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I've always liked the concept of special edition releases. They're a really great way to celebrate love for a particular game or, in some cases, a series. They also make a personal gaming collection look ever more chic. While special editions are nice and though I love the concept of them, I've never really felt compelled to go out of my way to collect them--no matter how much of a collector I may consider myself to be. My problem stems from the timing of a special edition release where, more often than not, I find the merit of a special edition is no longer worthwhile. My question is: When is it most appropriate to release a special edition?
There are several ways to release a special edition. The first way involves a simultaneous release with the regular version. This is what happened in the case of Final Fantasy XII. Though it sounded like a good plan, the special edition of FFXII did not sell as good as the regular version. Now Final Fantasy is a very popular series and it would be easy to assume that fans would readily lap up the special edition, but this clearly did not happen. Perhaps this is because the Final Fantasy titles are all disparate stories that do not connect to one another, making the next installment unpredictable as to whether it will be enjoyable and, consequently, worth the extra price of a special edition. Following this, the results might be even worse for games that are not part of a series and are completely new material, take for example Assassin's Creed. That game is coming out with a limited edition set including a figurine, mini-guide, and other stuff; however, one has to wonder: Will this game be any good? What happens if the game is all hype, no substance? What becomes of the limited edition you've purchased? You've probably just spent extra cash on a game you didn't like and also on now-meaningless extra material.
This method of releasing special editions seems like quite a gamble for both game companies and consumers alike; however, other games have found a way around this by only releasing a special edition without a regular version. Take for example Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 and Wild ARMs 5. Basically, there is no choice in the matter--well not yet anyway as regular versions for both games may follow later. This is quite a good move as those who would've wanted the game on the release date would've also been big fans of the series and/or would've been the right audience to sell the special edition to; the rest of the consumers and casual buyers can pick up the regular version later on.
Another way to release special editions is by bringing them out months later. Take for example the International versions of some Final Fantasy games; these titles are essentially the same as their original games, but with some added stuff. This method brings to light this question: Is paying for the same game twice really worth it? I mean for those first time players this is not a problem; however, for the people who've purchased the original, this would be quite a dilemma. The problem here is that most people who would want the special edition would be the die-hard fans, but the die-hard fans are probably also the people who already have copies of the game. The irony here is that the die-hard fans build up most of the demand for the special edition but may be uneasy on actually purchasing it, if restrained by financial limitations.
Price over new content is the big problem here, but if there were vast amounts of content or extras, then this type of special edition would be less of a questionable investment. Take for example the Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 special editions, titled Substance and Subsistence respectively. Both games come with new content that is so overwhelmingly plentiful and worthwhile that it feels like you're getting a whole new game out of either title. For example, the VR missions in Substance could have easily been released as a separate game and the same goes for the online multiplayer game in Subsistence (which its servers have unfortunately shut down). Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ also does this in a literal sense as it includes a remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Back on MGS, not only do these games have tons of new content but they also come with a cheaper price tag, making it feel like you get the original game for free and only pay slightly more than the "greatest hits" price for the new stuff.
In short, I believe that releasing a special edition game months later is the most appropriate. The unpredictability issue presented in the special editions of FFXII or Assassin's Creed would be non-existent as these games would've been previously released and could've been tested out by a prospecting gamer. The only problem remains in the amount of content versus the amount of money that needs to be paid, which is something that is present in any purchasing decision and one that needs to be evaluated on a personal level.
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