GameStop Forcibly Removing OnLive Coupons from Deus Ex PC Copies, Because They're GameStop [UPDATED]

I knew there was a reason why my foot hadn't stepped inside a Gamestop in 2 years. Doesn't look like that's going to change either since Amazon and Best Buy have me covered.

Im not going to question whether or not this is legal.  However, I cant help but wonder if this violates the code of ethics that businesses are expected to follow.
 
Regardless, this is a very short sighted move by Gamestop.  They are launching their own version of Onlive, however wont they need the publishing companies to sign off on their games being used by Gamestop's service?  Didnt GS just essentially just shoot themselves in the foot here?
 
In the meantime, I think the appropriate response on the part of both Eidos and SE would be to deny GS advanced copies of future release titles such as Final Fantasy 14-2 and Assassin's Creed: Revelations.

They should at least provide an Impulse download code to make up for the content 
they are removing for their cusomers. are the going to stop selling microsoft points? Xbox Live Marketplace sells dlc which gamestop sometimes also offers in store?

@Xeirus said:

@Example1013 said:

@Xeirus said:

@Example1013 said:

Yeah, so Eidos sneaks in OnLive coupons into physical copies and we get pissed at GameStop for not wanting to give away free coupons to a competing business, instead of Eidos or OnLive for trying to undercut GameStop's sales.

What???????? Eidos isn't sneaking shit, it's their game and they can do whatever the hell they want. Gamestop has no right to tamper with a product before it's sold and then act like it's brand new. It's flat out lying, and the fact that you even try to understand this is beyond ridiculous.

The "product" they're selling is a single-use license in physical form. The coupon included isn't a part of that license, so they can do whatever they damn well please with it, especially if they didn't know about it beforehand. You don't like it? Tough. It sounds like you don't shop there anyways, so it's really none of your concern. Stop acting like they lied to you. Or I guess it's also a problem that Eidos opened the box to put the coupon in? It's not like games are magically teleported into a shrinkwrapped copy straight out of the factory.

I really hope you're trolling, because the stupidity coming out of your mouth is amazing. BTW, tell me what people who shop at Gamestop "sound" like, because that's a pretty interesting opinion you gathered, that because I didn't buy this game from them I have no right to be offended by shitty practices? Get real man. Truth be told I bought the game from Amazon about 5 mins after this story was posted at the suggestion of a Giantbomb post. So no matter what you might think stuff like this DOES matter.

Oh no, you're offended? Well that changes everything. GameStop should change all their policies to line up with your moral code, and I was very clearly in the wrong if you were offended.

Tell me to "get real". I'm not the one getting butthurt about a store I didn't buy from enacting a policy that has nothing to do with me, and making angry posts in the comments of a news article. You don't like it? Great! Go shop somewhere else, just like you did for Deus Ex. You can spend your money however you'd like, and you can have whatever opinion you want to. I don't have a problem with this, and it won't be affecting my future purposes. I'm sure there are plenty of people who just don't care, same as me. If I want the OnLive coupon I can just buy it somewhere else, and maybe GameStop won't remove things from the package I might want. It's their decision to remove it, and it's not especially terrible. It's my decision to purchase it, and if I want that OnLive coupon, I can just go anywhere else.

Shit happens I guess.

@Xeirus said:

@Emmzyne said:

@Xeirus: Ironic thing is though, would anyone have cared if they had an OnLive code in their copy of Deus Ex? Or, if this didn't leak out, would anyone have known better? This is just baffling.

Honestly I've been curious about OnLive, I've never cared enough to pay for it, but a free trial? Sure I'll give it a go. Me personally I've never bought a new game that was not still sealed, even the (very) few I've purchased from Gamestop. I can't believe -anyone- would be ok with this, the first thing I would see when buying the game is that there is no wrap on it. Even if they -wouldn't- have taken out the coupon, don't open my shit before I even buy it, that's annoying and defeats the purpose of that "new game" feeling. It's sad people wouldn't mention this when they purchase a launch day title with no wrap....... Chances are no one notices or cares, but that doesn't make it any less wrong, if anything (to me) it makes it more so, because they feel like they can do whatever they want with "my" product and I'm expected to just accept it. That might be fine for some, but that's surely not the case when I spend $50+ on something. Like Alex stated in the article, there's a gajillion places to buy, they just make it easier to decide.

