Amazon PCDD - Important Update New Community Manager Incoming!

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Hey CAGS,

I’ve got some news I’m both excited and sad to share with you at the same time. I’ll be leaving the Digital Video Games team in Mid-March to join the marketing team for Amazon.com’s Loyalty and Rewards program, Amazon Coins. My boss and I have talked extensively about how to maintain and continue our presence here and across the other communities we’ve created in the past couple of years. To that end I’d like to introduce you to Josh, who take over monitoring, updating, and responding to this thread. Josh will be ramping up over the next couple of weeks, he  will be posting shortly to introduce himself.

Now that the “what’s going on” part of the message is out of the way I want to tell you all how much I love CAG and the posters here. This was the first community I joined when I started this job (anyone still remember that first thread?) and all of you have had a huge hand in shaping how we think about and execute Community Development and Management here at Amazon, which has in turn shaped my career these last two and a half years.

I started to write out a section calling out the regular posters and realized the list would be both overly long and incomplete at the same time. Instead I’d like to thank you all again, you all have my deep and sincere gratitude. I’ll still be around and my gaming accounts aren’t going anywhere so feel free to hit me up anytime you want to chat. I’ll probably still hang out in the thread too :).

Thanks again everyone, let me or Josh know if you have any questions!

The Indie Store has launched!
Amazon.com is launching a storefront dedicated to supporting and promoting PC/Mac/Web-based Indie Games. Our Digital Video Games team is a small group of passionate gamers and we’re all really excited to help Indie developers reach more customers quickly by providing a quick and simple process for bringing their games to market. Additionally we’ll be supporting the Indie Store with a ton of promotions, both at and after launch. Many of these promotions are designed to give the developer the opportunity to maximize their revenue. For example, Amazon is forfeiting all royalties from bundle sales and passing them along directly to the developer, we’ve also created an “Indie Spotlight” program to help customers learn more about the games and developers they love. We view the Indie developers as some of the most creative in the industry and we want to help them continue to create new and innovative experience for customers.

Why we are doing this:

  • Allow customers to discover an entirely new category of games on Amazon.com
  • Help developers reach new customers quickly. Our onboarding process is straightforward and we want to sell every Indie game available
  • We want to leverage our strengths to support and help the developers who are driving forward innovation and creativity in the games industry
General Information

Hi CAGs,
I'll be posting deals we're running on Digital Games (PC/Mac, Free to Play, Sony/Microsoft Points/Subs).

I'm also here to answer questions you might have, get you closer to the developers by hosting Q&As, setting up podcasts, live streaming gameplay etc. If I don't respond to a question you have in thread please send me a PM. These ping my email address and make it more likely that I will see your question and respond more quickly.

Cheers,
Tony


FYI. EA Games sold by Amazon will not activate on Steam.
F.A.Q.S.:

1. Does the game I'm buying from Amazon Activate on Steam/Origin/Uplay? What DRM does the game use?

There are two places to identify DRM on a digital video game detail page:

At the top of the page, below the title:

16hm7a8.png


In the "Product Description" section:

r06ykl.jpg


2. Note on Electronic Arts Games - For the most part, EA games sold on Amazon do not activate on Steam. Most activate on Origin.

3. Note on DRM with limited activations:

Our Policy



4. Sometimes I'll do giveaways.

5. I work with developers and publishers to get fun (or at least what I think is fun) content to share with you all. Here are some examples:

a. Check out the Pax Gameplay videos here: Xcom: Enemy Unknown I played Xcom with Jake, the Creative Director for the game, a few months before the game came out Also, on this page, check out the Q&A, also a community driven event.

b. Check out the interview on this page: Borderlands 2 we did this interview at E3 with Randy Pitchford this year.

c. We've partnered with the ++GoodGames Podcast to feature many of the games we carry. They talk to the developers about the game development process, how the games are conceptualized and managed, all kinds of fun stuff. I'm working on putting together full link list and will update when I have it.

