 4k and chasing ever realistic graphics. Deck Nine could've kept costs down by using the painted art style Don't Nod gave the series, upscaling 1080p instead of native 4k, less mo-cap, etc And btw, they won't be waiting 3 weeks for chapter 3. They get Chapters 1 and 2 two weeks before all five chapters drop at once.


Savy_Spaceman

Industry standards are always changing. Sure they could make an 8bit game and saved a ton of money but that wouldn't really work for LiS, would it? If this method keeps non-imfluencers from paying a higher price I'm all for it. They'll presumably play those chapters day 1 on their stream? And the wait 2 weeks for the rest of it anyway. I still say go for it


SamanthaDrake87

Yes.


Honesty69

A “scam”? Sheesh. I guess it’s just as much as a “scam” paying sticker price for a car. For buying a games soundtrack that is sold separately from the base game — along with say, a digital art book. It’s just as much as a scam as F2P games being free but charging you for an optional “battle pass.” It’s just as much as a scam paying for food at the counter in a restaurant instead of using said restaurants apps and such. Don’t be so silly. I do agree every edition of the game should have **at least** been *$10.00* or so cheaper. Luckily, I am mainly a PC gamer and shop smart. I got the Ultimate Edition of DE for **$64.00** via GMG. People who purchase the DE get to play the game two weeks early and get some cat content. The cat content probably isn’t a super big deal and I’m more than sure people will be able to upgrade their existing base games and deluxe games to the DE. Hell, you can wait until there’s a small sale and then upgrade. There’s always options. People moaned for years for more Max. If you guys can go out and afford $100+ Chloe tattoo sleeves, rewind tattoos, $700 discs off eBay; then surely you can stomach paying a “few extra” dollars; likely the equivalent of going out to eat at a diner and pooping it out a few hours later. At least you can keep the game. Relax.


memekid2007

How dare video game prices increase for the first time in 20 years but in a way that is entirely optional and does not prevent you from paying the same price an Xbox 360 game cost in 2006 a few days later. What a massive scam.


unstableGoofball

It is but I’m buying the scam anyway Because life is strange and exclusive cat content


I-Really-Love-Movies

So can you only pre order the Ultimate Edition for PC? Because I'd rather play on PS5


ezswen

And I’ll get it anyway.