Scam

bondspy

Sounds like GameStop is once again scheming to get your money. Sure you can return the game whether you like it or not, but what if you just want to get your cash back, and move on with your life? This is being compared to a rental, but this is actually not as good. They offer you store credit back, which ultimately means that you are obligated to continue spending your hard-earned money at their store. Always a string attached eh GameStop? I wouldn't be surprised if GameStop District Manager Eric David set this up.

- The Spaniard
Editor in Chief,

"Don't Shop GameStop!!!"
Power to the Consumer

www.dontshopgs.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/gonzales007

bondspy

@Bishmon:

Your analysis is a little sketchy. First of all, you state that normally people would get $15 for trading a new game in right away. That's just not the case. For a game like Haze, they'd get more like $30-$35 the first week. As low as $25 if the game ends up getting crappy reviews and Gamestop expects to get a lot back quickly.

Secondly, there's no way all the people in your example are going to trade-in Haze for the full credit during the first week. Half would be generous.

Your example is also based on the first sale of the used copy and that's it. Gamestop's profit is based on selling the same copy through trade-in, purchase, trade-in, purchase over and over throughout the life of the game. The point of this promotion is to get used copies of Haze in immediately and allows Gamestop to not have to order as many new copies.

If 20 people pre-order Haze and they estimate 10 people will trade back in used copies within a week, that's that many less new copies they'll order. Then when people come in looking for the game they'll say
"Well, we don't have any new copies in stock but we do have these pristine, barely played used copies."

During the first couple of weeks a game is out it's usually extremely hard to find a used copy of a game, this helps to alleviate the problem and gets the game into the hands of people who are going to trade it back in at $25-$30 a couple weeks later.

It's all about compounding the profit. Gamestop wants to deal with selling new games as little as possible because there's next to no profit there. Your $50 wholesale price was generous. It's more like $52-$53 per game and then they have to pay to have the games shipped to the store. If they have to overnight a box of 8 copies of Condemned 2 to a store that sold out, that eats into the profit per copy even more.

I guarantee this is a test run for possibly making this a standard policy on games. Remember that Gamestop/EB used to allow you to return new games for a full refund within 7 days but they had to stop because they were sued for reselling those games as new. This is basically bringing that policy back (which people loved) only now, it helps them with their used business.

skullivan

Yep, people taking advantage of good natured business results in more restrictive business practices.

When a mom and her kid brings back a used game because it was too hard or their child didn't like it, it's pretty much ok, but when the target "Male, Teen" demo graph brings back AAA title after 6 days or the 7th day of the used purchase and says he doesn't like it and gets another AAA, that's when an eyebrow is raised and if he comes back, the return is refused.

Remember, even though it is policy, Gamestop employees (and Managers, more so) hold the right to refuse any transaction for any reason...

Ken

Here in germany you can buy any game you want at GameStop and return it within a week without reason (just saying you didn't like it is OK) and they give you your money back in cash not credit!
It's basicly a free rental if you're a jerk. But GameStop doesn't mind because while the costumer thinks he's screwing the store GameStop is screwing the publishers by just reselling their "used" copys at full price again making 100% profit of it! So it's actualy better for them to just allow you the return instead of buying it back. And as long as there's no law forcing them to keep record of which used games they're selling for full price they are probably not going to stop doing so any time soon. No wonder their Stock value is going through the roof. And no wonder more and more publishers are flirting with digital distribution!

platinum

People QQing about EB's old return policies need to blame themselves and fellow gamers for it going away. You know what really killed it?

The Playstation. No, seriously, as the second it became viable for people with a bit of a investment to copy PSone games, it spelled doom to the return policy. Back when I was working in 2001, we had people buy three-four brand new PSone games a week, then return them in 48 hours. One time when we opened the case to check, we found a burned copy, not the real game. The guy 'returning' them 'because he didn't like them' blushed and quickly pulled out the real disk and grabbed the burned copy and we had him kicked out and filed a complaint with the cops to keep him out. We later told the DM and he said it was happening all over the USA and HO was looking at taking measures against it.

You people have no one to blame for the death of a great policy but yourself.

Foxstar Sixtail

@kftgr: "Since Gamestop will be getting a ton of Haze back within the week, these used copies will have a great chance of being quickly sold for $55."

