Selling or Abandonware? Which is it in 2021?

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AdamBeckett
Private First Class - Opel Blitz
Private First Class - Opel Blitz
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Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:14 am

Selling or Abandonware? Which is it in 2021?

Post by AdamBeckett »

Hi everyone,

I am new to your forums. I am not new to your games or websites.

What I see, when browsing 'older titles', on your 'new', 'improved' websites is a determination to treat those older titles like ... Abandonware.

Are you really, really trying to 'sell' them? You do ask for money...

A perfect example of what I am talking about is your title "Spartan"

https://www.matrixgames.com/game/spartan

What the potential customer sees is a 'blank' Slitherine logo and for the game cover, I one is treated with a 'bluescreen' of blue background with some white font. Not even 'boxart'.

No Screenshot.
No Trailer
No ... Demo.

Btw, WHERE ARE the old demos? I tried to download the "Napoleon's Campaign Demo v1.04b" earlier. Of course the AGEOD download page is now a dead-link. The only place I found it was AUSGamer dot com, but they kicked me from their servers after downloading 100MB ("That's enough, for you...").

Why are the old demos gone? Is it 'bad for business' to have old demos around to sell old games? Is it too much of a 'hit' on your servers?

Also, is it really too much work to go through your old catalogue and make an effort to 'sell' those games to a new audience? Take screenshots. Show boxart. Provide MANUALS FOR FREE(?!), even before the sale?! Did anyone of you go to business school?

Seriously, what is holding you back?

No manpower, is no excuse. You are 'selling' those games on your Store pages (Matrix/Slitherine). You want to make money = you usually have to 'work' for it ... unless you live off old royalties, when some fool accidently hits on the 'buy' button, not knowing what s/he is getting. It's not like the Internet is showing numerous (or even ONE) review for those old titles.

On the other hand, I would not mind, if you would clear who owns which copyright and gets how much royalties and then put all your old stuff up on GOG.com or Steam or both ... or - more valiant - put them on HumbleBundle and 'pay what you want' 30USD for ALL those old, abandoned titles and donate the money to a charity of your choice (of course, after taking the cut it took you, to put this on HB - bandwidth, compiling and such).

These 'old' games, may not be supported anymore, may not work on "Windows 10" - but they are still worth keeping alive, if not for the "ONE guy", who buys one copy every 6 months, but for posterity. GOG would be a good place?

"Long tail" (sales) is a real thing, you do know that, I am sure. :)
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