Serious Sam 4 and Stadia's confusing proprietary strategy

Google's purchase of Serious Sam 4 as an exclusive game for Stadia is a rather confusing move, because this game is not a "must have." AAA game.

At exactly 0am on 21/5/2020 Vietnam time, publisher Devolver Digital has released a new trailer for Serious Sam 4, the sequel to the serious but fun-filled shooter series due to Croteam developed. The game was announced to be released in August on PC platforms (Steam) and Stadia, but did not say anything about the console for Xbox One and PS4, which is quite strange in this day and age. with the tradition of the series always present on consoles.

It turned out that the problem was not that the Croteam developer did not make the console for Serious Sam 4, but that the exclusive contract that Google signed with the publisher Devolver Digital. According to a representative from Devolver Digital, 'the game will remain on Xbox One and PS4 after the exclusive period with Stadia is over.' It is unclear how long the deal will last because the agent only added that the game will be released on consoles in 2021 - it could be February for a 6-month monopoly, but it will be in August for a 1-year monopoly. .

Why did Google choose Serious Sam 4?

Thus, we can realize that the new business strategy that Google applies to Stadia is quite similar to what Sony is doing: spending money to buy exclusive games for a limited time to crush rivals. While Sony bought Spec Ops mode of Modern Warfare (1 year) or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remastered (1 month), Google temporarily only bought Serious Sam 4 for Stadia. It is possible that Google is still holding many other exclusive games for Stadia, just waiting for the date to be revealed.

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Serious Sam 4 may not be the only exclusive game for Stadia, but it was the first game to be announced and perhaps a test of Google. Buying exclusive games has always been a strong resistance from gamers, so choosing to buy an exclusive AA game like Serious Sam 4 instead of top AAA games is a safe step to try. Experience the reaction of gamers before this method of competition.

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In fact, I think this is a step . a bit too safe for Google because maybe no one builds a PC, buy a console or register Stadia just because Serious Sam - I said this as a fan of the series. This is also evident when we went through forums for console gamers and confirmed that no one bothered to wait until 2021 to play Serious Sam. In addition, the Serious Sam series is also quite light and does not require high machine configuration, so signing an exclusive contract with Stadia must be a bargain for Croteam and Devolver Digital.

Besides, the fact that Google just made console gamers wait for Serious Sam, not making PC gamers wait, does not mean that they consider the console to be a rival of Stadia and that the PC does not. All traditional methods of playing games are rivals of Stadia, but the PC is its main rival because Stadia is essentially a 'rental PC power' service, expressed through promises. Gives gamers the ability to play games without having to worry about computer configuration. So according to Mo, not Google does not see PC as a threat, but perhaps they . do not dare to "block throat" of PC gamers, which will inevitably lead to the overreaction of a gamer.

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It is true that Stadia needs an exclusive game to attract gamers to this platform, but buying Serious Sam 4 (or any other game) is not the right method. What Google needs to do is directly pay for another studio to make games similar to Nintendo and Bayonetta 3, or set up more studios to make games next to the California studio they opened in March this year. These games will satisfy both requirements: designed for Stadia and do not make gamers dissatisfied because of exclusivity, giving Google both reputation and necessary revenue.

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What's hot in Serious Sam 4?

Serious Sam 3 is the latest game after 9 years of the Serious Sam series since Serious Sam 3 launched in 2011, Serious Sam 4 has made fans of the series very excited. The game promises what they expect: huge numbers of opponents up to thousands, bright graphics and humor (shown through the trailer just released on 21/5), co-op support many people, and so probably enough to create a quality Serious Sam experience for gamers.

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It should also be said that many gamers do not like Serious Sam 3. This game has a lot of difference compared to the first two games, such as the modern Earth environment (the first screens in the Middle East make a lot of 'angry' gamers), military context, realistic graphic styles, . Meanwhile, fans who have been sticking with the series from the beginning love the animation, bright colors and strange planets or ancient civilizations that the first two games brought.

However, Serious Sam 4 also brings a few things that gamers have disparaged in Serious Sam 3, among them . reloading ammunition for weapons. The first two versions of Serious Sam are similar to Doom: gamers just shoot, shoot and shoot, never have to suspend action to replace new magazines, but to Serious Sam 3, gamers have to spend time changing. bullets for your M4. Although this reloading is very quick and does not affect the gameplay much, its existence provides a 'thrilling' feeling for gamers who are accustomed to holding the trigger until all the monsters have fallen. .

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Conclusion

About 3 months left, Serious Sam 4 will officially launch world gamers. This time around, Croteam will probably be used to test the game and fix bugs in the game, and I hope that the game will launch smoothly, giving gamers a title. Attractive game worth the wait for 9 years.