I wouldn't bet on it. ALL of Gamestop's trade-in prices are based on how quickly they think the game will sell. After the first two weeks of release, the odds of anyone buying a non-AAA title drops dramatically.

If tons of people are trading in Haze, that means it's horrible/short/bad reviews, and the odds of people buying ALL these freely traded-in copies is not good. Not to mention it's on PS3, and PS3 titles new OR used sold pretty poorly regardless (when I was there, all the way up until Halo 3's release).

They stand to lose $5 on all of these sales at the best, but they can easily lose more per copy if any remain by the time they drop in price.

-Either way, this is an awesome deal for anyone who wanted to try Haze, but didn't want to commit $60 to a game that may blow chunks. There's no way around it.

jynxycat

This might be a smart move for Gamestop.

The main benefit of doing this is that they only need to order enough from the distributors to satisfy the pre-orders. Also, the terms stipulate that the customer gets the pre-tax price back in store credit. At 5% tax, the consumer pays $63 to GS, but gets back $60 in credit. That's effectively selling the game back for $57.14, or $2.86+tax for a 1-week rental.

Since Gamestop will be getting a ton of Haze back within the week, these used copies will have a great chance of being quickly sold for $55.

How does their costs and revenue look in this situation? Don't know how much it costs GS to buy Haze, so guessing $50.

Costs:
$50 initial investment
$60 (1-week refund)
-----
$110

Revenue:
$60 (new Haze)
$55 (used Haze)
-----
$115

Profit = $5

In the normal situation, the figures would be:
Cost $50
Revenue $60
Profit $10

Does it seem like they make half the profits doing this? Not exactly. This offer works on volume, and many will bite at the thought of a "free" 7-day trial. Remember that the more preorders they get, the less they need to buy from the distributors.

kftgr

Here where i live they already do that with Used Games, you buy it have it like for Seven days and within those seven days if you find it wasn't worth your money you can return it for yes! instore credit toward another Used or new game.

MXs219

Gamestop employee: Sorry, you can't return this game for full value, it's been opened. We said you could play with it, not open it.

daschupa

It's funny. Now they think people are gonna buy PS3s too?

Haniko

lol, ebgames austrailia and new zealand offer a full cash refund 7 day return policy on all console games.. finally we have something you yanks dont!

mrhoohex

I sent this tip in like 2 weeks ago. oh well :(

mescalineeyes

@bluerondo: Yes, at one point so was GameStops. Guess what? They got sued for selling those returned new games as new as opposed to used. THAT'S WHY WE DON'T TAKE THEM BACK WHEN THEY ARE OPENED AND OBVIOUSLY PLAYED.

"But you sell opened games as new all the time with your 'gut' copies! Those are OBVIOUSLY used."

No, they're not. They sit in a drawer, unplayed, until sold. We seal the case, and sell it. Guess what: 99% of our customers don't care, as long as the game is new and has no marks. We let every customer know, (at least where I'm at), that it's the last copy, brand new, but open display. Their answer, "It's fine, as long as it hasn't been played"

Should the game have marks and scratches, then yes, we will probably hear your plea and may discount it if you're polite about it. Hell, we might do it for you before you even see the disc.

Anyway, this is a pretty nice deal, though I'm just afraid if the game is short as hell and not memorable enough to keep, GameStop's going to have one awfully big load of used Haze that will never sell after the initial month. God knows I don't have the wall space for that...

TheJinManCan

In Australia this is pretty standard. Both EB's and GAME offer a 7-day full refund policy on all titles, all consoles.

I'd guess this could be a test-case in the US to see if they can expand the policy store-wide.

Returns policies:
[www.ebgames.com.au]
[www.game.com.au]

tenpo

@Bishmon:

And the other thing is that this game is a perfect test-bed for this kind of deal : Relatively hyped game exclusively for a system with the lowest install base. Even if they find that theyre losing money on the deal it wont be that much. And if they make money on it, expect similar treatment with bigger releases.

mullinsmcd

I'm sure GameStop's used sales for PS3 product suck. No one is buying the good titles, (Ratchet, Heavenly Sword, or Uncharted), and we keep getting shit games back, (mainstream bullshit).

