Why I Have Subscribed Again to the Super Rare Club
Yes, I did it again.
But it’s not a “oops, I did it again” - no,it is more like: Yes, I was enabled to do it again, since Super Rare Games, the European publisher and distributor for physical Nintendo Switch indie games, decided to run the Super Rare Club again in the year 2020. But why did I want to join the club again? In short: Based on my experience as a club member in 2019, it was totally worth it. Are you still undecided if you should join? Maybe I can support you in your thought process! Let’s find out which features of the club provided me value in 2019 and made me renew my membership.
Access to Games 48 hours Prior Their General Release
This pre-order feature before the official release is the most important benefit to me. With it you get 48 hrs prior to the official release an email with links to the products that are about to go on sale. You will get access to all Super Rare Game products, which are usually the Standard Game and the Trading Cards, every couple of months the Triple Game Bundle and the Triple Cards Bundle - as well as from time to time even the Collectors Edition. So basically, everything what Super Rare Games will have in store soon, can be bought almost 2 days earlier - stress-free and with the guarantee that you will get the items which you want to buy. Being a member removes any potential stress associated with going through the buying process - what is a huge value added to me. Who doesn’t feel a certain kind of stress when putting items in the cart on release day and trying to finish the payment as quickly as possible, hoping that the items will not be sold out till the payment goes through? Been there, felt that!
In addition to this stress factor on release days, it is the increased flexibility you gain as a club member: You do not have to shop at a specific time - you have suddenly a specific timeframe to pre-order your items. Launch days were sometimes difficult for me: In my time zone, in Europe (Germany) games are usually available for pre-order at 7 PM; a time where I had sometimes already dinner plans, tickets for the theatre, was on a flight or still sitting in a meeting. As a club member though, I’m totally independent from this launch day.
What’s New in 2020: Quantities of Games & Number of Releases
In the context of any potential purchasing stress on the release day of games, I’m aware that Super Rare Games’ titles aren’t selling out that quick since the print number was increased from 4.000 to 5.000 units in 2019 - and some of the titles haven’t even sold out at the time of writing. Usually you never know how quickly games will be selling prior to their release, so in my mind I’m better off paying the price of a game for the membership for an entire year, instead of chasing a certain game I might have missed because I underestimated the popularity of it - and pay a premium for it. In many cases the markup for limited print copies is double or even triple the original price point on secondary markets such as eBay. And in case you didn't know: Super Rare Games will be doing some smaller runs in 2020 again: 4,000 units instead of 5,000. Meaning: Some of the upcoming games might again sell out quicker than usual.
Another change for 2020 will be the number of releases: In both 2018 and 2019 Super Rare Games released 12 physical games per year - which meant basically 1 title per month. Recently it has been announced that we can expect 18 titles in the year 2020, which will be 1,5 games per month - or in other words: Every 3 weeks a new Super Rare Games release. Meaning: Without the club you have to block out a certain time every 3 weeks to not miss the launch date of a game you are interested in. In case you are a club member however, you can take it a bit easier, since you will have a launch window of 48 hrs in which you can place your order. Flexible and stress-free. Super Rare Games’ announcement of the decreased number of units per game, and the increased number of releases, contributed clearly to my decision to renew my membership.
Exclusive Game Announcements, Insider Information & Dedicated Super Rare Club Community
All of the following perks are some club features that already made the sell last year for me! It’s great to be part of the club and get some information, first hand before they will be shared publicity. In most of the cases (not in all):
The Club knows first which game will be dropped next. Sometimes some days before, sometimes just some minutes. Important rule here: What happens in the club, stays in the club. From my own experience I can assure you, that the community keeps a close eye on social media channels such as Twitter and immediately interfere, in case a club member shares information that should stay in the club. Once we had a situation with one of the very first game announcements that was shared via email with the club, since a big Nintendo exclusive media outlet posted the news on Twitter just minutes after. Some members, including me, were confronting the account immediately why they are leaking this kind of club news. We learnt later that the media outlet had the exclusivity to announce Super Rare Games’ latest release. So all good. But the system worked, members are protecting the club.
Emails with this golden logo on top do mean: Club news - not to be shared outside the club!
In addition to exclusive game announcements, you can also expect to get insider information on titles as a club member, as well as surveys which genres we are most interested in - or just things that George has in mind. Which is a great deal, as you just feel more connected to Super Rare Games by being part of this special mailing list. I personally would like to get more exclusive stories, such as why certain games were picked (as George did once for Adventure Pals), who is playing what at Super Rare Games - just some random stuff in the world of Super Rare Games.
On top of all of this: As a Super Rare Club member you will be also added to the Super Rare Games server - which contains only members and the Super Rare Team. The community is pretty neat there: Active, friendly, supportive - and so is the entire Super Rare Games staff. A dedicated #Trading-Card-Trading channel or #Game-Suggestions are just two channels that I like to visit regularly.
Priority & Premium Shipping and a 25% Discount on Merchandise
The free premium packing and priority shipping is another feature of the club I value: Maybe not that obvious at first glance, but usually, games will be shipped out on the release date or even sometimes before it, by consequence you are really one of the first ones to get it. The free premium packing might be something you do not consider that relevant, but as soon as you get your first premium packaged game, you will not want to go back - as the packaging really protects your limited print copy.
Another cool benefit (one use only) is a 25% discount on any purchased merchandise. To be frank, I’ve shopped almost all the merch Super Rare Games has in stock but completely forgot to use my code. As you can see below, I bought the Super Rare Trading Card Binder, the Snake Pass OST Vinyl Album as well as some Super Rare Games Shirts - the latter might be an item I will buy again by the end of January to not waste my discount.
For 2020 I hope Super Rare Games will expend their merch by adding a Super Rare Games Sweater/Hoodie or even cardigan. This would be perfect for Winter/Fall. Who wouldn’t like to rock such a hoodie? Maybe only with a little logo on the chest (as for the shirts) - without the print on the back?
So there you have it: This is why I renewed my membership. In case you are wondering: I did purchase 7 out of 12 games in 2019 - so I did not go for a complete 2019 set, as I was not interested in all the games. But the club membership did nevertheless pay off for me personally, as the club provides me with the certainty and flexibility to get the limited print games I really want to get - plus has some great add ons in place.
Do any of these benefits justify a SRG Club Membership 2020 for you? Were you already a member in 2019 as well? If so, did you renew your membership - and if not, why haven’t you renewed it? Signups will be running for the duration of January 2020 - so you still have some days to make up your mind. Happy to learn what you think in the comments’ section.
* This blog post is not sponsored by Super Rare Games and solely expresses my personal experiences with the described club membership.