What else do we sell?

Xbox Live Points and Subscriptions:

1600 Microsoft Live Points
4000 Microsoft Live Points
12 Month XBOX Live Subscription
3 Month XBOX Live Subscription]
12 Month + 1 XBOX Live Subscription

PSN+ Subscriptions and PSN Points:

$20 PSN Points
$50 PSN Points
12 Month PSN+ Subscription
3 Month PSN+ Subscription

We also have a Free-2-Play store supported by our GameConnect technology. Gameconnect allows you to link your Amazon.com account with free-2-play and MMO accounts so that you can buy things like in game currency, premium game time/subscriptions, in game items, etc. on Amazon.com using your Amazon.com payment options and have this content delivered directly into your game.

5. Price Matching notes: Generally we do not match international retailers (GMG, Gamersgate, etc) or physical retailers (Best Buy, Newegg.com, etc.)
To check out the Free-2-Play games we offer you can visit our storefront here: Free-2-Play Store

 
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LN3000 said:
Sorry, let me unleash my Scrooge voice here for a bit.

The whole "EC" list and coupons always felt rather lame to me. The deals aren't usually that great, and the best deals tend to get "fixed" rather quickly.

Keep in mind, that the prices are going to be set with the "coupon" in mind, so you're only going to get the deal that they're willing to let you get.

-Scrooge
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Agreed. The 1st year was the best... when you could actually get quality games for the $5 coupon and no (or very little) additional money.

 
Mooby said:
You aren't wrong, and this year I'm sure it'll be a little more lackluster given there's no overlap with the tail end of the Steam sale. Not going to lie, I intend to game the system and pick up a few crappy DLC, roll the dice, and see what happens. Also I could have sworn stuff was added to the list by this time last year. Only 8-9 more days left in the year...
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It was different in the previous years. You could get $5 credits for purchases made in November. Use it during this sale, and get $5 EC for January. No such thing this year.

 
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LN3000 said:
The whole "EC" list and coupons always felt rather lame to me. The deals aren't usually that great, and the best deals tend to get "fixed" rather quickly.
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The first year was great and when the second rolled around, it was pretty clear that they didn't want it to work the same way. Prices were higher and the best deals were limited to price glitches and matching mistakes. In many cases, games that had been on sale the previous week were still more expensive with the coupon. There were a handful of great deals, but overall much less exciting. I had a lot of credits left over at the end of the sale and I know others did as well.

Speaking for myself, I do want to have a few just in case of something extraordinary, but I'm not counting on it. I'd love to be proven wrong come January. If not, I can see the excitement around this promotion dying out this year.

 
Mooby said:
You aren't wrong, and this year I'm sure it'll be a little more lackluster given there's no overlap with the tail end of the Steam sale. Not going to lie, I intend to game the system and pick up a few crappy DLC, roll the dice, and see what happens. Also I could have sworn stuff was added to the list by this time last year. Only 8-9 more days left in the year...
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Matching steam was always the biggest draw of the coupons for me since you could always be assured you'd get those titles for $5 under steam. Now that that isn't the case and we have no idea what titles will be coupon eligible I'm more likely to grab what I want during the current sales than hope what I'm after will make the cut for January and have bigger price reductions. I'm gonna keep a couple coupons on hand just in case, but I'm not a fan of not knowing the list in advance and essentially just gambling that what I want will either be there or I'll miss it and have to hold off for a few months until another sale rolls around.

 
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The whole point of the EC list is to entice buyers. So it's kind of a cruddy mind-manipulation thing, making people buy stuff in December with the promise of an EC list and discounts, only to then give the same sort of price they normally would +$5.

It's just a way of getting more sales, when you think about it, without really offering any actual benefit. 

Meh, just ignore me, I must just be grumpy today or something.

I appreciate all the work Tony does, and all the awesome deals Amazon provides..

