Deus Ex Human Revolution: DO NOT BUY AT GAMESPOT

[Arrqh]

This pisses me off to no end.

If you purchase your copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at a retail store, you're supposed to receive a code that allows you to play the game for free using the online gaming service OnLive. It's a neat giveaway, and it certainly gives gamers an incentive to try the service, but a leaked memo seems to show GameStop's fear of digital delivery: employees are allegedly being asked to open every game and remove the coupon.

The e-mail came from Josh Ivanoff, a Field Operations Manager with GameStop. "Please immediately remove and discard the On Live [sic] coupon from all regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution," the memo states. "Our desire is to not have this coupon go to any customers after this announcement." Here's a copy of the letter, with Mr. Ivanoff's contact information removed.

Full article. Essentially, because OnLive is a competing service Gamespot is removing the free coupon from all the copies of the game in their store because they don't want to compete with them. Gamespot has a history of crummy practices, but this is just absolutely pathetic.

Ars contacted GameStop, and they confirmed the practice: since OnLive is a competing service, GameStop customers won't get the code. Sick.

From Twitter

 

[Robert Maxwell]

It's GameStop, not GameSpot. Two different companies!

Pretty fucking shitty, though.

 

[Arrqh]

Whoops, my bad. I was blinded by rage!

 

[Lindley]

I don't understand. If you've already bought the game in a store, what is the benefit of letting you get the digitally-delivered version for free as well?

It just seems like common sense that once you own it you should be able to access an online copy from anywhere. Blizzard does that.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Isn't it fraudulent to open the package, remove something, then sell it as "new"? I would think once the box is opened you cannot actually call it "new" anymore. At the least, Squeenix has gotta be super pissed.

I don't understand. If you've already bought the game in a store, what is the benefit of letting you get the digitally-delivered version for free as well?

It just seems like common sense that once you own it you should be able to access an online copy from anywhere. Blizzard does that.

I dunno how you normally buy your games but the vast majority of the time this is not the case. A physical copy is a physical copy and a digital copy is a digital copy--buying one does not entitle you to the other.

Some games do give you a digital copy if you buy a physical copy, but that's the exception, not the rule.

 

[Arrqh]

I don't understand. If you've already bought the game in a store, what is the benefit of letting you get the digitally-delivered version for free as well?

OnLive is more then just a digital distribution service. The game is actually being played on their servers and only the video and audio is being streamed to you. You don't need gaming capable hardware to play the game, just a fast enough internet connection. There's even a client for Android and iOS devices.

This sort of thing is a direct threat to Gamestop, because if people play their games that way they don't need to buy consoles and games from them. Therefore, the free coupon was removed from retail boxes to keep them out of customers hands. Which seems to me like blatant anti-competitive behavior, aside from the fact that they're removing parts of the merchandise that they're selling and trying to pass it off as new.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't understand. If you've already bought the game in a store, what is the benefit of letting you get the digitally-delivered version for free as well?

OnLive is more then just a digital distribution service. The game is actually being played on their servers and only the video and audio is being streamed to you. You don't need gaming capable hardware to play the game, just a fast enough internet connection. There's even a client for Android and iOS devices.

This sort of thing is a direct threat to Gamestop, because if people play their games that way they don't need to buy consoles and games from them. Therefore, the free coupon was removed from retail boxes to keep them out of customers hands. Which seems to me like blatant anti-competitive behavior, aside from the fact that they're removing parts of the merchandise that they're selling and trying to pass it off as new.

Wow, I didn't know that's how OnLive works. I figured they were just another Steam clone or something. That's pretty awesome, though I suspect most people don't have fast enough connections for it.

 

[Lindley]

This sort of thing is a direct threat to Gamestop, because if people play their games that way they don't need to buy consoles and games from them. Therefore, the free coupon was removed from retail boxes to keep them out of customers hands. Which seems to me like blatant anti-competitive behavior, aside from the fact that they're removing parts of the merchandise that they're selling and trying to pass it off as new.

It's also pointless. If the service takes off, pretty soon a few coupons here and there won't matter. If it doesn't, they've annoyed customers for no reason.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

This sort of thing is a direct threat to Gamestop, because if people play their games that way they don't need to buy consoles and games from them. Therefore, the free coupon was removed from retail boxes to keep them out of customers hands. Which seems to me like blatant anti-competitive behavior, aside from the fact that they're removing parts of the merchandise that they're selling and trying to pass it off as new.

It's also pointless. If the service takes off, pretty soon a few coupons here and there won't matter. If it doesn't, they've annoyed customers for no reason.

I don't think it's pointless. I'd never heard of OnLive before this. So, now I know what it is and will be keeping an eye on it!

 

[Owain Taggart]

What the hell? That's rather stupid of them. Why should they remove something that might be of value to a customer just because they have a fear of something? By doing that, they're pushing their philosophy onto the customer. If they're going to do that at all, they shouldn't be selling the game, period. Afterall, games that use Steam are still sold at retail. Granted, Steam is not quite the same thing, but the idea of it is. They're still both ways to purchase and play the game which can be considered competition.