Seeing as GameStop and any other retailer makes about... what, 3 or 4 bucks a pop per new game sold, they're taking very little risk. They hope to balloon the PS3 used section, I'm sure, with a hopeful AAA title and just bring in the masses to sell more PS3s or just more PS3 used product.

At least, that's how I see it in my head.

And of course you're only going to get store credit back for your game. Why the fuck would you bitch in the first place. Two games for the price of one!

People are never happy. Ever. Change GameStop to "Your Local Mom and Pop Games Place" and then "praise the lawd, such generosity!" F'eh.

TheJinManCan

Why is everyone so against this offer? first off, you get a free one week rental of haze. I have no idea if it'll be good or not, so there's an opportunity to find out. the, when you're done for your week, you can trade it in and get $60 in store credit. Which you just put towards another game, and don't tell me you can't find another $60 game you want to get at a gamestop or eb. and hey, you can even just hold on to your credit until something you like does come out, or preorder.

"oh no, i supported gamestop, i'm a terrible person"

now, if you were the person who created gamestop, i'm sure you'd be pretty happy with the money your making. and trust me, most people don't really care that they're not getting 80% of what they paid for it back.

Whoaitstomas

Software Etc.'s return policy was at one point exceedingly generous: Buy a game, return it in THIRTY days for a full refund. My friends and I used to "rent" game after game in high school from Software Etc. until they stopped doing this.

bluerondo

xbandaidx beat me to the punch this is a Canada only promo.

zeush8su

I'm trying to figure out what the the hubub is about.

I give GS $60, get Haze
I return Haze, they give me $60 in credit
I buy X game for $60
They put Haze up for resell at $55

Now the final outcome is I have game X for $60 and Gamestop is out game X and now sells Haze for $55, 5 dollars less then they could have.

Here is another question, why wouldn't I just buy game X to begin with?

Xer0Ph0kus

They would lose so much money if this was allowed on all their games. Who'd buy used games when you could buy a new one and trade it in a week later for another new game (and then repeat the process ad infinitum).

Then again, I'd like to see Gamestop go under, so feel free to adopt this strategy for all your games.

Doomstink

It's true? They have this exact ad on the EBgames canadian website. Does anyone at this site bother to look and confirm themselves before making posts?

[ebgames.ca]

There's your proof. Second, the fine print says Canada only, it says nothing about the US.

xbandaidx

They did the same thing for God of War 2 here in Canada

Deekman

@TheIrishNinja: Not exactly. Any games you trade in under $8 don't count towards the required amount.
So absolute crap games, which I think go for a minimum of $5, won't mean a thing. You have to find a happy medium of old games that are also in demand. I recently sold Red Faction II for $8, for instance. However, I also sold Splinter Cell: Double Agent for only $5.

Basically, good luck finding 8 games in the $8-10 range.

Bluecell

My god. GS/EB offers a seemingly decent policy which would put a lot of GAMERS at ease (knowing they can return it), and 90% of this thread is people picking apart the ad word for word to find the underlying evilness of the whole scheme. Some gamer, somewhere in the world MUST be getting fucked by this deal, since it's GS/EB.

Consumer-"Seems like a nice policy, I'd rather take cash but store credit is ok!"

Kotaku Reader- "OMFG NOW GS IS GONNA BE MAKING 2 CENTS INTEREST ON THE STORE CREDIT!! THERE ARE APPROX 2384 STORES IN CANADA, IF 20 PEOPLE DID THIS, THEY'D MAKE 3923498 MILLION DOLLARS. FUCKING GAMESTOP."

And it's odd how many of you tore apart the dates of when it must be bought, and date it must be returned by etc.

You've obviously never heard of a REBATE? Which I'm pretty sure follows the exact same thing. You must buy the item between a certain time period, then send in the form by a certain time period.

Of course the companies want you to forget to do it, it's more money for them. When best buy offers you things with 200 dollar rebates, it's AWESOME! YIPEE!! Gamestop/EB does it, FUCKING ASSHOLES JUST HOPING WE'LL FORGET.

scottyboy218

damn so they get money for you buying a different game, money off interest on your preorder, and will sell the used copy for only like 10% off the new price. Smart move EB smart move.