BTW, the You Don't Know Jack bundle pack is on Flash Sale at Steam, for that $5 everyone is craving for.

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/33692/

I just bought a gift copy, so who knows, I may give it out here eventually. :p

 
Wow imagine that, a guy buys things in advance with anonymous people on the internet in mind!

All hail LN300!

*fingers start twitching*

 
LN3000 said:
The whole point of the EC list is to entice buyers. So it's kind of a cruddy mind-manipulation thing, making people buy stuff in December with the promise of an EC list and discounts, only to then give the same sort of price they normally would +$5.
It's just a way of getting more sales, when you think about it, without really offering any actual benefit.


Meh, just ignore me, I must just be grumpy today or something.
I appreciate all the work Tony does, and all the awesome deals Amazon provides..
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It's a little bit of a sour point for me, too.

When it was announced the first time around (2011-2012), it was widely bashed since a lot of us thought the deals come Jan would be rubbish. Most of them were, but a few stood out (some free games, others for $1-$3) and a lot of us ran out of codes.

For the second year (2012-2013), a lot of us ended up stocking up on codes expecting similar deals to the first time. That wasn't to be: there were more good deals than the year before, but quite a few weren't as good as the first year's.

For starters, any <=$5 games were disqualified from receiving the EC discount (meaning no free games); then there were a number of deals repeated from the first EC promo... but at a slightly higher cost (a dollar or two more); finally, many of the decent deals were repeated from the Christmas sale - but were $5 cheaper due to the EC coupons (this last point really struck a nerve with me.)

It's also worth noting that some of the better deals (eg: free Hotline Miami, $2.49 Saints Row the Third franchise pack) were due to the games going on sale as Steam dailies and being priced matched.
 
I also remember last year there was one dude or a couple of dudes ranting about when the January 'sale' would start.  I think some people got confused that there would, in fact, be a January sale when really all that happens from Amazon's point of view is that the EC coupons become useable and any sales are purely coincidental and/or result from Steam price matches.  I definitely 'overstocked' last year ending up with half a dozen or extra I used to help others buy stuff or just let lapse.  This year I doubt I'll grab more than four and it'll just be from cheap-o DLC as my Steam wallet has been padded with GabeN card money in the interim.

 
Detruire said:
It's a little bit of a sour point for me, too.

When it was announced the first time around (2011-2012), it was widely bashed since a lot of us thought the deals come Jan would be rubbish. Most of them were, but a few stood out (some free games, others for $1-$3) and a lot of us ran out of codes.

For the second year (2012-2013), a lot of us ended up stocking up on codes expecting similar deals to the first time. That wasn't to be: there were more good deals than the year before, but quite a few weren't as good as the first year's.

For starters, any <=$5 games were disqualified from receiving the EC discount (meaning no free games); then there were a number of deals repeated from the first EC promo... but at a slightly higher cost (a dollar or two more); finally, many of the decent deals were repeated from the Christmas sale - but were $5 cheaper due to the EC coupons (this last point really struck a nerve with me.)

It's also worth noting that some of the better deals (eg: free Hotline Miami, $2.49 Saints Row the Third franchise pack) were due to the games going on sale as Steam dailies and being priced matched.
Click to expand...
Yeah I can't help but be a little pessimistic this year due to $5 coupons being given out for purchases of $0.60 DLCs. People here in this forum also introduced my naive ears to the term... coupon mining. Maybe I'm just setting the bar low in my mind so I'll be more easily impressed?

I'm sure there will be MANY people who will find great deals in January. However, it'll take a little more oomph for me to bite being the game-hoarder I am.

 
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It really comes down to how invested you are in the EC thing.  Personally I'm taking a laid-back approach.  For anything I'm looking at buying this month (and last), if Amazon has the best or equal price, I'll surely buy it from Amazon and snag the EC.

January is a big mystery, since we don't have any hints on the EC list.  This is compounded with the fact that my wishlist this year is rather small.

