So pre-order has started alongside the announcements that confirmed the FM16 release date, unveiled the key FM16 new features and showcased a dozen of FM16 preview videos. The FM 2016 hype is maintained daily as Sports Interactive are revealing minor new features every day via Twitter (you should follow @fmscout if you're not doing that already). As a result the anticipation is growing stronger by the day.
And the question that keeps popping in your head is: Should I pre-order now or wait a bit longer?
Before addressing that question, let's see why it makes sense to pre-order in the first place. You can pre-order either the digital or the boxed edition of the game. Until FM15, pre-ordering would reward you with roughly 2 weeks early access of a pre-release beta version of the game. The FM16 pre-order will grant you a gift copy of An Alternative Reality: The Football Manager Documentary in your Steam inventory, regardless whether you go for the digital or the boxed edition. The big difference this time is with the early beta access, which is a bonus that only digital pre-orders will receive. So, if you are the sentimental type and prefer to have the boxed edition, I'm afraid you'd have to be patient until November 13th, while other people will be enjoying FM16 beta since the end of October.
Now that we've cleared this up, let's answer the first question. There are 3 key factors you should take into consideration. The first one is the price. If pricing matters a lot to you, you should avoid pre-ordering from the Steam store and the Sports Interactive store (powered by humblebundle). Do some research to find a cheaper place or wait until FMSCOUT lowers its price sometime next week (hint! hint!). It really makes no difference if you pre-order now or around mid-October. The only thing that can change between now and then is that you'll be able to find a lower price due to limited time discounts various sites are always running during that period. The second factor is financial availability... in other words when you're going to have money to invest in FM16. If you'll have them next week and you're worried you might spend them elsewhere until late October, it's better to move while you have them. The final factor is when you're going to have enough spare time to play. A lot of people wait until Xmas to buy the game as this is when they're able to find some time off work and family. Some argue that the game tends to have annoying bugs until then anyway, so maybe that's an extra concern for you to consider as well.
Quite a few people have asked me about pre-ordering FM16 from FMSCOUT, especially in regards to when we'll run a special discount that will convince them to send their money our way. The truth is that while we have already opened our FM16 pre-order page, we're not advertising yet. Our digital distributor (Nexway) has been unable to offer a competitive price so far (currently 34.99 GBP), but we're in talks that will allow us to bring the price below 30 GBP (significantly cheaper than Steam). Therefore I'm kindly asking you to wait until next week because I'm confident we'll manage to have a better price. If you've been using our fansite to serve your Football Manager needs, I believe it makes sense to want to show your support by buying your FM16 copy from here. These sales is the main funding source of this site and what really helps us keep moving forward and delivering more great content and new features for our users. In addition, if you're a member here, you'll get our prestigious verified buyer badge.
So there you have it. I've outlined 3 factors you should consider to decide when it's best for you to pre-order and I've also given you 3 reasons to pre-order your digital copy from FMSCOUT (but wait until next week to do it).
And the question that keeps popping in your head is: Should I pre-order now or wait a bit longer?
Before addressing that question, let's see why it makes sense to pre-order in the first place. You can pre-order either the digital or the boxed edition of the game. Until FM15, pre-ordering would reward you with roughly 2 weeks early access of a pre-release beta version of the game. The FM16 pre-order will grant you a gift copy of An Alternative Reality: The Football Manager Documentary in your Steam inventory, regardless whether you go for the digital or the boxed edition. The big difference this time is with the early beta access, which is a bonus that only digital pre-orders will receive. So, if you are the sentimental type and prefer to have the boxed edition, I'm afraid you'd have to be patient until November 13th, while other people will be enjoying FM16 beta since the end of October.
Now that we've cleared this up, let's answer the first question. There are 3 key factors you should take into consideration. The first one is the price. If pricing matters a lot to you, you should avoid pre-ordering from the Steam store and the Sports Interactive store (powered by humblebundle). Do some research to find a cheaper place or wait until FMSCOUT lowers its price sometime next week (hint! hint!). It really makes no difference if you pre-order now or around mid-October. The only thing that can change between now and then is that you'll be able to find a lower price due to limited time discounts various sites are always running during that period. The second factor is financial availability... in other words when you're going to have money to invest in FM16. If you'll have them next week and you're worried you might spend them elsewhere until late October, it's better to move while you have them. The final factor is when you're going to have enough spare time to play. A lot of people wait until Xmas to buy the game as this is when they're able to find some time off work and family. Some argue that the game tends to have annoying bugs until then anyway, so maybe that's an extra concern for you to consider as well.
Quite a few people have asked me about pre-ordering FM16 from FMSCOUT, especially in regards to when we'll run a special discount that will convince them to send their money our way. The truth is that while we have already opened our FM16 pre-order page, we're not advertising yet. Our digital distributor (Nexway) has been unable to offer a competitive price so far (currently 34.99 GBP), but we're in talks that will allow us to bring the price below 30 GBP (significantly cheaper than Steam). Therefore I'm kindly asking you to wait until next week because I'm confident we'll manage to have a better price. If you've been using our fansite to serve your Football Manager needs, I believe it makes sense to want to show your support by buying your FM16 copy from here. These sales is the main funding source of this site and what really helps us keep moving forward and delivering more great content and new features for our users. In addition, if you're a member here, you'll get our prestigious verified buyer badge.
So there you have it. I've outlined 3 factors you should consider to decide when it's best for you to pre-order and I've also given you 3 reasons to pre-order your digital copy from FMSCOUT (but wait until next week to do it).