Warik

@Bishmon:

Ah, I think I see what I'm missing. Even though they're giving out store credit, they still have that original $1,200. So they've essentially made $2,300 on these 20 copies of Haze, with the caveat that they've got $1,200 of store credit floating out there. If all of those people use their store credit on new games, GameStop probably loses a bit of net profit. Those 20 news games would be another $1,000, making their total investment $2,000 for the $2,300 they took in on the Haze deal.

But that's worst-case scenario. There's some pretty good upside on the deal. Say each of those 20 people with store credit buys a different used game for $55. Not only are those 20 each losing out on $5 of store credit, GameStop probably paid maybe $400 for those 20 copies of the used game. That would mean on a total investment of $1,400, they would have made $2,300.

But that's best-case scenario. It's an interesting deal, and I'm sure GameStop has all sorts of relevant data on how people use in-store credit to back up this sort of idea. So it seems like a good deal for them, but not overwhelmingly so. And it seems like a pretty solid deal for the consumer. Interesting.

Bishmon

@NCSUgamer: I understand your point, but it's not like you aren't going to buy another videogame.

Spartan1308

I wonder what the Free Radical and the publisher think about this. Isn't this going to massively impact their profits?

C-Stick

They used to do this when the PS2 first came out. Basically they allowed game returns b4 14 days. I used to love it!

JUBEI21

I don't think this is as wonderful of a deal for GameStop as a lot of people are thinking. Let's break this down a bit.

Let's start with a normal situation and look at 20 copies a hypothetical Game G. GameStop buys those 20 from the publisher for $50. They've spent $1,000 on those games. Now they sell all 20 of those as new at $60 apiece. They make a total of $1,200, only netting a profit of $200. But they also make back the money they spent on the games originally. This is key.

So let's say that five of those 20 people who buy Game G sell them back to GameStop right away for $15. That's a $75 cost for GameStop. Let's say they resell those used games for $55 apiece. That's a total of $275, or a net profit of $200 after subtracting the $75 it cost them to buy back those games. This is the big benefit of typical used games for them. They made the same profit on a $75 investment in used games as they did on a $1,000 investment in new games.

So now we look at the big picture of Game G. GameStop invested $1,000 in 20 copies of the game, and turned that $1,000 into a total of $1,400 after those games went through the typical new and used process.

But now let's look at this Haze situation, and let's look at it as if they're offering cash back. They buy 20 copies of Haze at $50 apiece for a total of $1,000, just like they did with Game G.

20 people buy those copies at $60 apiece, just like with Game G, for a total of $1,200, or a net profit of $200.

But let's say within a week, all 20 people bring those games back for their cash back. GameStop gives them their $1,200 back, leaving them with 20 used copies of Haze and so far zero money made on them.

So now they sell them at $55 apiece used. 20 people buy them for a total of $1,100. Whereas normally this is great for GameStop, in this case, GameStop has $50 invested in each of these particular games. These used games have yet to recoup that initial investment because they effectively skipped the new game process.

So whereas now they've made $1,100 on these games they've invested $1,000 on, they could have made $1,200 just selling them normally. They cut their profit in half on these particular copies they bought from a publisher.

Why would they do that? Well, in the actual deal, they're giving store credit instead of cash back. They apparently see a way that that store credit will eventually generate more profit than what they're giving up on these copies of Haze, probably through interest and people failing to use some or all of it, because the problem seems to get worse for GameStop if those 20 people simply use their store credit on new games that GameStop has a lot more money invested in.

I'm certainly no economist, so I might be missing something, but it seems this situation is more gray-area than would appear at first glance.

Bishmon

The EB where I live used to actually be like that. My friend would beat and return games like mad. They basicly had it set up so the third time you got something with the credit you couldn't return it.

Anemone

@xibis:
Actually, all was well until the guy sued about new being used and so on. It was a really goo deal for consumers: the price you paid for the guarantee was that your purchase might have once been someone else's - the game was still guaranteed to work perfectly.

Ahh, back when Gamestop was good - and us employees actually knew what we were talking about.

The Dude

If they allowed us to buy and return all games for full refund (store credit) I'd give em a pass on their past transgressions (yeah so I stole the word from the article, sue me).

cametall

PRE Purchase, does that mean I have to pay the entire cost of the game it certainly seems so.