 
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Normally I'd default to Amazon since I have credit there, too.  However, since I'm still buying parts for my computer build that credit can go towards hardware… GabeN money can't!

 
LN3000 said:
The whole point of the EC list is to entice buyers. So it's kind of a cruddy mind-manipulation thing, making people buy stuff in December with the promise of an EC list and discounts, only to then give the same sort of price they normally would +$5.

It's just a way of getting more sales, when you think about it, without really offering any actual benefit.

Meh, just ignore me, I must just be grumpy today or something.

I appreciate all the work Tony does, and all the awesome deals Amazon provides..

BTW, the You Don't Know Jack bundle pack is on Flash Sale at Steam, for that $5 everyone is craving for.

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/33692/

I just bought a gift copy, so who knows, I may give it out here eventually. :p
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Well, I'm just buying what Amazon matches Steam on (with a few from Amazon's Winter Sale before Steam's got started), that way I pay the same for the game, but get an EC credit to boot. If the EC list isn't that great, then no biggy. I'm not going to not buy something on Steam (even if Amazon doesn't price match it, looking at you Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten Expansion) expecting it to be cheaper in the very short term on a gamble if I think it's a good price. I didn't wait for Steam during Amazon's Winter Sale, I'm not waiting for the EC list during Steam's and I'll continue that way. I got burned by Steam's last Summer and then the Fall sale by not buying games thinking "this sale is right around the corner, I should wait", then disappointment. Basically treating these sales like any other day. Just check Amazon before buying something on Steam during this sale, and you should end up with some credits whether you use them or not. (I'm currently at 22 by the way). Of course, if Amazon has something awesome, and it's a good price for you, jump on it.

20131206_Pooh_GIF.gif


 
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walkonshadows said:
Well, I'm just buying what Amazon matches Steam on (with a few from Amazon's Winter Sale before Steam's got started), that way I pay the same for the game, but get an EC credit to boot. If the EC list isn't that great, then no biggy. I'm not going to not buy something on Steam (even if Amazon doesn't price match it, looking at you Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten Expansion) expecting it to be cheaper in the very short term on a gamble if I think it's a good price. I didn't wait for Steam during Amazon's Winter Sale, I'm not waiting for the EC list during Steam's and I'll continue that way. I got burned by Steam's last Summer and then the Fall sale by not buying games thinking "this sale is right around the corner, then disappointment. Basically treating these sales like any other day. Just check Amazon before buying something on Steam during this sale, and you should end up with some credits whether you use them or not. (I'm currently at 22 by the way).

20131206_Pooh_GIF.gif
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y green
 
Mooby said:
y 22?
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actually 23, now that I look back at the list.

11/21/13
------------------------
Bully + MANHUNT + MANHUNT 2 + Midnight Club 2
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition
XCOM Classics Pack
Painkiller Hell & Damnation Collector's Edition

11/28/13
------------------------
Assassins Creed III: Deluxe Edition

12/1/13
------------------------
cities in motion 2 - metro madness
Cities in Motion II: Bus Mania
Cities in Motion II: Trekking Trolleys
Cities in Motion II: Wending Waterbuses
Cities in Motion 2 - Lofty Landmarks DLC
Dead Island Riptide: Fashion Victim DLC
Dead Island Riptide: Survivor Pack DLC

12/12/13
-------------------------------
Spectromancer: Gathering of Power

12/19/13
-----------------------------------
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Victoria II: German Unit Pack
Victoria II: Interwar Engineer Unit Pack
Victoria II: Songs of the Civil War
Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour
Hearts of Iron III: Italian Vehicle Pack
Hearts of Iron III: Axis Minor Vehicle Pack
A Game of Dwarves: Pets DLC
Gods Land Of Infinity SE <----------------------------------------------------------not Steam, but was $2.00
--------------------------------------------------------22 credits to this point

