GameStop, I hate you. Developers providing exclusives I hate you.

OK developers I’ve heard enough. If you don’t like used game sales, stop giving GameStop exclusive (and often game altering) preorder bonuses. There you go.   Problem solved. Now I’m going to go pay $5 to download the Lost Planet 2 maps because I didn’t buy it from GameStop.

OK developers I’ve heard enough. If you don’t like used game sales, stop giving GameStop exclusive (and often game altering) preorder bonuses. There you go.   Problem solved. Now I’m going to go pay $5 to download the Lost Planet 2 maps because I didn’t buy it from GameStop.

You are a goddamn genius.

"

OK developers I’ve heard enough. If you don’t like used game sales, stop giving GameStop exclusive (and often game altering) preorder bonuses. There you go.   Problem solved. Now I’m going to go pay $5 to download the Lost Planet 2 maps because I didn’t buy it from GameStop.

"

Do you HAVE to have the maps to play online, ala Halo 3?  If so, that's some bullshit. 
 
Modern Warfare has always had the best option for this:  you can DL the map packs, but if someone in your party doesn't have those maps, then it just doesn't show them.  It's not like Bad Company 2, which kicks anyone without the VIP map codes out of your party...or Halo 3, which cuts off playlists because you don't have the map packs. 
 
Moreover, making this map pack an add-in for pre-ordering is slightly ridiculous, and especially because so many people are just now finding out about it. 
 
Yes, it is worrisome that publishers are complaining about used game stores, then giving used game stores exclusives for new games.  What incentive are they really giving people to stop buying used games WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO GO INTO USED GAME STORES?! 
 
If you can still play the online in LP2 with no interruptions, then I don't understand your complaint.  If you can't, then I think it's totally justified.

" Do you HAVE to have the maps to play online, ala Halo 3?  If so, that's some bullshit.  Modern Warfare has always had the best option for this:  you can DL the map packs, but if someone in your party doesn't have those maps, then it just doesn't show them.  It's not like Bad Company 2, which kicks anyone without the VIP map codes out of your party...or Halo 3, which cuts off playlists because you don't have the map packs.  Moreover, making this map pack an add-in for pre-ordering is slightly ridiculous, and especially because so many people are just now finding out about it.  Yes, it is worrisome that publishers are complaining about used game stores, then giving used game stores exclusives for new games.  What incentive are they really giving people to stop buying used games WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO GO INTO USED GAME STORES?!  If you can still play the online in LP2 with no interruptions, then I don't understand your complaint.  If you can't, then I think it's totally justified. "

GameStop makes the majority of their money on used game sales. The problem is when you buy from GameStop you're always encouraged to trade in your games for a "huge" discount on the latest and greatest. 
 
Preorders are great for everyone. You have a reserved copy, the developers and the providers  have a confirmed sale. Until you take into account the trading in of used games to buy the preordered game.

" GameStop makes the majority of their money on used game sales. The problem is when you buy from GameStop you're always encouraged to trade in your games for a "huge" discount on the latest and greatest.   Preorders are great for everyone. You have a reserved copy, the developers and the providers  have a confirmed sale. Until you take into account the trading in of used games to buy the preordered game. "

" @The_Laughing_Man:   my issue is the developers providing exclusive content to a company that will give you extra trade-in credit for your used games toward the preorder. "

God of war 3 was the worst with this. 5 different costumes and the only way to get them is to preorder from a certain store? Fuck that, thanks for getting rid of any re-playability in your game.

My good friend, please reconsider your words. It is not the developers at fault, it is the publishers. They are the ones selling out the developer to GameStop. 
 
GameStop and their exclusive DLC bonuses should be illegal. They make is you must purchase an upcoming game from them if you want to a complete game. 
And to top it off, I bet most of the DLC they tout is already on the disc you purchased.

It's just that developers hate when you buy their game used at gamestop, but they love it when you trade in some other developer's game to buy their game new at gamestop.  So they are conflicted, and maybe being a bit hypocritical.Its simply a business move, its not about what's right or wrong.

That doesn't make sense. The games Gamstop is getting to sell used aren't necessarily the ones that they get from their new game sales.  
 
It also won't hurt them as much as you think cause most of their revenue comes from used game sales, which, again, the supply of which doesn't necessarily come from gamestop new game sales.

Or you could look at this in a different way - they give the pre-order deals to GameStop to get people to buy the game new and get bonuses for doing it instead of waiting a day after release and getting it used.  But they are still walking them into a used game store.

