Dear Bethesda,

I'm aware that companies need different dates for different regions to handle international sales properly.
It amazes me that you handle this within just a few days: Great work, obviously!
Digital downloads are of course also affected by this, since they'd undermine physical sales otherwise.
Everything makes sense.

However there's one detail that I don't get: Why is the Steam unlock of Fallout 3 New Vegas in Europe at 3:00 in the morning?
That's possibly the worst time one can pick! Why not midnight? Why not 6:00 or even 5:30?

Do you pick one single time for the infamous "ROW" (aka Rest of the World)?
If so, please don't do that. It makes me (us?) feels very un-exclusive and generic.


Morbus, a customer from Austria.

Well we down here in Australia will have to wait until the 22/10/2010 at 11am in the morning for Steam to unlock this game because they are not working on Australian time but GMT.

They changed things so that as midnight rolled across America the various timezones would be unlocked but they can't seem to do the same thing for Australia hey?

I got a digital download for the express reason that it said it would unlock on the 19th. But it reset to 3 days later with literally hours to go.

A lot of people down here are very upset with all the mucking around that was done. And we still don't know when exactly it will unlock because there are two different dates and times being posted. One from Bethesda and the other from Steam.

Who do we believe?

Actually, that's not true about America.
The East coast had to wait until the West coast hit midnight, so for alot of people the game didn't unlock until 3am on the 19th.
This is the philosophy behind the International release. They are waiting until midnight GMT.
Do I agree with it, no. But that's what they're doing.

How come I can purchase the PS3 or 360 version right now in my current country but have to wait 2 more days for the PC version to unlock? Poor form Bethesda.

I hate piracy, but Bethesda is really shooting themselves in the foot on lost sales for those who are too anxious.

I'm glad Steam unlocked things right, day of, in the US for me!

Whatever they do, they do it wrong. Normal unlock at 19'o? Complaints! Really early unlock at 3 in the night? Complaints! Sheesh, folks, be glad that you can actually play it when you could go into a store and buy the game. ^_^

im sry but this was the most useless preorder and fast shipping ever!
watching the case till friday gonna be much fun :rolleyes:

So, just to be sure on this: the European version of NV will unlock this night at 3 AM on Steam?

It's all so unclear to me. I just bought NV in a store around the corner, and now I apparently have to wait for it to be unlocked via Steam. That's cool. I don't like it, but I can wait. I asked this question specifically, because the official releasedate for Europe is set at October 22.

So, no waiting till 3 AM on october 22, but THIS night at 3 AM it will be unlocked. Right?

Eh, why is 3:00 "possibly the worst time one can pick!" and midnight or 6:00 better? 3:00 is smack in the middle between the two

the question is why sellers give out a unplayable/unreleased game?

I suppose the store where I bought my game did not realize it could not be activated yet. I don't really blame them for that. I asked them why they sold the game two days prior to the official release, and they claimed they were allowed to sell it. Sure, allowed to sell it. Not play it.

whistles tune *make money, make money money money*

true but no excuse

and the *make money, make money money money* thing is an ea(duck up everything) exclusive and wont work for other companies without loosing customers

It's almost become a meme since launch that people are referring to this game as Fallout 3 New Vegas without even thinking about it. Heh ha.

Heh, aye. And in the end, I will play Fallout New Vegas, and I will most likely enjoy it. I've bought most Bethesda/Obsidian games, and will continue to support them. And that fact right there, gives me the right to complain just a little bit. Cause lets face it, the minute New Vegas loads on my computer, I will be sneaking around, shooting things.