12/20/13
--------------------------------------------
Farcry 3: Deluxe

 
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Dat DLC.  Were any under 50 cents?  I'd kick myself!  Hell I might just have to mooch your coupons~

 
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Mooby said:
Dat DLC. Were any under 50 cents? I'd kick myself! Hell I might just have to mooch your coupons~
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game of dwraves dlc $1.24

Hearts of Iron 3 DLC & Victoria II DLC $0.60 each

Aiens: Colonial Marines & Spectromancer $2.00 each

Dead Island Riptide DLC $0.99

Cities In Motion 2 DLC $0.74

 
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Gunna buy me some choice JC2 hovercrafts.  I remember last year Tony saying they don't price match things under 50 cents.  That said there was some Darksiders 2 DLC that Amazon sold for 30ish cents… but they're sticking to the fiddy cent policy this year.

 
Mooby said:
Gunna buy me some choice JC2 hovercrafts. I remember last year Tony saying they don't price match things under 50 cents. That said there was some Darksiders 2 DLC that Amazon sold for 30ish cents… but they're sticking to the fiddy cent policy this year.
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It later got raised to $1 iirc.

 
Did that Duck Tales price change? I quoted someone who had it at $3.75 or so, but now it says it's only going to be $5.99.

So it ain't so.

 
60fps said:
Did that Duck Tales price change? I quoted someone who had it at $3.75 or so, but now it says it's only going to be $5.99.

So it ain't so.
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It was always going to be $5.99. I copied it to a text file the day it was posted because I wanted to buy it. I think someone mixed it up with Mickey Castle of Illusion for $3.74.... because that's happening on the 25th.

 
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hal said:
It was always going to be $5.99. I copied it to a text file the day it was posted because I wanted to buy it. I think someone mixed it up with Mickey Castle of Illusion for $3.74.... because that's happening on the 25th.
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This!

I have the original spreadsheet, and I created the list in the OP (and sig link). DuckTales is one thing that caught my eye, it was always going to be $6. A few prices did get updated, but always for a better deal.

 
I am not sure which games that I will be using the EC credits for, but Duck Tales for a dollar will be good.  :D/

 
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Ok then, I guess I'll hope for Duck Tales to be on the EC also, but if last year was any indication it will be like $10 with $5 off from the coupon. 

 
You could.  Re: Ducktales on the EC.  Keep in mind there's no overlap with Steam sales and I highly doubt it'll be cheaper than what it is now straight up.  Probably be $12 before EC.

 
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Is there an expected bigger sale of GTA V for PS3? The digital code I am aiming at mostly. I see it is $40 now, any rumors/hopes for getting it lower? $30-25 maybe, seeing what happened with BF4 for example.

 
MysterD said:
We can dream.

But, if that did occur - yeah, that would be nice.
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There history of pushing new OS via games (okay, its been a long time with Halo 2 and Gears of War and Vista but they have done it) is one of the reasons I went ahead and got Windows 8...

All the rumors of them wanting out of the hardware business and their new windows 8 only marketplace... Seems like will get some games to cross over.

 
Guys,

I'm in trouble.

I promised myself I wouldn't by Skyrim until we carried Bethesda products.

I'm addicted now.

Going through posts from the past couple of days now. Also, Merry Christmas early to those of you celebrating :).

Cheers,

Tony

 
Amazon DVG Deals said:
Guys,

I'm in trouble.

I promised myself I wouldn't by Skyrim until we carried Bethesda products.

I'm addicted now.

Going through posts from the past couple of days now. Also, Merry Christmas early to those of you celebrating :).

Cheers,
Tony
Click to expand...
Now you just need to promise yourself that you won't play any games until Call of Cthulhu is 75% off on Amazon.
 
Tony (or anyone who knows),

Did you confirm that Tomb Raider is going to be cheaper over Christmas than it is now (4.99 or 5,99)?

I'm sure I saw it mentioned a dew days a go, but can't find confirmation, and it's not shown in the lists.

 
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