GameStop removing OnLive codes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution
GameStop employees are being told to "immediately remove and discard the OnLive coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution." Shacknews investigates.
The PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution includes free access to the streaming OnLive version. Good deal, right? Well, apparently not every retailer is happy with this gratis bonus. GameStop employees are being told to "immediately remove and discard the OnLive coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution."
OnLive Spot first posted the company memo, which adds: "our desire is not to have this coupon go to any customers after this announcement."
A GameStop representative told Shacknews that, yes, employees are being told to open new copies of the game and remove content that should come with the game. According to the rep, the retailer is entitled to this action as "Square Enix packed the competitor’s coupon with our DXHR product without our prior knowledge."
The aggressive action by GameStop comes just days after the company announced its plans to begin its own game streaming service, not unlike the service already offered by OnLive. These stronghold tactics make sense in that context, but how will consumers respond to company policy that intentionally removes content from a sealed box product?
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Shacknews
replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, GameStop removing OnLive codes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
GameStop employees are being told to "immediately remove and discard the OnLive coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution." Shacknews investigates.-
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and do people still buy them from gamestop?
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Yes, they do, and I went there begrudgingly because Best Buy did not stock it. To be clear, it's not that they sold out, it's that HQ decided not to ship any copies of the PC version to the store. Crazy.
Anyway, I walk in to Gamestop and they had plenty of token cases on the shelf, so I take one to the register and the guy goes to the back room to fetch it. He comes back and I notice the seal is broken on the case, so I said, "hey, that's a used copy," to which he replies, "no, it's new, we open all the game packs to make sure the discs are still seated properly."
He said a few other things but I didn't catch them over the sound of my bullshit alarm going off. I interrupted him and said, "seriously, get me a sealed copy or I'm walking out of here." He hesitated but went back to the back room and was there for quite a while. He came out saying there were no sealed copies left in stock, so I left.
Now I'm downloading it from Steam.
Seriously, it's like brick n' mortar stores are providing me with a luxurious limo ride headed in the opposite direction of their front doors.
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I love how they try to sell the copy that employees are permitted to take home and play as a "new" copy of the game.
If I wanted a copy of the game that had been in the hands of a dozen teenagers, I'd get a warez copy. I go to stores to buy things new.-
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I care, because another copy of the game that has been taken home and used by ONE person costs half the price. But the copy that ten different teenagers have taken home and played costs the same as a shrink wrapped copy.
They're trying to sell a used product that may be in worse condition than a normal used copy for a huge markup over a normal used copy.
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I'm pretty sure it's company policy that they open the boxes of ALL PC games they sell. Last time I tried to buy a PC game at a GameStop, a few years ago, I objected to buying a "new" product that had been opened, and they said they open all of them. I went to Best Buy and bought a sealed one.
With the majority of games coming with single-use codes or CD keys now, I just don't feel safe buying something that is open. -
They are open about it and it's all about loss prevention. Instead of people stealing the games with their boxes, they would just take the discs. Now they "gut" them and put empty boxes on the shelves. Although when I worked there it was only one or two copies (depending on the popularity of the game) there were to be gutted, the rest were in the back or the display case behind the counter.
This though, is pretty shitty.-
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Very weak, I agree. I'm in Canada, so I don't know if they are doing that here. Next time I'm the store I'll ask if they have to do it here as well. My Gamestop is actually a really good place, aside from the trade-in values of games and used prices. But I don't buy used, so it's not a huge deal to me.
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Hence why I have boycotted Gamestop for the past 3 years...
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Yeah, while I don't agree with their business practice of selling used games at almost-new prices and fucking over the publishers/developers, it's this shit that really turned me off of them. I simply don't trust them not to yank a CD-Key from a PC game, or scuff the disc on a console game.
One idiot had the gall to offer me scratch protection on a brand new game 'in case it was scratched while being moved from the paper sleeve into the new package you just bought'.
The upside is that most cities and towns which have a Gamestop, also have the bigger retailers like Walmart and Best Buy too, and you can just go buy it there.
This is the icing on the cake though; the fact they are removing items from brand-new copies to further their own agenda. I will never go there again.
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I can't imagine the publisher is okay with this.