So you pay $60+tax for a game they pay about 35-40 for then u take it back get $59 credit, how many used game can u get with that?

If you ask me they should do this with all their titles.

I will still be picking the game up anyway.
Play it till Resistance 2 comes out then Killzone 2 when it comes out in 2009. hahahah

Violater

"But if a retailer offered us a no-haggle, one-week return on all their titles, such would be commendable to the point of throwing parades in their honor. GameStop, we're subtly glaring in your direction. As for when we kicked you under the table-that was for past transgressions and not passing the butter."

C'mon Mark, don't let them fool you like this. Here's what happens.

I am a gamer. I don't know about this Haze game - but you know, there are other games coming out this year I want, and if I can effectively play though this in a week to no loss, I might as well. I buy Haze, return it a week later, and Gamestop has lost nothing. Gamestop pays nearly the full $60.00 dollars we do per game, since there is next to no markup for new games at retail.

6 days past. I get bored with Haze and I remember to return the game. They get it back. A week later you buy it for 55 dollars used (Hey, might as well save yourself 5 bucks,) and hopefully you even trade in a few games yourself towards that purchase. They're able to mark up the games you trade in by at least 100%, more likely 200% - 300%.

What they're counting on isn't that I'll forget to return it; they're counting on me returning it and coming back months later to use that credit to buy another game, which I'll eventually also trade in. And they're counting on you to buy a used copy of Haze for $55 dollars.

Another quick note: EB/Gamestop generates used game trade in values based on how many games they have in inventory and how high demand is (This is why, for instance, Suikoden II was still fetching about 30 dollars for trade when I worekd there a few years back.) This means that 8 days after Haze comes out, have fun trading it in and getting about as much as you would for Madden 2007.

WreckTheLaw

GameStop's just trying to sell the game twice.

chenry

"But if a retailer offered us a no-haggle, one-week return on all their titles, such would be commendable to the point of throwing parades in their honor."
This is what almost all games stores do in the UK. GAME offers 7 days return, Gamestation 10 days. Even CeX, that second hand store, does 7 days return. I've survived weeks of just beating a game in a week and then trading it in for the next week's release. They do stop you if you abuse the system too much though.

Pombar

Babbage's used to give you a week to return a game, but too many people abused it so they had to stop.

WarlordPayne

They would only do this if they noticed preorders for this game are far too low at this point in the game. Promotions are always meant to drive store traffic, you have to remember that. So far I could really give S*** about haze, there hasn't been a lot of coverage on it, and it just seems like yet another shooter to me

Kounji

@fearing: Not here they don't. They will only give store credit, not cash...

Spoony Bard

If it was a full refund, that'd be amazingly cool.

Since it's in-store credit, I'll pass. I won't shop GameStop/EB Games unless I absolutely have to. Never was a fan of their craptastic trade-in offers.

Tyber_Zann

Also.... It's amazing how you've turned a more than reasonable offer into a bad thing. If you want the game, buy it. Don't want to keep it? Get another game. How is that bad?

-Arlo

Arloknox

I stopped reading about halfway down when it just started deteriorating into crap.

Returns on open new products is a horrible business practice and expecting people to do it is just plain retarded. GS used to do it anyway until people like you guys sued them for trying to resell the games. Well, what the hell were they supposed to do?

You can't have your cake AND eat it, too.

Enough with the hating, guys. Just don't fucking go there if you hate it so much. I fail to see how they are disrupting your lives otherwise.

-Arlo

Arloknox

Let me list what Gamestop gets out of this:

1. A pre-order. Their stores are rated by how many per-orders they get.

2. A new gamesold. Some profit but not the reason they are there.

3. Used copies of a week old game that they can re-sell for 4 times the margin lost for taking back as a "return".

Wow...

Gamers get:

1 To pay $60 to "rent" a game and when they return it they HAVE to use that "rental fee" to purchase another title, possibly used that will make GStop even more $.

2. ....

Gamestop already has the policy in place for used games where you can play it for a week and return it for any reason for credit (with reciept), but how can they legally do this with NEW games. Last time I checked there were copyright laws in place to prevent returning NEW software and getting something else in return. You should only be able to swap it for the same title if yours is defective. They are basicaly circumventing that law by giving the full retail price back in trade credit.