It also is very hypocritical of them to say that they will not accept any game as new the second that seal is broken but they can go an open a game box, do whatever the fuck they want with it and seal it back up and charge you $60 for it. Its more the mentality and respect for the consumer that people here are angry about as they should be.

@Getz said:

Yeah, this would be tragic if there weren't 10 other places you can get a PC version of this game. Show those fuckers what you think of their anti-competitive bullshit and buy it somewhere else

The correct response to this story right here.

@Xeirus said:

@Example1013 said:

@Xeirus said:

@Example1013 said:

Yeah, so Eidos sneaks in OnLive coupons into physical copies and we get pissed at GameStop for not wanting to give away free coupons to a competing business, instead of Eidos or OnLive for trying to undercut GameStop's sales.

What???????? Eidos isn't sneaking shit, it's their game and they can do whatever the hell they want. Gamestop has no right to tamper with a product before it's sold and then act like it's brand new. It's flat out lying, and the fact that you even try to understand this is beyond ridiculous.

The "product" they're selling is a single-use license in physical form. The coupon included isn't a part of that license, so they can do whatever they damn well please with it, especially if they didn't know about it beforehand. You don't like it? Tough. It sounds like you don't shop there anyways, so it's really none of your concern. Stop acting like they lied to you. Or I guess it's also a problem that Eidos opened the box to put the coupon in? It's not like games are magically teleported into a shrinkwrapped copy straight out of the factory.

I really hope you're trolling, because the stupidity coming out of your mouth is amazing. BTW, tell me what people who shop at Gamestop "sound" like, because that's a pretty interesting opinion you gathered, that because I didn't buy this game from them I have no right to be offended by shitty practices? Get real man. Truth be told I bought the game from Amazon about 5 mins after this story was posted at the suggestion of a Giantbomb post. So no matter what you might think stuff like this DOES matter.

Oh no, you're offended? Well that changes everything. GameStop should change all their policies to line up with your moral code, and I was very clearly in the wrong if you were offended.

Tell me to "get real". I'm not the one getting butthurt about a store I didn't buy from enacting a policy that has nothing to do with me, and making angry posts in the comments of a news article. You don't like it? Great! Go shop somewhere else, just like you did for Deus Ex. You can spend your money however you'd like, and you can have whatever opinion you want to. I don't have a problem with this, and it won't be affecting my future purposes. I'm sure there are plenty of people who just don't care, same as me. If I want the OnLive coupon I can just buy it somewhere else, and maybe GameStop won't remove things from the package I might want. It's their decision to remove it, and it's not especially terrible. It's my decision to purchase it, and if I want that OnLive coupon, I can just go anywhere else.

I like the Beagle boys reference

I don't get how you can just do that. I'd love for Onlive to fuck them over for this, but they won't, and probably can't.

Man, the game industry is shady as shit.

@truckington said:

@blacklab said:

I don't have a problem with this. How can the publisher expect retailers like Gamestop to advertise the competition? That's just silly. I don't think Best Buy would be willing to sell a game with a Gamestop coupon in it.

Even if you look at it from that point of view, the correct response would then be to pull all the games from the shelves and stop selling them until they worked it out with Eidos/Square-Enix. They shouldn't be allowed to go in and remove things from the package just because they don't like it.

Shouldn't be allowed by who? It's GameStop's store and GameStop's property. They can do what they like as long as it doesn't result in them misrepresenting the product to the customer.

Who has a retail copy of Human Revolution? Is the inclusion of an OnLive code advertised on the box?

If I want the OnLive coupon I can just buy it somewhere else, and maybe GameStop won't remove things from the package I might want. It's their decision to remove it, and it's not especially terrible. It's my decision to purchase it, and if I want that OnLive coupon, I can just go anywhere else.

 
 

Its bullshit like this that makes me glad Vita games will be digital as well as physical.  Long live digital downloads!