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A friend of mine in the UK said the Game stores over there won't stock any game that's on Steam.
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I hope they crunched the numbers hard on that one. On its face it doesn't seem to make sense -- if you don't sell the games in the store you'll never make money from them and you force buyers to shop elsewhere. If you sell it in the store you will make money from them and you remain an option for those customers in the future, even if they'll have access to Steam.
It would be like a big box store not selling Blu-Ray players with Netflix/Amazon VOD because it could eat into the sales of BDs and DVDs. -
The thing GAME have been doing is threatening to not stock any Steamworks titles (or their console counterparts) unless they get to be the exclusive pre-order location for them.
For example, with Space Marine, you can only get the demo in the UK if you pre-order the game from GAME. You can't pre-order it on Steam, or grab the demo from there. And Steam wont be selling the game after release to UK peeps.
Its pretty fucking disgusting, and probably illegal. It just needs a publisher with balls to report them to the OFT for abusing their dominant market position (they are the only specialist game retail in existence after buying up all the competition). Their prices are also high, usually £5-£10 higher than rrp.
Amazon are great though. -
Calling bullshit on this.
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Its cool Gamestop, we all knew you stopped giving a shit about PC gamers a long time ago.
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I'm kinda bummed that online copies don't come with OnLive access, since it'd be nice to be able to play when I'm not on my home PC. That said, fuck Gamestop. I'm really sick of their anti-gamer, anti-developer bullshit.
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None of those options work if you want a game right now without having to deal with any other bullshit. There's a reason the middleman exists, because it makes life easier.
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You were talking specifically about used titles I thought.
I haven't purchased a PC game there in years, so this particular thing doesn't mean much to me, and even when buying new console games I tend to pre-order and buy on day one so I never get opened copies. -
And I have never ever understood the "I want a game now so ordering doesn't work" mindframe either, not in an era of amazon prime and federal express, I mean shit, when I preordered DEHR last month I wanted it right now. I got it the same day it was in the stores. Just because a retail b&m exists absolves anyone of planning ahead? What?
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It's just a matter of convenience. For one, I live in Hawaii, and no one offers release day shipping here. But also, Gamestop is literally less than a mile from my house.
If I want a game that I need to buy in physical form, I buy it there. It's just easier, costs me no more, and since I tend to pre-order I get it brand new with very little effort on my part.
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Is this kind of shit common all across the US? Makes me glad I don't need to go to a big chain to buy mine. The dvd store in town started selling games back when the laws changed for renting out games and they've done allright by me. Decent prices and no crazy stuff like this. Good local store that doesn't send out any advertisment, get a free rental or three for the prcie of one on your birthday. Always tries to order stuff for you when asked. Helps that none of the people that run the shop are hardcore gamers or corporate sellouts. And great opening hours, 13:30 to 21:00.
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This seems kinda weird considering that according to a commenter on the PC Gamer story about the coupons being included who contacted OnLive http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/24/get-onlive-with-deus-ex-human-revolution/ , OnLive said the coupon would only be included in copies purchased from gamestop.
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A line to try at the Gamestop counter: "This game box is opened; I can't give you full value for it."
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Man, if it wasn't for the stupid bonus mission on the Gamestop version, I haven't bought a game from there in years. I feel violated for having to buy it at gamestop to get the 'complete' experience..
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Unfortunately, that would only have mattered to Gamestop if it had been done and publicized before the game came out. As it stands, Gamestop already has all the preorder money.
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If I was square enix, I would sue. I don't see how it's within the purview of the retailer to modify the product sold to the consumer. I think it's trivial to argue that the OnLive version of the game is part of what you are buying.
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I hope Onlive sues them
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I love the defenders comments. What a bunch of clueless assholes.
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Well I'm not buying from them again.
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If they don't want to sell the game with the coupon, they can choose to simply not sell the game at all or get a special version from Squenix. In what reality is it ok to just throw advertised features away from a product you're selling and then pretend like it's the full product?
