Now that the Xbox One has backwards compatibility support, we’ve started seeing something of a standardized pre-order promotion. Think about the last few major releases that appeared on the Xbox One. What did they have in common? Time’s up. Each one offered additional entries in the series as part of an incentive to purchase the game.
It all started last year, with Fallout 4 and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition . In each case, committing to a new purchase of one of these releases netted you incredible downloads for Xbox 360 games in return. With Fallout 4 , you ended up getting Fallout 3 too. Microsoft went one better, as it gave Gears of War 1-3 and Judgement to buyers. It was a cornucopia of great games.
And it’s obviously turned out to be quite a successful offer. Since then, two more companies have used old games in an attempt to get people to buy new ones on the Xbox One. Bandai Namco is giving a digital copy of Dark Souls away with Dark Souls III digital pre-orders. Bethesda had to have seen a good response to that Fallout 4 promo mentioned earlier, as DOOM is going to offer DOOM I and II downloads. For companies, it’s an easy way to encourage sales without having to produce extra products. Give away a code? That’s super simple.
And that practicality extends to the person buying the game. Big limited editions and launch promotions, where you get music or art books, are great. It’s nice to have something exclusive. But what happens when the hype surrounding the game fades? Or if you don’t love it? They’re just stuff cluttering up your home. With digital copies of classic Xbox 360 games you know are good, you have no mess and only more quality entertainment you can enjoy whenever you have the free time to savor it.
Backwards compatible games as an Xbox One pre-order incentive are just practical. They’re easy to distribute and acquire. They can be doled out almost immediately, even before the game launches, so you have something to enjoy while you wait for the game you pre-ordered. Plus, they’re giving us a chance to reexperience Xbox 360 classics. It’s one of the best deals out there, and it’s encouraging to see companies embracing the promotion.