Shovel Knight: Where to buy?

[outlawauron]

noname2200 said:

outlawauron said:

What separates them is the same networks comment. Both games are sold through the same store and it's all tied together through one universal account. With that account, you should be able buy the title and it be playable on whatever platform is support through that store. Obviously, this can't be the case for everything, but for smaller indie titles, it makes sense because the console versions are no different than the handheld versions.

I follow the logic, but again I think you're trying to draw a difference without a distinction. Why, for example, should this only apply to smaller indie titles? If anything, they probably would appreciate the money more than the big publishers!

Moreover, where do we draw the line: is it okay to insist on cross-buy if it's indie developed and published, but things change if the game gets picked up by Sony/Nintendo/Activision etc.? What if the game has slightly different features across both versions, as is the case herein? Should the $100k game be given away while the $5 million game gets to demand that you pay twice?

The analogy I made earlier was not picked out the aether: I see no reason why simply having two versions on the same publisher's network means the two (or more!) versions should only be purchased once, but that having one version on another publisher's network dissapates this expectation. We certainly wouldn't be having this discussion if the two games were completely identical on the 3DS and Wii U but were being sold via physical distribution instead, even if both versions were bought directly from Nintendo's website or the Nintendo Store. Why does the calculus change in this situation? Again, I would like that to be the case, since freebies are always good for me personally, but I can't see why it should be required.

The only reason I mentioned indie titles is because the versions of the games are completely identical on both platforms, so there is no difference between the two versions. Whereas, with larger games, each platform has its own dedicated team and is distinctly different from the other platform (Vita vs PS4). This is something I wouldn't expect or think could happen with physical copies, but with how digital distribution works, there's little to no cost to providing that service to your customers.

Quinton may think that there is no positives for pro-consumer behavior from a business, but I argue that things like cross-buy entice more to buy a game that they might not have (at least buy it at full price rather than waiting for it to be <$3). And things like this also creates fans of the company and its software.