Also, I find infuriating that they refer to it as their DXHR product. That's fucking ridiculous. -
this is stupid on many levels. for one, many of the larger publishers sale games, dlc, merchandise etc through there own online store. there are so many references to www.ea.com inside your average EA published game box, regardless of platform, that its impossible not have it "promote" something. sounds to me like they need to open every single game and tear out the back pages of the manuals, remove the marketting inserts, take a sharpie to the inner disc ring, ad nasuem because would that not be promoting a competeting service?
did not portal 2 for PS3 have some sort of Steam copy of portal 2 activation code in the box? that is surely competing.
i know im being a bit facetious here, but still-
Not to mention that Deus Ex is a Steamworks game anyway right? So doesn't it inherently support Steam, a direct competitor to Gamestop?
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Look at all the people defending GS. All employees I am betting.
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I bet these codes are going to end up in hands of others.
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But then how are people going to buy used games for $55 instead of $60 new?!
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When my roommate and I are running errands if he wants to go to Gamestop he always tells me why he wants to go just because he knows I hate them so much. It's pretty funny. I swear I'm not actually bitchy about it, and I have no problem stopping by a video game store even if I know I'm not going to buy anything because I'll just look at games and see if there's anything I might want to pick up someplace else, but we've been living together for so long that we know way too much about each other, so we have all these weird quirks like that.
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The PC Gamer version of this story says that GameStop copies were the only ones to get the code.
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/24/get-onlive-with-deus-ex-human-revolution/
If true that makes a little more sense - if Square Enix decided to only stuff the promotion in GameStop copies and didn't run it by GameStop first I can see why they'd feel justified in removing them (would also explain why they said "our DXHR product")
Has anyone purchased the game retail from elsewhere? Was there a code in the box?-
I received a code with the copy I purchased from Target. Plus a $10 Target gift card.
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I received a code in the copy I purchased at Target. Plus they gave me a $10 gift card.
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If they don't want to sell the product as it was intended to be sold, they should instead refuse to sell it until they sort things out with the publisher. The way they're handling the situation now is out of pure greed and it's not right in any way.
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As they should be. And that's GameStop's problem.
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lol, wtf GameStop. I hate that place so much.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but by opening ANY of the games (aka, software) aren't they "agreeing" to the EULA? Because I thought by opening the package that the software comes in binds the agreement to the user. So, if this is the case, does that mean that all software sold by Gamestop is in effect, licensed to them? as I said, I could be totally wrong, just going by assumptions here
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EULAs are stupid and no one really knows if they've even enforceable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrink_wrap_contract
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Threaten them with public nudity.
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Dispute the transaction and tell your CC company that they sold you an opened and incomplete product as new. Also, accuse them of fraud.
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yup this is what I'd do
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http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/Returns.aspx "Any product(s) that has been opened (taken out of its plastic wrap)."
Wow.. so, they're cancelling out their return policy even before the customer purchases it.
Store policy - http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/Store%20Return%20Policy.pdf doesn't seem any different. -
Actually, since it is steamworks you dont even need to beat it. Just use the code to activate on steam and then return.
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Somebody with some money please sue these fuckers. I hope somebody does. Oh, and Gamestop, you just lost a customer.
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The sheer balldacity of this is amazing. They are taking away value from their customers and charging the same price! That's fucking stealing in my book. They should have at least made that disclaimer to anyone purchasing. If I had no idea of this, bought the product and took it home and opened it and was counting on the coupon, I bet those fucktards and Gamestop wouldn't take it back because I had opened it.
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I question how the OnLive coupons are not an “essential function” of the game. It allows me to play the game on a lower-end system or, if I had their tv box, on my tv. You could argue that the only essential piece is the Steam key. Since you have to register it on Steam anyway, you must have an Internet connection and therefore be able to download through that. That means that having the sidc is non-essential. While the OnLive code is not the primary product, it still has significant value and should be included. The problem is that many people who would be aware there is this coupon are also probably aware that GameStop is not including it.
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If I had known ahead of time, I would have purchased at retail instead of through Steam because it's a steamworks game anyway and I'd want the OnLive code and the extra DLC mission too. It would easily be the best possible value.
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For anyone wondering how GameStop has the nerve to pull this stuff off, look at who's number five on this list: http://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/24/apple-tops-u-s-retail-chains-in-sales-per-square-foot/
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This doesn't mean much because sales per sq. foot doesn't mean much. They pack a lot of games in a small space, that much is true. More disturbing is that they pull in 2/3 of the Apple Store revenue. I'd love to see them shrivel away, but they are still a major channel for new games. As an aside, imagine how differently things would have gone if Origin had just targeted them instead of Steam.
