What's a good time gap b/w announcement and release?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

A lot of games get announced and we have to wait years before see them come to market, whereas others we only have to wait a few months. I think plenty of people prefer the latter, so my question is, what do you think is an appropriate amount of time b/w a game's announcement and when it finally comes out? Not factoring in delays. Also, would it be better to show a game early on to let people know it's happening or when it's near completion?

 

[Spirit]

Not factoring delays, I think three months is the perfect time between announcement and release.

You get the announcement then each month get a new trailer or info then boom, we're playing.

There's also not too much time for a game to 180 in development during that time, so you'll still get the product that was advertised in the announcement. Games that are revealed and then take years to come to market end up looking or just overall being very different.

Remember BotW when we first saw the overworld? There is very little left of what we saw in that initial trailer, some parts just aren't there anymore or have moved.

Three months is the best between reveal and release.

 

[Azure Sage]

I think what they did with Age of Calamity is perfect. Surprise announcement with only a couple months until release. Plenty of time to get us rabid with hype without it being excruciating. I love that. Things like a teaser to know its in development like they did with BotW2 are also fine, because we don't know enough to be frothing at the mouth for it yet. I think we shouldn't see it again until its a few months out from release. I know the reveal of MHRise was super hype for me but the 6 month wait is really gonna suck for me. I think that's probably my limit of sanity.

 

[VikzeLink]

Honestly depends on the game/series. If it's something completely new, they might need a headstart for the marketing. If it's in an already established series, like Zelda, not too far in advance, as the hype would die down and such. There is also a difference in announcing a game, and just teasing it. BotW 2 has only been teased. All we know is that it is in development, and the short little teaser trailer we saw. If they would have shown a fullblown trailer, that would have been way too far in advance

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Ideally, a few months or a year between reveal and release. Like others stated, this gives plenty of time to show the game and properly market it, and it isn't too long of a wait to actually play it. However, this is only a good strategy for established franchises, where the names alone sort of sell themselves. If it's a new IP, or if it's an indie game, it should get as much exposure as possible, so it needs to be revealed really early, and a 2-3 year wait is not unreasonable at all, but only if they spend that time marketing the game so it doesn't fall out of memory.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I'd say no more than a couple of months. At least for me, announcing a games years out is a good way to make me quickly lose interest and move onto other games, mostly because the stuff shown in the trailer just isn't representative of the game that will come out years after that announcement.

 

[A Link In Time]

Yeah, I agree with people here. Six months or less between announcement and release is ideal. That gives proper time to get excited for a game and see it release before the hype dies down. I strongly dislike what some companies like Square Enix do by announcing games years in advance.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

In my opinion, a game should never be announced/teased more than two years in advance, and should never be revealed with trailers and such any more than a year before. A year before release is ideal for announcement, six months is appropriate for full trailers.

 

[MapelSerup]

If there’s a teaser trailer, it should be anywhere from a year to 6 months before, and a normal trailer should be 3-4 months. Of course, as many have said, it depends on how well-known the series is. Producers usually have a plan when it comes to this to maximize excitement, so I don’t feel there’s necessarily a “right” way to do it.

 

[Princess Niki]

As annoying as it is to be in the dark I am liking these short turn arounds with Nintendo and their new games. It limits spoilers of plot details.

 

[Sheikah_Witch]

Nah, I like the hype build over decades and the stoking of unrealistic expectations that are sure to backfire!
/s


But it can work. BotW was perfect for me. Show trailer 3 years before - radio silence - big blowout a year prior - then only 1 release date trailer weeks before. Spaced out, but not too much.

Otherwise, I like to be shocked, and shaken, like with this year's Nintendo releases. Shadowdropped release trailer - boom.

 

[the8thark]

Ideally zero. Announce and release on the same day.
Realistically it's just long enough to stay ahead of the rumour mill so the developers are announcing the games, not the 4Chan and NeoGAF leakers.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

wow I never gave my input, I'd say in most cases,I agree that half a year should be the most b/w a game's reveal and when it actually comes out
the main exception is if they want to reveal a game to let an audience know it's happening, so most big games shouldn't do this if we know a new game is a given

 

[Mikey the Moblin]

However long elden ring has been announced

 

[twilitfalchion]

Like others here, I'd say anywhere from three to six months is good between announcement and release. Unlike other announcements they've made, the more recent ones from Nintendo have been feeling like they're coming along at a good pace rather than being a lengthy wait with very little to keep interest going in the meantime.