Why do game companies always keep release dates secret?

[elprincipe]

jasond said:

I know that it takes time to make a videogame but where ever I look, I can't get a specific date for releases. It's always Q4 or a month. Then more often then not, the company changes the release date to even further away.

Am I the only one who gets outraged every time a release date is pushed back?

 

I was so tired of this, I even created a blog for my friends to know when definite release dates are pinned down so they don't always go chasing for a game only to be let down. That's how frustrating this whole thing has become.

Look at it this way.  You want the game to be the best game possible, do you not?  This takes a lot of work and then a lot of testing and then a lot more work.  Developers don't know when new bugs will be discovered or something needs to be fixed/modified.  Would you rather have a game that is screwed up and doesn't work properly, or has bugs that cause you problems at certain points in the game?  Or would you rather have a finished, final product that has passed through rigorous quality assurance?  I, for one, would prefer the latter by far.  Companies shipping buggy games (or even beta versions) and later correcting the problem via the Internet is not what I call a good idea.