Amazing... They found yet another way to line their pockets AND screw over the gaming industry at the same time. This is bad for gaming. Every copy that is traded back in and resold is taking money away from the people who poured thier lives into making it.

This is sad day.

Mr.SithNinja

this is pretty shady, so u buy and return haze, but now u've given game stop 60 dollars for free, to collect interest on, until u use your instore credit which may be a while.
Plus they get your business for at least one more sale and they get to sell the game as used on top of all this without having to pay the developer any money since the game was returned which is then sold as used...
this is not good

meltyman

This type of marketing, "hoping they forget to return it on time" does not work. I recall a certain website that sold merchandise at 200% their normal price, with the catch of offering a big rebate in 6 months, cutting the price to %50 if you remember to send for the rebate. Well, EVERYONE remembered. the website went broke.

Armagetiton

It's also interesting to note that the EB closest to me does not buy games for cash. They will only do store credit. I asked them why, and the guy told me to go to Microplay, which I did. Microplay bought my games, but noted I'd get more value if I took store credit.

Bluecell

@Bluecell: so uh, its a good deal if your game collection is mostly crap worth nothing at all, then? am i understanding that right?

TheIrishNinja

Pre-purchase Haze at any EB Games Canada location and receive full in-store credit back when you trade Haze in within one week of the product's pickup date. Haze must be picked up within one week of release date. In-store credit is pre-tax. Game must be returned in good condition with manual and case. Refurb charges may apply. Offer may be discontinued at any time.

That seems to be a lot of hoops to jump through.

There's 2 other deals in the same flyer.

The title says Trade in 8 games and recieve the following PSP bundle of your choice FREE. The other is for the DS and says "5 games" instead.

In the fine print for that one, it mentions each game must be worth at least $8 trade in.
So you might think: "8 games at $8 each = $64. What a great deal for a $200 bundle."

I called the local EB because I had a funny feeling it wouldn't be that simple (though finding 8 games for $8 each that you don't want isn't exactly simple.)
My question was this: If I trade in two games worth $12 each ($24 total) does that count as 3 games worth $8? No. Each game counts as one game, no matter how much the trade-in value. Not so great anymore.

The best deal on that flyer was a TRADE 3 GET IT FREE WEEKEND where if you preorder any new release (GTA IV is pictured) and trade in 3 games, you get the new release free. The same $8 rule applies, but finding 3 games as opposed to 5 or 8 is easier. Unfortnuately, it was only available March 7-9.

Bluecell

Do the publisher and dev not care about about getting raped on royalties with this maneuver? Or is it like the free music argument where they should be happy for the additional exposure?

7ucky

They actually have this deal on all games 24/7 at the EB games in N.Z.
I could abuse it if I wanted to but meh The longer they keep the deal the better.

popadophalis

It's not a bad deal, unless you never plan to buy another game from Gamestop again.

They should do this with every game. Then the ripoff used game prices aren't as bad.

arstal

I'm guessing that a week after the release there will be plenty available on the used market. The game like "Home" is an effing myth.

wisconsinista

I don't know why this bothers me so much but I think this promo is the last straw for me. Not really sure I want to give EB / GS anymore of my money from this point on.

Gadgetron

@sander_dutch: This actually sounds like the exact opposite of "desperate to sell." It's not really desperation when you're counting on people liking it to make money. Desperation to sell is counting on anything but.

Tale

@Spoony Bard: GameStop and EB both still do this on all thier used games. That's why I really don't mind a used game being only 5 or 10 bucks less than the new copy, because with a used one I can always bring it back in 7 days if it sucks. You can't do that at any retailer with a new game.

fearing

@xibis: It wasn't that that was when console gaming went big time, it was big time with the NES. It was just that that was when games went to a disc format and piracy became much more common. That is why you generally can't return a new game once you open it, pirates ruined that for you, not retailers. Plus, some people freak out at specialty store (like GameStop) who sell the last gutted copy of a game as new, imagine how those people would freak if you sold them a game that was returned by someone else.

fearing

How did anyone actually think you got your cash back? The poster explicitly states you get store credit.

Gray665

The point of this as some people have already said is so GameStop can make as much as possible off of resales of the traded in copies. with this more or less free Haze one week rental they are GUARANTEEing themselves thousands of $55 preplayed copies of Haze on shelves that they make almost 3 times the profit on as a new copy AND they have the original sale's $60 locked into GameStop world hoping that you will buy something else preplayed for a better profit margin for them.