" GameStop makes the majority of their money on used game sales. The problem is when you buy from GameStop you're always encouraged to trade in your games for a "huge" discount on the latest and greatest.   Preorders are great for everyone. You have a reserved copy, the developers and the providers  have a confirmed sale. Until you take into account the trading in of used games to buy the preordered game. "

All preorders do is part you from your money earlier than normal. The only situation where preordering actually makes sense is if you are buying the game with GS credit and you want the game on day 1, since they never carry enough of the game on release day.

I hear your argument, and while I really hate the whole "store exclusive" preorder stuff, I don't mind preorder bonuses on the whole. The real kick in the teeth for me is that not all retailers are available to all of us and if one of the exclusive preorder bonuses is at one of those retailers then some people just get that option cut off completely. I understand their idea of giving the consumer a choice, but when I'm getting a preorder bonus I'm not even interested in because the one I really want is at a retailer I cannot access then that just sucks. Why not make all preorder bonuses the same across all stores and then just have that SAME preorder bonus as paid DLC for people who didn't preorder?
 
This is my main beef with Gamestop. They consistently get the biggest and arguably best preorder bonuses. It doesn't seem to be shared equally with other retailers. In fact, a lot of the time they get the ONLY preorder bonus for a game leaving other retailers with nothing to offer.
 
As far as it affects the "trade in" scheme, I think there is somewhat of a conflict of interest, but it seems smaller in the grand scheme of things when you realize that without Gamestop pushing their games, devs/publishers would see a fraction of the sales they currently see in the US. It's an unavoidable fact that Gamestop is the largest retail chain in North America for video games. You're shooting yourself in the foot to not sell with them. So at some point I guess you just have to try and work with them, and their practices that undermine your business, as best you can. Apparently by giving them unique preorder bonuses to try and push your new game sales.

Other than the fact that it's a flithy monopoly it's limited to US citizens ; inaccessible to other people! 

I just hate pre-order bonuses in general.  They're often times stupid but I find myself looking forward to them.

I've been known to tell the GameStop clerks I would sooner throw my games in the garbage than allow them to give me 5 or 10 credit for something they will turn around and sell for 40 bucks or more.   
 
I've worked in a position where I was buying things from customers and then reselling them later and it is a tricky thing to get right but there is no incentive for me here.  The deals they offer just don't help me (trade in these games to get this other game you already have cheaper). 
 
That being said, in the past I once trade in all my games simply because I was pretty broke and was looking for any cash I could get my hands on so that single dollar for my game was worth it for me when I had a few dozen games all at once.  Plus I could tell by the clerks exasperated look that he hated me for making him take the time to to deal with all these low value games.  I got a few bucks I desperately needed and made his life hell for a bit.  Normally, having worked retail, I take pity on clerks and try not to make things difficult but I considered this a win. 
 
As for preorder bonuses, they are just that. . .  bonuses.  I decide to buy a game for what comes in the package regardless of where I buy it.  Sure store X might offer something neat with it but if X = GameStop I buy it elsewhere.  As for cost (and trade ins reducing cost), I know we all don't have a lot of disposable income and that is why I pick my purchases carefully.  However, I can afford to pay full price and support the people who made the game rather than support GameStop, so that's what I do.

Yeah, these preorder exclusives are really getting out of hand. It's completely retarded. I'm okay with preorders giving you early access to stuff that might take a while to unlock in a game otherwise, but when it's completely exclusive, that's just wrong.

Don't buy from GameStop.  I force myself to ignore all pre-order bonuses they have (and some I have wanted.)  If you are going to take a stand you can't play both sides of the fence.   I would love to find a way to end the used game market (digital distribution) but since I cannot end it myself I do what I can to not support it. I can't end animal cruelty but I can be a vegetarian (OK not the best analogy.)

 
I'm sorry, but I guess I'm one of those who like to buy used.
 
I've gotten most of my Shin Magami Tensei games used because you can only get them really off the internet new. And I don't have an internet account, besides that, if I can get a game for half price used... fuck it, I'm buying. I'm cool with bonuses, right now i'm excited as hell for the preorder bonus for P3P. I'm getting that Junpei hat.
 
You guy's don't have to buy from Gamestop, go somewhere else, order online, but no where else, NO WHERE in my town sells the games I like and gamestop does.
 
They've treated me good, so I buy from them. Simple.
 
I don't see how everyone has all these issues with GS.. i love their used game isles, it saves me money. I like saving money.

I'm ok with the concept of store exclusive. I have no beef with GameStop. I just wished they shipped games to Brazil. After so many year I no longer resent not being able to get those exclusive bonus.