 

[eastman23]

Isn't it fraudulent to open the package, remove something, then sell it as "new"? I would think once the box is opened you cannot actually call it "new" anymore. At the least, Squeenix has gotta be super pissed.

From what I understand, that's Gamestop's standard mode of practice with any game to cut down on theft (they store the discs/carts behind the counter). In fact, they have (in the past, not sure if it's still the case) let employees "rent" the games to play at home and still sell them as new in the store.

 

[eastman23]

Update: Gamestop is pulling all PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Videogame retailer GameStop has removed the Regular Edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for PC from its stores’ shelves following a whirlwind of controversy, it said Wednesday.

The company came under fire after telling its employees to open copies of Deus Ex and remove coupons for competing digital distribution service OnLive, which were included in the game’s packaging.

A GameStop representative told CNN it will not sell physical copies of the game until Square Enix packages it without the coupon.

I can still see Square Enix having some very strong words with Gamestop in the near future.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Update: Gamestop is pulling all PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Videogame retailer GameStop has removed the Regular Edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for PC from its stores’ shelves following a whirlwind of controversy, it said Wednesday.

The company came under fire after telling its employees to open copies of Deus Ex and remove coupons for competing digital distribution service OnLive, which were included in the game’s packaging.

A GameStop representative told CNN it will not sell physical copies of the game until Square Enix packages it without the coupon.

I can still see Square Enix having some very strong words with Gamestop in the near future.

I could see Squeenix pulling a big "fuck you" on GameStop and simply refusing to sell anything through them in the future. I wouldn't blame them at all if they went that route. Pulling stuff out of the box is seriously beyond the pale and has to be a violation of their contract.

 

[Brikar99]

Update: Gamestop is pulling all PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Videogame retailer GameStop has removed the Regular Edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for PC from its stores’ shelves following a whirlwind of controversy, it said Wednesday.

The company came under fire after telling its employees to open copies of Deus Ex and remove coupons for competing digital distribution service OnLive, which were included in the game’s packaging.

A GameStop representative told CNN it will not sell physical copies of the game until Square Enix packages it without the coupon.

I can still see Square Enix having some very strong words with Gamestop in the near future.

I could see Squeenix pulling a big "fuck you" on GameStop and simply refusing to sell anything through them in the future. I wouldn't blame them at all if they went that route. Pulling stuff out of the box is seriously beyond the pale and has to be a violation of their contract.

I don't know that they'd have much choice, considering they probably do a huge volume of business through Gamestop.

 

[Yminale]

Square Enix probably has no choice but take it in the chin. Deus Ex is going to be a money maker for them but the real moneymaker is going to be Final Fantasy XIII-2, Dragon Quest IX, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII which are all console games. They need Gamestop as a retailer in order to make sales and if they don't have a big Christmas, they are seriously screwed.

 

[scnj]

Squeenix comes out of this looking rather good:

“As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third party coupon," said the company in a statement. "GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies."
"Square Enix invites gamers who want to purchase the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution without additional coupons to buy the game at any one of over 4000 GameStop stores in North America," continued the statement, "or purchase a digital download copy online from www.gamestop.com. “

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Squeenix comes out of this looking rather good:

“As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third party coupon," said the company in a statement. "GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies."
"Square Enix invites gamers who want to purchase the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution without additional coupons to buy the game at any one of over 4000 GameStop stores in North America," continued the statement, "or purchase a digital download copy online from www.gamestop.com. “

Sounds more like they know GameStop has them by the balls and doesn't want to piss them off. A shame there's so little competition in the game retailing market.

 

[Yminale]

Sounds more like they know GameStop has them by the balls and doesn't want to piss them off. A shame there's so little competition in the game retailing market.

If you are a PC gamer you're lucky, you can buy it from a dozen online distributors. Amazon has it for $40. Plus if you must buy from a store you can always go to the big box stores like Target or Walmart. Then there is the darkside . People usually buy from Gamestop to get in store credit (or to use in store credit) and the vast majority are console gamers.

(BTW DX:HR requires an internet connection so no whining about not having the internet)

 

[Arrqh]

Sounds more like they know GameStop has them by the balls and doesn't want to piss them off. A shame there's so little competition in the game retailing market.

Yup. Square Enix isn't in the best financial situation at the moment and they probably can't afford to have a scuffle with one of the largest retail chains.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Upon further thinking, I think what complicates all this is the fact that Gamestop recently purchased Impulse, another online steam-like store, so there's definitely a conflict of interest there, and what do you know.... the two versions of the game are their best sellers on Impulse right now. Now, we know that Gamestop is removing the coupons, and nobody's mentioned it, but could they possibly be putting in coupons for Impulse at the same time? That'd be truly devious.