I mean the deal isn't bad for power players who will roll through Haze in one week, or even for people planning on dropping $60 on something at GameStop soon but don't think this is some deal FOR gamers.

I mean I like preplayed games as much as the next guy but this deal cuts even harder into Ubisoft and Free Radical's profits on the game. Fast forward digital distribution.

RudeAnimat0r

in europe you can return also new games to gamestop within a week.
but i know what you mean.

Himiko

@Canadian Impostor: What? No, I simply like what I've seen from the game, ok? It's a prestigious game and I love the art style plus I like the developers and the fact that they're British.

This game can turn out to be ridiculously awesome in multiplayer with the two sides that play so differently - or it could be a shit bomb.

But even then, the game just looks good in my collection. Alrighty?

Candlejack

@Spoony Bard:

remember it well. They stopped sometime around 2001-2002 I think. Even more amazing is they did it with PC games as well.

Cell9song

Here's the thing I don't get: Why do people feel they should be able to return a game they didn't like for whatever reason?
Can you return a CD because you didn't like a couple of the tracks?
Can you return a DVD because you didn't like an actor's performance?
No. (Ignoring that if you raise enough of a fuss you can pretty much return anything at wal-mart)

Make informed decisions, think before you buy a game for 60$ if you think you are going to want to get rid of it in a week.

Jypsy

store credit, not cash for the return according to PA.

Cell9song

Or, you know, just rent it and not have to worry about getting boned by GameStop.

ShaggE

I remember a long time ago. Electronics Boutique (now "EB") used to offer a week refund period. It was the greatest thing ever.

And they gave cash back.

Does anyone remember this?

Spoony Bard

I thought this was just for Canada

Morphine16

OhEmGee, GameStop is the DEVIL! >_<

Zaxxon Q Blaque

Ugh, my last comment got eaten, I think.

Anyhow, too bad EA isn't distributing this. If so, they could just say "That's cool, do what you want. Hope you don't mind getting GTA4 on May 1st rather than April 29th."

Assuming EA buys T2.

Anyhow, maybe Ubisoft can hold back some Wii titles for a couple of days to show their displeasure. This can't be good for them.

BigWeather

@Hamsnibit: Course thats really easy now that games are what? like 5 hours long? (rpg's excluded)

Derigor

I don't understand the "haw haw it must suck" argument. I would think you would need to have a lot of faith in your product if you're going to offer a quasi-moneyback guarantee. Personally, I love FRD's work and would prefer some sort of preorder swag to go with it, but I'm fine with just the game. They'd probably just throw in a soundtrack anyway, and if Haze continues the trend, the soundtrack will be a free download from their website...

Wolfers

@mpmaley: You have a point there, and a week isn't that long for someone to fuck up the disc either. They can sell the used copies for years and most of them would be in damn good condition, allowing them to keep the price jacked up.

Thassodar

@jackal888:

Good point.

dead_red_eyes

@jackal888: Example,lets say day one Haze sells 100 copies and these people all bring the game back in a week. The next set of 100 players buy the used game and the developers of Haze just lost 100 sales.

Something tells me you may not have a business degree.

Canadian Impostor

@Gadgetron: ah, one of the wonderful things lost in the GameStop 'merger'. :(

djsyndrome

@Candlejack: This title deserves to be in my collection, no matter the delays.

There are already Haze fanboys?

Canadian Impostor

I've been under the impression that HAZE sales have to hit a certain level in order for it to remain a PS3 exclusive.

Perhaps a certain company *cough*SONY*cough* is helping to support this EB initiative in order to help meet those goals?

Most Wanted

@xibis: That's the point of demos.....

........which unfortunately seem to be a rare breed nowadays, at least on the PS3. Really pisses me off. Not even the first party titles get one (often).

So I fully agree with you :)

Candlejack

Now lets wait to hear someone spin this into Microsoft paying GameStop to do this since this game is a exclusive/timed exclusive lol.

KYLE_ELYK

so are they saying it's a piece of shit then? i mean, after all these delays for this?

oh well. no big deal. i may rent it.

