AMD Introduces Never Settle Forever Bundle

AMD has been bundling it up this year. Today they’re announcing a new kind of bundle, one we think pretty much anyone can appreciate – their Never Settle Forever bundle.

This bundle will come with three tiers, bronze, silver, and gold. Each tier adds more games to choose from and more games that you get to choose from them.

The Bronze tier is for those that purchase a card from the HD 7700 series. It consists of six available games and you get to choose one free game from the available choices.

Moving up to a card from the HD 7800 series gets you into the Silver tier. There are eight games to choose from and you get to choose any two of them for free.

Last up is the Gold tier and it is reserved for those that purchase a card from the HD 7900 series. There are nine games here and you get to choose three games for free.

Here are the tiers stocked on top of one another.

Notably absent: Crysis 3. They don’t know whether that will be added or not down the road, but initially it is not going to be in any tier.

The game codes will be distributed via a new redemption portal called Radeon Rewards. One really nice thing about this portal is that you can log in any time to get your codes if you lose them. Read the slide, then we’ll answer your inevitable questions.

So, as you can tell, this is not your average bundle. You actually have a choice which games to get. AMD says they are doing this because the biggest issue in customer feedback on their other Never Settle bundles was that people often already had one or more of the bundled games. Thus, choice was introduced.

The fun part about this bundle is that you can redeem your coupon any time between when you get it and December 31, 2013. Because of this bundle style, AMD can add and subtract new / old titles at any time. So if you’re waiting for a new game to come out (say, Battlefield 4) that you think AMD might include in the bundle down the road, you can hold off on redeeming your coupon and do so when the game you want to get is included in the bundle.

However, frustratingly, you can NOT redeem one game at a time. When you choose to redeem your coupon, you are redeeming it with the games currently in the bundle choices and you must redeem all available free games at once. The answer as to why that is, was quite frankly, an unsatisfactory non-answer. Considering the portal and the abilities of the program, it seems a very simple thing to implement.

Were I to venture a (non-verified, un-commented-on) guess, the reason for this is financial. Obviously, newer games cost more than older games. With BF4 (and surely other titles between now and December 31) on the horizon, there is probably a strong likelihood people would go ahead and redeem partially, then save one for whenever BF4 was introduced into the bundle. This would obviously increase AMD’s cost over the several older games included in the current bundle.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very nice you have a choice and that you have the opportunity to wait and redeem when you see fit. It’s just frustrating that such a simple thing to implement isn’t being done. It’s a reasonable complaint and if AMD is looking for complaints about their bundles, this will likely be #1.

There were several questions asked on the conference call going over the new bundle, so we’ll give you sort-of an FAQ about the Never Settle Forever bundle.

• How will the coupons be distributed?
  • This will depend on your chosen e-tailer/retailer. Some will put a coupon code in the box, others will email it.
• How will the games be distributed once you have the codes?
  • That is up to the individual game house. Some will use Steam, others Origin and still others (i.e. Ubisoft for FarCry 3) via their own client.
• Can I register my coupon without redeeming it?
  • Yes, you can register on the Radeon Rewards portal without redeeming your code.
• When does the coupon expire?
  • December 31, 2013
• When can I redeem the coupon?
  • Any time between now and December 31, 2013.
• Do I have to redeem all of my games in the coupon at the same time?
  • Yes.
• Why?
  • Ask AMD. Please. If they get enough feedback, maybe consumers can convince them to take that very logical step.
• Will AMD offer Battlefield 4 with the bundle when it comes out?
  • They didn’t say, you’ll just have to wait and see – however, considering it’s a premium title and will be brand new, I would expect it to be only with the HD 7900 series (or another high-end series if you believe rumors).
• What about the HD 7990?
  • The HD 7990’s current bundle of eight games is going to remain the same.
• Does “Forever” mean this bundle will continue on forever?
  • No, “Forever” in this case is just a title, it is not meant to imply this bundle will continue on forever.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comments and we’ll either answer them or get an answer for you.

One frustration aside, the Never Settle Forever bundle, which is the first of its kind, is a great boon to game bundles. It arms consumers with a choice. If you missed an older game (i.e. Dirt 3) and wanted to try it – here it is for free. If you already have games offered, just wait until there are games you don’t have added to the bundle. Want the latest and greatest title, wait until it’s in the bundle. Sure, when you choose to redeem might be a gamble, but AMD says that’s part of the fun.

– Jeremy Vaughan (hokiealumnus)