Are the days of preordering MMOs fading?

In January 2007, I stood in line at a brick-and-mortar store at midnight to pick up six preorder copies of The Burning Crusade for myself, my husband, and my overseas guildies. By that point, I'd been playing MMOs for a decade already, but somehow, driving through an ice storm to stand in that line was so totally worth it.

Flash-forward to 2014 and I rarely bother with preorders anymore, and it's not because "the magic is gone" or anything nostalgia-driven like that. Between shoddy or exploitative preorder bonuses, widespread digital distribution, crowdfunded founder packs, and open betas and headstarts that go on forever and ever, it just seems as if a standard preorder is becoming a relic of the past, something that's relatively easy to pass on. I'd rather just hang onto my money and buy in when there's a product and not just a promise.

What about you guys? Do you still preorder MMOs or other games?

TH

No, not since Gw2 i will not preorder unless it gives me some kind of ''few days to play before the launch-deal'' and i can be sure i will enjoy the game for a while otherwise, i will probably not have the interest even if it looks promising.