Look at all the free upgrades IC7 has given to its' users. Acculips, SkinGen, Hair Builder, with free hair, beard and mustache samples. The last contest RL did, there were
a lot of free clothes samples and some free avatars. If you give 3 reviews per month, you got a 1000 DA points every month for the past 4 or 5 months. All of those free
upgrades cost RL $$ in R & D, and they gave it all away for free. What you bought 5 years ago for $200, does not cost $200 now.  CC3 came in 2 versions, a free one and a Pipeline version.
The pipeline version of CC3 is going from $199 to $299.for CC4.  And IC7 from $199 to IC8 $599 (that includes parts of 3DXChange). If you are a member, you get a discount. And in the Marketplace,
you can try the items, before you buy. And that saves you $$ from buying stuff if you don't like it.
In the end, RL does save you $$ and also gives you great deals. Computers cost you more $$ now, than 5 years ago. IC itself has not gone up that much in 5 years. People bought a lot of add-ons and extras,
and now they want to be compensated for that. Nobody made you buy the extras. I don't buy the extras, I buy what I need and use.

The email sent to 3DExchange users is misleading to say the least. It quite specifically indicates anyone who purchased 3DExchange before October would be the first to receive iclone 8 and CC4 with the Motion Director Theme Pack being in addition too the main applications as indicated below.



In addition  there is a nice illustration confirming this.



The small print further confirms the suggestion we would receive IC8 and CC4.



As above it indicates we would need to spend over $399 by year end which I did purely to qualify. I have now found use for the assets in some projects but would otherwise not have purchased them at this stage. Frankly this seems like a big con just to get more money out of us.

Thanks Reallusion. Not happy at all.

Yea, definitely not happy. Because Dec 9th Newsletter clearly states iClone 8 and CC4 for over $399+. So appeared to give you a savings of $200 versus the regular upgrade for those without 3dExchange Pipeline. I spent the money intending to get both software. If there was an error a Revised Newsletter should have been sent the same day versus near the end of the deal.

Yea...that pertains more to before the consumer paid anything. If money hasn't been exchanged.  But if the consumer has paid with the intention of getting the deal promised it may fall under Bait and Switch. 

All along, RL has been saying you have to spend $799 or more to get IC8 and CC4 free. That has not changed. 
Special emails to certain users, have said you get an extra deal if you bought 3DXChange Pipeline and other 
add-ons. The wording in the email seems to me to be an honest mistake. 

Mistakes do happen. It more about how will it be fixed. They emailed Pipeline Users with a "special offer".  The original deal to me is more for new users. I would had instead just paid the $600 upgrade later. But that money I was going to use was put into an error made. Shouldn't take 18 days to correct a newsletter error. 

My criticism is that 3dxchange cost me more than CC3 and IC7 combined, yet instead of giving 3dxchange users a greater discount on the upgrade, they're offering me a different piece of software that I neither want nor need.  Why do I want another plugin?  I want the upgrade of what I already have?

As for the increase in price, I feel it's still too much.  I invested in CrazyTalk Animator and later iClone because I felt they were reasonably-priced tools for amateurs and hobbyists.  Now, however, Reallusion seems to be focusing on an increasingly small percentage of users.  I get it.  I really do.  As a software creator, you'd MUCH rather be told you've made a first-class, top of the line tool for professionals, and see it used in AA or even AAA movies, tv and games, than have a "reasonably-priced tool for amateurs and hobbyists, even if it means hiring more people and ultimately having a much-more expensive product.

However, reallusion needs to realize two things:
1)  We hobbyists and amateurs are the ones who bought reallusion products, and made that development possible by being loyal consumers.  I've spent around $6500 over the last 10 years.
2)  If reallusion keeps going down the slippery slope (fallacy here, but bear with me), do they really want to someday become a top-of-the-line, absolute best software of its kind, used by professional studios to make AAA movies, tv shows and video games ... but only used by the dozen or so people who can afford it?  Isn't it just as good, or even better, to be that reasonably-priced tool that inspires people to make projects, to animate, to create?

I honestly can't afford $800 in software just for a hobby I rarely have time for.  If reallusion is not willing to consider that we buyers of 3dxchange pipeline paid a LOT of money, a lot more than people who ONLY bought CC3 IC7 alone, and that, in fairness, it would be nice to acknowledge our loyalty in buying reallusion's more expensive products by giving us an extra discount (and NOT simply an additional plugin), then I simply feel I can save my money and not upgrade.

If 3dxchange functionality is now part of IC8 and CC4, why should I, as a person who bought 3dxchange 7 pipeline, pay the SAME upgrade price as someone who only bought CC3 and IC7 standard (thereby paying literally half as much as I did)?

Nah.  People can make up their own minds, but I'll pass.  I'm a little disillusioned with reallusion right now.

That's what I was thinking when they sent the offer as "why should pipeline users pay the same upgrade price as non-pipeline users?" That's why I felt the deal sent was legit.

I don't think the prices are that over the top. We seem to be getting discounts and coupons often. Try and buy a really decent video card these days, now that's a ripoff. I recently upgraded to a GTX1650 4g OC $499 and still can't get the results I want. One day, when/if the prices of video cards drop I will buy a much better one.

I agree with some of the points made but regarding the legal aspect, this was not a general offer pit out there by mistake this was a targeted offer to a specific set of users. Even if there is no legal responsibility surely there is a moral one? They would have got an extra $400 out of us that most of us wouldn't otherwise have spent.

I'd of thought with the advancements made by the competition Reallusion would have wanted to retain their customer base. I've already stepped away from IC7 towards UE and this will likely be the final push. I won't be spending any more money with Reallusion, I've spent enough.

Also, based on the way wording is uses so far I now also assume that if we don't spend the full amount in the pre-sales campaign and just pur have IC8 when it comes out then we'll be slapped with costs to upgrade our add-ons? As it says in the pre sales campaign we'll get those free as part of it? Therfore not free if we don't? 

Great idea from Reallusion. Just around the time where UE5 and the next iteration of the Metahuman creator come out for free, slap the existing customer base with a huge cost to continue using their software. All the free advertising from the biggest content creators disappears. This could really tank them.