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Yes, and they make more than 50% of their yearly profit via selling used games (often after a week) and the developers see no revenue on these sales.
I just hope the next gen consoles have a digital delivery service because that will spell the end of retail nonsense like selling used copies a week after release.-
We're talking approx $500m in revenue from used sales per year, btw.
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I dont understand why someone like EA doesn't use their large influence against all retailers who sell used games. Implement the same shit movie studios do now against netflix/redbox where they need to wait a month before it's available to rent. Demand that the retailers not sell used copies until 1 month after release date. Yes people can still use ebay etc, but this would help quite a bit.
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The fact that they *don't* do this should be telling. Clearly they see some advantage to allowing used game sales to continue, and personally, I agree.
If used console games go away, it's going to change my spending habits tremendously.-
It's about leverage. The pubs have *no* power to stop it. What are they going to do....withhold future games or delay them being sold to Gamestop? No. They are public companies and have to sell as many as they can.
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If this were true, and they wished they could stop it, wouldn't they at least not be making exclusive DLC/pre-order deals with a company they view as destroying their potential profits?
I mean, I get what you're saying, but the actions publishers *DO* take sure don't seem to suggest they see Gamestop as a problem at all.-
they make pre order deals and dlc deals as an attempt to sell as many pre orders as possible. they have no choice but to do business with teh devil.
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No more $5 footlongs.
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And, used sales are great, and we all want them but in an ideal world two things would happen: 1) a time delay to sell used games and 2) cut the pubs in on some profits. Gamestop isn't some mom and pop thrift store, or pawn shop, selling second hand games. They are also one of our primary product retailers. It's just a horrible conflict of interest.
Hopefully the next round of consoles offer digital delivery and brick and mortar can start it's real decline like Blockbuster did. Gamestop really has nowhere to go, like Netflix, though. I don't think an OnLive style streaming service is the future.-
The publishers must have done the math to see what type of hit they would take if they implemented something like this. I guess why risk it when things will all move to digital distribution anyhow eliminating used sales altogether.
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The general thought is that the problem will go away eventually via digital, but it's been an annoyance for a long, long time.
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Also bear in mind that even something colossal like Steam moves way way less units than retail for the large game releases. People love on it and love to use it, but the masses aren't using Steam and the bulk of units are still sold at Retail vs Digital.
Until it's locked into a console and is the primary way to purchase a game, retail will dominate.
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When people buy a used game 2 weeks after release, for the massive $5 discount, the pubs/devs see none of that money.
The telling figure, again, is that Gamestop makes approx 1 billion a year and > 50% of its revenue comes from used sales. That hurts the game development industry. Good for customers though.-
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It might not kill them but it does limit the amount of available resources a developer might set aside to launch a brand new title instead of just sequels to profitable titles.
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To bottom line it for you, the issue is time. Does Borders sell used Stephen King books, 2 weeks after his new book hits shelves?
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I'm sure they would if they could.
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So Bookmans is a national chain with a huge percentage of overall sales of books? Because otherwise, your post makes no fucking sense at all.
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Borders doesn't sell anything anymore
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Half-Priced Books sure as hell does. They sell copies within a day or two. They alse sell damaged non-returned inventory.
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Yeah, fuck developers and publishers wanting to get paid for their work!
Wait...wat?!?
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So basically 10 new copies are sold, and the publisher and developer profit. Then say 7 of those are returned. When the next 10 copies are to be sold, 7 of those will be used and thus only GS gets paid for them. So while the game is still new, new copies are gathering dust on the shelves in favor of used ones since people see the $5 lower price on those. Did I get it right?
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Just curious. Why should Gamestop not do this? What motivation do they have to cut profits and give them to someone else?
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Wow, Wal-Mart is not even on the list? Some heads must be rolling there.
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Walmart doesn't report numbers to anyone so thats probably why they aren't on the list.
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Friend brought up a good point. Why didn't Gamestop remove the Steam keys from the PS3 version of Portal 2?
