Are “Collectors Editions” actually good for collectors?

[Radishhead]

Hey y'all,

Video game collecting is something I would definitely enjoy if I had the money to fund it! The idea of preserving parts of history from the hobby that was entertained me throughout my life really appeals to me.

When thinking about an introductory avenue to video game collecting, immediately the items that jumped to mind were amiibo and "collectors edtions" of games - which is primarily what inspired this thread.

When I talk about collectors editions, I mean those (usually) limited releases of games that contain some extra stuff or come in a nicer case but cost more to buy. Now, the people who buy these- could they consider themselves collectors? Will these items maintain some historical value in the future, or even increase in value as they become scarcer? Does it depend on the genre/game/developer? Can you name a collectors edition that deserved to be called by that name, or are they all merely extracting extra cash from the consumer for no real collectible benefit?

Do you buy these collectors editions and what do you think of them in this respect - is it just for fun, or is it more serious than that?

 

[darkNemisiScloud]

I use to collect alot, I had such a cool amazing collection then I just sold them all as they where taking up space and hardly looked at them, I have a few still that have been with me since I was young and because the games gave me good memories.

 

[ckareset]

No, it's a good way for companies to charge more than 60

 

[5taquitos]

They're good for hoarders

 

[Zalman]

As a collector myself, I have of course bought some, but in general I don't find them that appealing. If they include a soundtrack, it's most likely just a small selection of songs. I'd rather just buy the full soundtrack later. If they include an artbook, it will be decent enough, but often times an even better artbook comes out after release. There's a pattern here.

Steelbooks are nice, as long as you also get the regular packaging.

 

[Manmademan]

It appears that they are. Someone linked a site that had the resale values of new and used games for all systems.

Collectors editions commanded a large premium over everything else for last gen.

 

[Deleted member 8861]

if they generally had useful stuff like special design decks of cards I would Die

 

[blonded]

Most of them are flimsy and tacky as shit

 

[Freezasaurus]

I used to buy CE's all the time. But the statues never ever end up looking as good as the prototypes.

 

[Tohsaka]

I used to buy them for games I really liked, until I realized the majority are just garbage that take up space and cost significantly more than the regular version.

 

[Aranjah]

I'm someone who usually buys these "collector's editions", but I don't do it with any delusions that it will be "collectible" or "oh in a decade or two I can flip this and make a bunch of money!". Especially not these days when the "limited print run" of the special editions is still not that limited.
I just do it because I think some of the plastic trinkets are neat. :P I hate statues, though. CEs including statues these days actively deters me from getting that edition.

 

[Syriel]

It really depends on the specific title, print run, and quality.

One of my fav CEs is the Aus exclusive Saints Row 2 CE.

 

[Deleted member 10629]

I have bought several in the past and I've always been disappointed with them.

 

[Fitts]

"Here's your $60 game and a box of garbage, that'll be $200 pls."

I remember back in the day friends thought I was crazy for spending $200 on a single game when Steel Battalion dropped. But that was because it came with the most baller ass controller ever made that was an integral part of the experience. Now no one bats an eye but the premium gets you junk in return.

 

[Ryuelli]

Only if they come with good art books.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Only sometimes.

 

[Wulfric]

I harbor no illusions of my collector's edition ever gaining any value past their MSRP price. Many of them are overprinted and tacky. Their contents are well documented online.

Valuable collector's editions are few and far in between. And you really don't know which ones that will be until it's too late to buy one i.e Vanilla WoW.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I used to buy them regularly before realizing I look at the tat once when it arrives then never again. Basically throwing away $20+ every time I bought one over the standard edition of the game.
For certain favorite franchises of a game or if a CE actually seems valuable to me I'll grab it. A recent example would be the PS4 Disgaea remake. I enjoy DIsgaea and the extras inside seemed worth the extra price. Now every time I see that CE I don't regret it. It looks neat.

 

[mute]

They are always hunk of plastic, artbook, soundtrack, game. Fancy box maybe.

I'll pick them up if the soundtrack is good (and complete) otherwise I will always skip.

 

[Lump]

In very select circumstances. As an adult, I just look at almost all collector's edition and loot crate-esque stuff as clutter. There are a few exceptions though.

Actual good Collectors Editions go up in value over time instead of down in value. The most famous example might be World of Warcraft, which which sees the CE easily going for over $4,000.

While I think that 99% of CE stuff is clutter, there are some notable exceptions I really like, such as the Diablo III CE USB Stick

 

[LAA]

Yeah increasingly many CEs or LEs arent actually "limited" or at least enough to be actually valuable.
I feel square enix more often tend to have their CEs be actually limited.
Nintendo too have been pretty good with their LEs lately like for Zelda and Astral Chain.

 

[Stiler]

The vast majority of them do not increase in value, mainly because they are not really "limited" in any way and they make a ton of them to sell and end stores end up having too many.

The quickest and easiest way to know if the CE will be worthwhile or will increase in value is if it has an actual edition size to it. If the Collector's edition does NOT say it's limited and has no "size number" to it so you know how many they are making, then off the bat you know it's most likely not going to increase in value.

Look at the Halo: CE, these things literally flooded store shelves and they ended up having to mark them down and down to clear the shelf space.

As far as the companies that you can usually depend on to be limited, that would be Blizzard games and Naughty Dog, their CE's usually are limited and increase in prices after release.

 

[funkygallo]

if You like the game... why not?
I spent so many Euro for Japanese editions of PSP games!

