From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


So, Star Wars: Galactic Racers just released. It's a Star Wars game so naturally I'm interested, but not enough to pay the $60USD price-tag.
Certainly when it's cheaper, but not right now. But that's fair;
developers put a lot of effort into building their games, and
"Galactic Racer" is getting pretty good reviews, so I don't mind them
charging full price when a game is new. They gotta make back their
investment. That's not going to happen if they give the game away for
free, right?

Except... if you're an Amazon Prime member, that's exactly what's
happening. You can play the game for free on Amazon's Luna service.
And while doubtlessly this is only for a limited time (expect it to
drop off the service in six or 12 months), that's gotta be costing the developers a pretty penny. All the hype for this game is NOW; it's
probably going to be making most of its revenue from the first few
weeks of sales. And sure, Amazon is likely paying them for the
license... but I doubt it's going to make up for all those lost sales.

It's a shame, since the reviews indicate it's not a bad racer, and the developer, Fuse Games, isn't a huge studio. I suspect they were -at
some point- rather desperate for cash and made the deal with Amazon
for a last-minute infusion of money so they could finish the game. And
the Amazon offering --which is streaming-only and lacks multiplayer--
is going to give a lot of users a bad impression of the game. Most
gamers who try it for free on Luna aren't going to then turn around
and buy it elsewhere. So it all seems a rather poor bargain for the
devs.

But I can't deny I'm tempted by it nonetheless. Not enough to actually
sign up for Luna, but I am tempted.







--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 10/6/2026 9:44 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So, Star Wars: Galactic Racers just released. It's a Star Wars game so naturally I'm interested, but not enough to pay the $60USD price-tag. Certainly when it's cheaper, but not right now. But that's fair;
developers put a lot of effort into building their games, and
"Galactic Racer" is getting pretty good reviews, so I don't mind them charging full price when a game is new. They gotta make back their investment. That's not going to happen if they give the game away for
free, right?

Except... if you're an Amazon Prime member, that's exactly what's
happening. You can play the game for free on Amazon's Luna service.
And while doubtlessly this is only for a limited time (expect it to
drop off the service in six or 12 months), that's gotta be costing the developers a pretty penny. All the hype for this game is NOW; it's
probably going to be making most of its revenue from the first few
weeks of sales. And sure, Amazon is likely paying them for the
license... but I doubt it's going to make up for all those lost sales.

It's a shame, since the reviews indicate it's not a bad racer, and the developer, Fuse Games, isn't a huge studio. I suspect they were -at
some point- rather desperate for cash and made the deal with Amazon
for a last-minute infusion of money so they could finish the game. And
the Amazon offering --which is streaming-only and lacks multiplayer--
is going to give a lot of users a bad impression of the game. Most
gamers who try it for free on Luna aren't going to then turn around
and buy it elsewhere. So it all seems a rather poor bargain for the
devs.

But I can't deny I'm tempted by it nonetheless. Not enough to actually
sign up for Luna, but I am tempted.

Spalls, did you know that the word in an obscure, rarely contacted,
indigenous South American tribe's language for "monopoly" is "amazon"? ;)

Once you know that it explains the "deal" you speak of above.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 10/6/2026 9:44 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So, Star Wars: Galactic Racers just released. It's a Star Wars game so naturally I'm interested, but not enough to pay the $60USD price-tag. Certainly when it's cheaper, but not right now. But that's fair;
developers put a lot of effort into building their games, and
"Galactic Racer" is getting pretty good reviews, so I don't mind them charging full price when a game is new. They gotta make back their investment. That's not going to happen if they give the game away for
free, right?

Except... if you're an Amazon Prime member, that's exactly what's
happening. You can play the game for free on Amazon's Luna service.
And while doubtlessly this is only for a limited time (expect it to
drop off the service in six or 12 months), that's gotta be costing the developers a pretty penny. All the hype for this game is NOW; it's
probably going to be making most of its revenue from the first few
weeks of sales. And sure, Amazon is likely paying them for the
license... but I doubt it's going to make up for all those lost sales.

Yeah Racing games don't play well with cloud streaming.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> writes:

But I can't deny I'm tempted by it nonetheless. Not enough to actually
sign up for Luna, but I am tempted.

Yah. I read a rather glowing review of it (i.e. Star Wars: Galactic
Racers) too, the reviewer said it's the first *good* Star Wars game
since KOTOR. High praise but I've been kinda raced out since Chase HQ
and Sega Rally in the '80s and '90s and never got into these futuristic
racers. And also, these days some kind of racing is apparently mandatory
on open world titles at least. Looking at Horizon Forbidden West here...
(I went WTF and zOMG and a few other expletives when I ran across that.)

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 6 Oct 2026 13:06:58 -0700, Justisaur <[email protected]>
said this thing:

Yeah Racing games don't play well with cloud streaming.

I know. It's an odd addition to the service, especially since early
reviews of SW:GR indicate it's a somewhat unforgiving (but fun!)
racer, with some tricky turns. You know, the sort of game where
microseconds matter. And --good as cloud streaming can be-- the
inherent lag of the technology is going to make for a poor gaming
experience.

I get why *Amazon* wants the game on their service; the need a big
name title to help sell its potential, and they've recently refocused
on being a more 'casual' game-store. SW:GR, the semi-successor to
"Star Wars: Episode One - Podracer" seems a perfect fit. It's
family-friendly, recognizable, and everyone understands the mechanics:
go fast, avoid obstacles, win first place. I doubt Amazon really cares
if the game is /fun/ (or even playable); it's about the brand and
getting people to sign up.

But the developers? They must have known that cloud-streaming would be
a poor fit for their game. And developers everywhere are decrying
subscription based streaming service as costing them more in the long
run than they get from the services. Which is why I suspect that the
developers must have been in some serious financial straits to make
the bargain with Amazon.



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2