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Because GameStop had prior knowledge of that.
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Assumption or is that a usual thing?
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Probably an assumption but we do know that this happened in the past:
1. COD6:MW2 was announced
2. GameStop carried the PC version on their website for preordering
3. COD6 PC was announced to have Steamworks
4. GameStop and others pulled the PC version from being able to be preordered
5. Tense words were exchanged between Activision/Steam and GameStop
6. GameStop reinstates COD6 on their website
7. COD6 goes on retail sale two days before placed-through-Steam orders unlock. Retail copies work on Steam on that day, but placed-through-Steam orders don't
So the assumption to take away from this is that GameStop and others balked at stocking a product containing a competitor, but the compromise was made that the retail versions unlock sooner to appease them.
Ergo, while I'm not defending GameStop here, Square likely knew that this was the sort of thing they'd oppose so they didn't announce it ahead of time. GameStop chose to let them know that they were willing to remove the vouchers since they have the physical product.
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Number of people who would rebuy the PS3 version if the key weren't there vs number of potential Impulse/Spawn Labs users who wouldn't try it if they were already attached to OnLive?
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If they had a problem with the coupon, this is what they should have done first.
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I wonder if some exec had cold feet about being "the only retailer to not stock Deus Ex PC on release day", and thought it would be a PR disaster... only to end up walking into the PR disaster that resulted anyway.
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Oh I have no doubt that's why they did this. I think it would have been far more to their advantage though, if they were going to be all bitchy about the OnLive thing, to not stock the game and then publicize why and how they felt slighted by Squenix.
I don't think anyone would have had much sympathy for them, but it would have done less damage to their image than this.
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They bought them AND Impulse. As though one online game service wasn't enough: http://www.shacknews.com/article/67981/gamestop-buys-impulse-spawn-labs
How long do you think they'll run Impulse before shutting it down for whatever Spawn Labs is developing?-
Spawn Labs is a streaming service a la OnLive. Impulse is traditional digital distribution. They are complementary.
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That's only like 8 copies anyways. I went in to the local Gamestop today to ask about the onlive thing and they said they only received 1 copy for a pre-order. They thought it was complete bullshit though and didn't remove the key before they sold it.
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Where is this mythical "rational Gamestop location"? I must confirm its existence.
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Braintree
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For the love of fuck, PLEASE stop supporting Gamestop people. The sooner they go out of business the better.
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That's not going to happen anytime soon. I wish it would, but it's not.
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My bandwidth cap says Gamestop will be around for a long time.
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why do you think they already bought Impulse and Spawn Labs? They're not Blockbuster, no one has already owned the space they want to be in except Steam on PC.
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Blockbuster had its own DVD-mail service. They made attempts to reform their business, but it was too little, too late. The same is true of Gamestop. Currently, 99.9% of Gamestop's revenue is in retail console sales, but when and if consoles shift to digital distribution, Gamestop will be left out. Their future is in the PC, but Steam has already claimed that territory. Origin is a legitimate threat to Steam because it has exclusive games that players want, but Gamestop is not a publisher. Impulse will never take off because it doesn't have a killer app.
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Blockbuster had its own DVD by mail service when Netflix had long since eaten their lunch in that space. Who's currently owning the digital delivery of console games? No one, so the case is completely different.
As far as revenues http://allthingsd.com/20110519/gamestop-breaks-out-of-the-box-by-increasing-digital-revenues-53-percent-in-the-first-quarter/
Additionally, it’s on track to hit $450 million in digital revenues this year and $1.5 billion by 2014.
And they just acquired Impulse and Spawn Labs so that you'll be able to go to Gamestop.com, look at the product page for Little Big Planet and click 'play in browser' and get an instant 30 minute trial then and there, and then with one click you'll have it delivered digitally to your console or PC. A subscription will net you free streaming copies of all the Gamestop games you own. All under the brand with the most exposure to mainstream gamers and largest physical presence (physical games aren't going away in the next few years).
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if there was a better place that did preorders maybe but gamestop is across the street from where i live, $5 to preorder and they call me the day before to confirm that i can pick up my game the next day. i'm not preordering online anymore. most places here will ship through canada post and it'll take a week to get my game unless i pay 10 bucks for shipping.
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