And remember, Gamestop is the same store that will not give you a full refund for an open game...however they are perfectly willing to sell you an open one for full price. There's a lot of different angles here.

Who has a retail copy of Human Revolution? Is the inclusion of an OnLive code advertised on the box?

Alex, no one writes a scathing article like you do. I love it.

They better be selling the games for used prices.

My copy came sealed and with OnLive coupons, thank the good fucking game god. if I read about this, I'd go make a fuss. Under no circumstances should me NEW copy of a videogame be opened. Never, ever unseal that packaging and then sell it at full price. Ugh, fuck. 
 
EDIT: Actually nevermind, the typo is funny.

@somethingdumb: they're not they're selling them at full price

I donno, something seems downright illegal. They arn't even peeling something off the surface of the box.

@Jimbo said:

@truckington said:

@blacklab said:

I don't have a problem with this. How can the publisher expect retailers like Gamestop to advertise the competition? That's just silly. I don't think Best Buy would be willing to sell a game with a Gamestop coupon in it.

Even if you look at it from that point of view, the correct response would then be to pull all the games from the shelves and stop selling them until they worked it out with Eidos/Square-Enix. They shouldn't be allowed to go in and remove things from the package just because they don't like it.

Shouldn't be allowed by who? It's GameStop's store and GameStop's property. They can do what they like as long as it doesn't result in them misrepresenting the product to the customer.

Who has a retail copy of Human Revolution? Is the inclusion of an OnLive code advertised on the box?

I'm pretty sure it's not in their right to take things out of a packaged product like that. They're already opening sealed products and selling them as new which walks a fine line of legality itself. I wouldn't be surprised if they got slapped with some kind of lawsuit from Onlive for something like a bait and switch/ anti-consumer or whatever the fuck. As a matter of fact, I bet the guys over at Onlive are keeping quiet because they are exploring all their legal options.

Well that sucks but I have never had an issue with gamestop so this will have no impact on me.

@Ashtwin said:

@Jimbo: Youre only half right. The game is NOT property of Gamestop. If SE and Eidos were to tell GS to pull all copies of the game off the shelf, GS would have no choice but to comply.

How's it work then? I always assumed stores were buying games at wholesale price and then selling them on again with a markup.

@siddarth0605: When I worked there, the opened new games weren't resealed. The "New" sticker went directly on the opened case.

It's a good thing I bought this from Target. I was going to buy it from Gamestop but now I'm glad I didn't.

@somethingdumb: they're not they're selling them at full price

@ch13696 said:

@benu302000: They did. It's an their Facebook page and no one is happy about it at all.

http://www.facebook.com/GameStop

They actually deleted the earlier post, along with all of the negative comments, and then reposted it. I'm sure they'll do it again soon.

@ch13696 said:

@benu302000: They did. It's an their Facebook page and no one is happy about it at all.

http://www.facebook.com/GameStop

They actually deleted the earlier post, along with all of the negative comments, and then reposted it. I'm sure they'll do it again soon.

This article seems a bit skewed.

Watching this raging inferno grow is so much fun. While I'm a fan of used game sales, trading games, and sharing games with my friends, I've always found gamestop to be an offensive place to shop and I avoid it like the plague. This is surreal to see them stealing from consumers like this. It's no different than removing the steam code in ps3 copies of Portal 2. I guess they though they could get away with this since it wasn't that big a game?

Don't shop here. Ever.

And for crying out loud, can the games industry stop promoting so many games through this store? How about not spending tons of money on game informer artices? How about not paying gamestop to advertise your game on their shelves. How about not offering pre-order dlc through them. How about not selling them any more new games!? As much as the industry likes to complain about this store they can't seem to get enough of them every time they are making a new game.

Go fuck yourself Gamestop. So happy that I haven't bought anything from them in years (and never plan to again).

Oh this is delicious!

They obviously can't push around Steam so instead they target Onlive.

@Ashtwin said:

@Jimbo: Youre only half right. The game is NOT property of Gamestop. If SE and Eidos were to tell GS to pull all copies of the game off the shelf, GS would have no choice but to comply.

How's it work then? I always assumed stores were buying games at wholesale price and then selling them on again with a markup.

