No PC Collector's Edition, again?

[LuckyStar SB]

I'm just wondering why there's no collector's edition for the Tales games whenever they're released on PC, because it doesn't make sense. I thought Vesperia would finally be when they start releasing them for PC too, seeing as they didn't for Zestiria or Berseria (I give Symphonia a pass because it was originally a pre-order bonus for Zestiria), and given how popular Vesperia is.

It can't be because PC games do not get physical collector's editions: lots of companies release them for PC with a code in the box instead of a game disc. Going by the Bandai Namco store page (https://store.bandainamcoent.eu/uk/collectors-editions), in the last year or so Bandai Namco alone have released PC collector's editions for:
- Tekken 7
- Soul Calibur VI
- Ni no Kuni II
- Project CARS 2
- Little Nightmares

They are also about to release PC collector's editions for:
- Ace Combat 7
- Jump Force (technically this doesn't have a collector's edition for PC, but it does have a premium edition version with physical content)

It can't be because the Tales games don't sell well on Steam: the new Tales producers have just said the exact opposite a few days ago: "Tomizawa stated that one of the big goals of this game is to help the series go fully multiplatform. The Steam versions of Tales games in particular sell very well."
http://www.siliconera.com/2018/12/27/tales-of-vesperia-definitive-edition-producer-talked-about-overseas-demand-steam-sales-and-more/#4ZgdCr6xxXzARTIX.99

To me, personally, it seems like a really weird choice to skip PC again. Vesperia would have been a great place for all platforms to start on equal footing with a standard version and a collector's edition for the Tales fans that wanted the extra items, but the PC version only has the standard version, so it causes those that want the collector's edition to buy the console versions instead and then get the standard PC version later if they want to play it on PC. Doesn't that just skew their sales results before anyone's bought anything?

It's also disappointing as someone who normally buys the Tales collector's editions because there's no other reason to pre-order Vesperia on PC. I could just buy it on release day without pre-ordering if I want to play as soon as it comes out. Or I could buy it later on when it's cheaper: I played the 360 version on release and have waited for a localised release of the PS3 version like a lot of other people for about 10 years - what's another few more month's wait? I can still get the game at the end of the day; the game itself is not the issue. I just don't understand why someone made this concious decision to skip the collector's edition for one platform but release it for everything else, especially when the series "sell[s] very well" on that one platform.

I know the 'why' is really only something Bandai Namco can answer though, but I just wondered if other Tales fans had any thoughts on this.

[Seattlehockeyfan84]

PC games don't get psyhical copies anymore which is mostly why PC doesn't get all that nice stuff that console version get.

[LuckyStar SB]

They still get collector's editions though, just with a code in the box instead of a disc. Sonic Mania had one for PC. Hitman II had one, Darksiders III had one. Final Fantasy XIV had two. Bandai Namco themselves just released the Soul Calibur VI PC collector's edition a couple of months ago; they're about to release one for Ace Combat 7 in a month. That physical copies reason doesn't hold when that same company sells collector's editions with their other PC releases.

[BorderYuzzo]

It's something i really don't understand myself.

And it gets more puzzling if you consider that... they actually did some sort of collector edition for PC for Berseria around a month ago or so, basically 2 years after release.

The only explanation i can think of is that they would rather avoid going retail for PC, and eventually get rid of whatever remains of unsold merchandise after a while.

[LuckyStar SB]

Ah - I completely forgot about that Beresria bundle! I had to check the Bandai Namco store when you mentioned that recent 'collector edition'. Thanks!

Hmm... even that sounds weird, because again, why do retail PC versions for games like Tekken 7, Ace Combat 7 and Ni no Kuni II, but not Tales of Beseria and Vesperia (and I'll add Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 to this too)?

Thank you again though. I knew there'd be very few comments to this, not because people don't really care, but because there's still the option of getting the collector's edition for another platform and then getting the PC version later if they want to double dip so it's not really a big deal. Bandai Namco's collector's editions in general need some work though: having different collector's editions for the US and for the UK and Europe (and with CD samplers instead of the full soundtrack) is an annoying practice. I'd love to know the reason behind that too.

[Simon]

I need a PC collectors edition too. I always wanted to get those bonus stuffs but I don't want to waste extra money buying Tales collector's edition on consoles that I don't even own.

[Kaldaien]

When was the last time you even found a PC game with a physical box? I gave up, I have found and cataloged more unicorns over the years would rather play games than collect horned equine.

Physical collecting just isn't a thing for PC anymore :( Probably because we were spoiled in the 80s and 90s with our @#$%ing big box games. Now we have to let console owners enjoy their rooms full of stuff to look at when they cannot find anything else to do with their time.


It is _absolutely_ because PC versions of games do not have physical copies that collector's editions do not exist in all but a few cases. What the hell would you even pay $30 extra for if all you got was a non-transferrable DLC code for some in-game item that you will look at for 5 seconds? That is stretching the definition of "collecting" to places it does not belong. There's no value or collectability to that.

Past generations would refer to this as burning money, rather than collecting and you would just draw strange looks from people who see nothing ironic about collecting stamps, whose intended value was actually printed on them at time of production!

[Asuryan]

I agree on the fact that this exclusion is absurd. I get the fact that we don't have standard physical copies anymore: they are just a CD with a not updated game and some plastic wrapped around it. But there is no reason to think that pc gamer are not interested in collector's edition like any other console gamer.
And the argument "they do not sell" it's simply invalid: Collector's editions for Starcraft 2, Total War games, The Witcher 3, and so on sold extremely well.

[Dreamzera]

Originally posted by Bremen:

I agree on the fact that this exclusion is absurd. I get the fact that we don't have standard physical copies anymore: they are just a CD with a not updated game and some plastic wrapped around it. But there is no reason to think that pc gamer are not interested in collector's edition like any other console gamer.
And the argument "they do not sell" it's simply invalid: Collector's editions for Starcraft 2, Total War games, The Witcher 3, and so on sold extremely well.

You are making the mistake of comparing the sales of absurdly popular series with a tales of game , think about it rationally and you will see that they do not sell well , at least not as well as the company think it will sell to make the investment of producing the goodies for it.

In the end it comes all down to the coefficient of investment and return from it

[Hikari.ws]

A few years ago I bought Civilization Beyond Earth box. It came with a DVD having Steam client setup lol

I can't remember now which game it was, but I heard that a game had a special edition that was released with no game licence at all. It was odd, I think they wanted to sell the collector's edition stuff in a unique box and let any customer choose the platform they'd buy the game. It was like a "value collector's edition".

In a side node, I don't understand why Valve won't just let us point setup path when installing the game. Their DRM has been broken for years and mostly all Steam-DRM games are being pirated out there. They could just let publishers sell physical copies, and when Steam client would install the game we point to BD so we don't need to download the full setup. Then while setup is running client downloads update and DLCs.

[Crisis]

I myself also find it anoying that pc does not get phisical collectors editions anymore.
Yeah sure it's all download these days on pc, but we still wan't the goodies and I don't wan't to pay for the game twice. it's a sad thing for pc gamers.