The age of pre-order bonuses is here

Uncharted 2 pre-orders are here and Amazon, Best Buy and Game Crazy join GameStop on the pre-order bonus frenzy. Pre-order bonuses have been around for a while now, but it became popular relatively recently to offer in-game content as incentive to pre-order a videogame. Whether it’s a limited edition power, a special weapon, an extra level or a temporary bonus, in-game content has become the ultimate reward for customers ready to put down some cash in advance for an upcoming game.

Pre-orders bonuses are, at least at first glance, a win-win-win situation. The retailer pays the developer (I assume) to include the customized content; in turn, customers buy more advanced copies from said retailer, ensuring an early revenue from the game; and finally, players get to enjoy an extra bit of content from a game that they, in some cases, were going to purchase anyway.

Pre-order bonuses used to come, and sometimes still do, in the form of swag like t-shirts or action figures. But in my mind there’s no doubt that this new type of virtual swag is more appealing, and can even be combined with traditional items like bags and books for an extra punch. However, one has to wonder what kind of effect this has on the players who won’t, or can’t, pre-order the game and therefore have no access to the premium content. Or even, as is the case with Uncharted 2, on players who choose one deal over the other.

As games get more creative and daring with their pre-order bonuses, players start to get affected. We can agree that bling for a multiplayer avatar is cool to the beholder, and it also has no notable effect on the game itself. But the truth is that those who do not pre-order start feeling like they are getting an incomplete version of the game, since most of the time they cannot get the special item even through DLCs. It begins to get out of hand when pre-order bonuses start delving into the territories of exclusive powers or faster leveling, and everyone who does not pre-order is put at a disadvantage.

For a developer, I cannot imagine how such a feature would be desirable. While bling is somewhat understandable, offering multiplayer advantages with pre-orders seems to send a message that those who are willing to pay extra (or pay early) will have an edge over those who are not. This is uncommon for traditional console play, where the playing field is usually leveled and performance is mainly tied to skill. It seems inherently evil to charge money in exchange for an advantage on a game that should be balanced, but maybe that’s just me.

I think pre-order bonuses are a great idea and that, as we have learned the art of releasing appropriate DLC, we must understand that these bonuses can only go so far. Hopefully we will learn to channel their strength before they get out of hand and I dream of the day when, as a podcast recently suggested, pre-ordering The Last Guardian gets me a digital copy of Ico or pre-ordering Heavy Rain gets me Indigo Prophecy for 10$.