Why do publishers still flood the game market at Christmas?

I recently wrote an article for WalletPop.com about how to save money on video games this fall. It is especially pertinent because there are too many blockbuster titles to count releasing in the next month and a half. I understand why publishers used to feel the need to release close to the holidays; back when gamers were 15 years old and had a tiny bit of patience games made great gifts. However, now that the gaming age demographic is rising and people as a whole have forgotten what patience is the cramped release calendar makes less sense.

Honestly, most gamers I know purchase their own games on the release day and seldom ask for games as gifts no matter what the occasion since we all feel the need to beat the game before stumbling across the ending online. While I personally enjoy picking up some of the good games from the used rack in February, I know that I forget about at least one game that slipped out in the avalanche of games.

Unless your game’s target player is an 8 year old with mountains of patience and a long memory I see no reason to fight for the consumer’s dollar in November and leave the month of June barren in terms of new releases. For many developers releasing in November is akin to launching your indie movie the same day as Watchmen or The Dark Knight! In reality it isn’t a battle worth fighting.

I’ll be watching to see if this trend changes in the coming years; already Halo Wars slipped to an early 09 release which, I think will prove beneficial as more gamers will be in the market for a new game. What are your thoughts on the mountains of games released in November and early December? Do you like it or are you as overloaded as me?

Photo - Kevin Walter - Flickr