 

[darthbob]

My Halo 3 Legendary Edition cat helmet was worth every penny dammit.

 

[Worldshaker]

I regret buying the few that I did. I've never spent more than $99 and only for games that I love.

That being said I'll never buy one again unless they make a Chrono Trigger 2, but even then I wouldn't because modern SE is pretty terrible.

 

[dorjjj]

If you really like the game/franchise and it makes you happy why not?

If you just want to make a quick buck you should look out for the really special ones, like the Fire Emblem Fates one for example.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

They're an utter waste of money.

 

[Vito]

I only buy CE for games I truly love or if the edition has something exclusive like a behind the scenes or an unavailable game like the Bayonetta Switch Climax Edition.

 

[tmarg]

Almost everything that is marketed to collectors is bad for collecting.

 

[Kayotix]

I only buy Blizzard CEs lol, just love the way they look on my shelf.

 

[MrBS]

As someone who used to buy CEs all the time giving them up was something I regret not doing earlier. Easier on the wallet and shelf space. The real pain is going to be getting rid of the CEs I already have for a fraction of what I paid for them at some point.

 

[KennyL]

Yes. Buy anime, keep them sealed, put them in box, and forget about them for a few years.

 

[Devilgunman]

I used to buy a lot CE then I had to moved and found them to be pain in the ass to pack. Now I only buy CE for my favorite franchises.

 

[FriendlyNPC]

I usually don't care about the bonus stuff included in CEs but I really, really enjoy thick, sturdy cardboard boxes with nice looking art on top. Well made high quality artbooks, while rare, are something I like getting in my collector's editions as well.

Enough reason for me to pay extra.

 

[Kaeden]

The only CE that I've purchased was the big SWTOR box that was offered at launch. Still have one unopened. I have the Malgus statue right here on my desk and still use the key fob. I loved just about all that CE had to offer. It was definitely worth it to me.

 

[Dark Knight]

I used to buy CE's all the time. But the statues never ever end up looking as good as the prototypes.

Click to shrink...

The only case that's not true is with the FFXIV CE statues. They all look fantastic.

 

[Deleted member 2379]

Almost everything that is marketed to collectors is bad for collecting.

Click to shrink...

Only correct answer.

Valuable items end up valuable due to circumstance. Not marketed as collectible.

 

[Tokyo_Funk]

The only collectors edition I have genuinely loved was Witcher 3s. The statue is great, the solid Witcher necklace is nice, the art book is hard cover and great quality. Can't complain.

The expansions gave me Gwent decks which I regularly play.

 

[FriendlyNPC]

Only correct answer.

Valuable items end up valuable due to circumstance. Not marketed as collectible.

Click to shrink...

I feel this is true only if you look at the monetary value side of things.

I gladly collect stuff that isn't worth a ton if I get something that I enjoy looking at, skipping through additional material/artbooks or listening to sound collections.

The notion collectible stuff has to be (monetarily) valuable to be worth it is flawed in that sense.

 

[eXistor]

I stopped buying most CE's, I find them a waste of space and money for the most part. I just focus on collecting the games nowadays, but just the ones I actually want to play.

 

[Nappuccino]

I pick up some every now and then, but only if I really like the game.

Most of the time I can't justify it.

 

[Wulfric]

Almost everything that is marketed to collectors is bad for collecting.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much. Stuff that was actually meant to be used typically rises in value.

Vintage comic books, Gen 1 Transformers, classic cars. All these items got regular use so few of them remain compared to current demand.

 

[Deleted member 9317]

They're good for hoarders

Click to shrink...

Are they worth anything after the first few months of "hype"?

 

[Croc Man]

Zavvi had a sale once upon a time. I got a dark souls steelbook and some studio ghlibi steelbooks all for under £20, they're all worth way more now, over £100 in some cases.

Persona games on the PSP and my spirit tracks tin have all gone up in price too and their were all basically standard game price.

So yes depending on price and franchise. I'll never get new IPs launching with big collectors editions though regardless of their future value, who is the collector of something with no history?

 

[Deleted member 17952]

I buy collector's editions so I can give more money to developers I like. The content itself is usually low quality garbage with no increasing value.

 

[Scheris]

Nintendo's are usually decent, since the art books and what not are decently sized.

Most other CEs suck though. One big exception was the Japanese CE I picked up for Ar nosurge, had a real metal music box that is a steal for the price I got it for.

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

I normally stay away from the big expensive collectors editions these days and just get the special edition steelbooks with the art books, if it's a game I really care about anyway.

I don't mind supporting the developers if they put the effort into making a great game with a nice steelbook / art book.

 

[BizzyBum]

Some are nice, most are not. Plus they are getting ridiculously expensive. I've seen some that ask for $200 and up, that's insane.

 

[Kapryov]

Most aren't worth it, unfortunately, because it's usually just an attempt to squeeze more money out of desperate fans. They don't want to lose money on it! While there's the occasional exception, most of the bonuses will have higher quality versions sold separately later on.

However, your question was if they're good for "collectors".
Assuming you're a huge fan of a series and collect everything, even misprints and international variations, then I guess you will appreciate a limited dodgy looking statue!

 

[Mg.]

Can't really precisely remember the last time I bought a limited/collectors edition. I... I think it was Crysis 2? Came with a somewhat nifty artbook, a dumb backpack and a piece of shit statue that was anything but "maximum armour".

You want actual gaming collectables that are worth a damn? Get in the Neo Geo AES software business. Those games consistently increase in value every damn year. A mint Metal Slug 3 is now worth $3k+ or something?