 As much as the industry likes to complain about this store they can't seem to get enough of them every time they are making a new game.

@Mordi said:

This article seems a bit skewed.

Really? What gave you that idea?

@Example1013: Mind boggling.

You're defending opening a sealed copy of a product prior to selling it to the customer as "new" and unsealed, and stealing the code inside. You cannot sell an incomplete product on purpose.You just can't. Whoever made the product decides what it comes with, and the customer has a right to expect that to be the part of the package. No matter how unsignificant, dumb or trivial this detail is. If you don't like the whole package, then don't sell that product in your store.

You're argumenting this for the sake of argumenting it. You're playing the devil's advocate, while it's clear they're stealing something from your copy of the game. Simply astonishing. But sure, if you don't mind that, maybe they need to go a step further. Because if we won't say anything now, they will. But hey, this is the internet, I'm sure I won't convince you. So think what you want to think.

I can see why they are doing it....... 
 
 
....but I find it fucking disgusting! 
 
how dare they break the seal and sell as new. 
How dare they remove content. 
I believe in america you like to sue people well someone should sue gamestop.

@Alex said:

being the soulless caricatures of humanity's horrendous insatiability and inhumanity toward their fellow man that they are

I think I shed a tear. My mirth knew no bounds.

@Tumbler said:

Watching this raging inferno grow is so much fun. While I'm a fan of used game sales, trading games, and sharing games with my friends, I've always found gamestop to be an offensive place to shop and I avoid it like the plague. This is surreal to see them stealing from consumers like this. It's no different than removing the steam code in ps3 copies of Portal 2. I guess they though they could get away with this since it wasn't that big a game?

Don't shop here. Ever.

And for crying out loud, can the games industry stop promoting so many games through this store? How about not spending tons of money on game informer artices? How about not paying gamestop to advertise your game on their shelves. How about not offering pre-order dlc through them. How about not selling them any more new games!? As much as the industry likes to complain about this store they can't seem to get enough of them every time they are making a new game.

They probably weren't duped into the Portal 2 thing, and probably aren't that concerned about Steam anymore anyway. I can't say for sure that they were duped into this OnLive thing either, but it does seem to me to be the most likely explanation - why would they ever knowingly agree to this? Assuming they didn't agree to it, then I think it's pretty underhanded of the publisher to try and pull this on them, knowing they would never have agreed to it had they known.

And no, the industry can't do that, because between GameStop and Game Informer (same company), they wield far too much influence to just dismiss out of hand. Which is unfortunate.

It's the publishers decision to include stuff like this with a game. It shouldnt be GameStop's decision to take it out. Absolutely disgusting.

@Example1013 said:

@onarum said:

@Example1013 said:

@TwoLines: Care to find the Code that this violates? I'm genuinely interested in seeing what law makes this illegal, what the penalties are, and what other things it pertains to.

So you're okay with the fact that they are forcibly removing a coupon to a service you would otherwise get for free just because they don't want you to use it? I don't care it's against the "law" or not, it's wrong all the same.

I don't particularly like it, but it's not illegal, and it's not really that bad of a thing to do. They could've gotten units without the code and there would be no issue, so as far as I can tell this is just dealing with an unresolved issue from pre-orders, either through them not knowing or them being backed into a corner by pre-order sales. It's not like they're lying about what they're giving you or selling your information or anything.

Would it count as lying if the sold you the game without the Steam Code and the Onlive code? Because both are supposed to be in there. What else can gamestop remove without doing anything wrong? DLC Codes? Online Pass Codes? Manuals? Are they only required to sell you a box and it's buyer beware, you should have checked to make sure there was something in it!

I get the feeling there a quite a few Gamestop employees running damage control in online forums (good luck with that).

The funny part is that the game uses Steamworks as it's DRM, so even after tampering with it, Gamestop is still essentially promoting a competitor.

@TwoLines:I think the whole pt. is that GS did not know there was competitive advertising in this product, and therefore was not given the choice to not sell this product on their shelves. They're just doing something shitty to combat something that was equally as shitty done to them. It's all shitty.

Never ceases to amaze me.