Akmed

This is a bad, bad thing for gaming.GameStop Canada is just perpetuating the pattern of disposable games.

One week and return it so that they can sell the game used to another player at a small discount for 100% profit that the game developer does not see.Example,lets say day one Haze sells 100 copies and these people all bring the game back in a week. The next set of 100 players buy the used game and the developers of Haze just lost 100 sales.

jackal888

I remember when Gamestop and EB use to give you a full refund within 10 days on any game for any reason. I remember i would buy a game like Breath of Fire for SNES and play it. On the 9th day I beat it and took it back. I told them that the game was too easy and I already beat it. They gave me all my money back. Of course, that's the reason they stopped doing it. Everyone started beating the games and returning them.

Hamsnibit

shit game confirmed.

LLamaStar

Doesn't say much about the game does it?

"Hey kids, why waste your money on this piece of shit when you can play it for a week then buy a real game"

Manny

I remember the days when all the gamestores took returns on open games. It wasn't until the late 90's that this changed. Once console gaming went bigtime with the PS1, it was only a matter of time that open game returns became a bad business practice. I will say that my gaming purchases have dwindled since then. I am less likely to try some games because of reviews. i.e. I did not buy Army of Two because of the average ratings it was getting. If I knew i was able to return the game if I did not like it, I would have picked it up.

I will probably buy haze now knowing that I can return it if I do not like it.

xibis

I won't return this game once I have it. I've pre-ordered it from amazon to be exact. This title deserves to be in my collection, no matter the delays.

Although I f*cking hated the delays. Thank god it seems to finally arrive this month.

Candlejack

@HurricaneDave: yeah, i was thinking that. plus, you either a) forget to bring it in a week, or b) bring it and are now committed to another game from their store, one you'll possibly trade back later and leave them with 2 games to straight profit from.
its not a bad idea from their standpoint.

TheIrishNinja

I remember a time when EB used to be cool, and they had this thing called a 10 day return policy.

Gadgetron

@Thassodar:

The idea that they're doing isn't crazy. Either way they get money. And even if you do bring it back and get another game with the IN STORE credit then they put Haze up for $55 - used.

mpmaley

Damn no need for developers then hey? Just keep selling the same games every week.

liquid_kore

Umm, in Sweden you can get a full buy-back refund on any game that you buy at GAME, as long as it is returned within 7 days :P

Currybullen

Really all it does is guarantee that the $60 you give GameStop stays IN GameStop.

But I guess it does help people who get incredibly angry after buying their pre-ordered shitty game. *cough*assassinsglitch*cough*

ServiceMaster

The UK store GAME (formally EB)offered at 10-day guaranteed return policy for any reason until 2006 or early 2007. As it was abused so much they changed it to 28-day unopened return policy - and strangely since then I haven't been back. As I liked the idea if I didn't like the game I could take it back.

Kevyn

hmmm maybe they are hoping people forget to return it

Seiven

GameStop is quickly becoming the thing guys in board meetings point to and scream when they talk about the merits of digital distribution.

Modus_Operandi

Gamestop never fails to amaze me, wonder if they will shrink wrap them and just keep them on a rotation.

Darksider71

This will be a great way for them to get some pre-order money. Its a pretty cool concept that I'm sure they were doing before, but now they are advertising it. Smart business.

HurricaneDave

Penny Arcade's cleared this up a 'little' bit. This is indeed true but it's instore credit ... not your money back.

Slint

I call BS. They'll come up with some way, besides store credit, to screw you over. Maybe this is their subtle way of saying Haze is gonna suck....

Thassodar

Genius. On one hand, I get a brand-new, high quality rental that I can exchange for a game I really want, with no extra cash. On the other, I am tempted to keep the game, and still tempted to get the game I was going to exchange it for.

Pure genius.

Ghede

Actually I see why they would do this. You pre-play it and bring it back, while they gain no money for the initial sale, they will more than make it back when they pre-sell it to someone. Great idea.

HurricaneDave

Yes, I would love to have that offer on all their titles!

SycoKiller

Wow, it sounds like they're pretty seperate to sell this game.
With all the different shooters out now for the ps3(COD4, Warhawk, UT3 and army of Two), this one doesnt appeal to me, but if it's free...i'd defintely give it a try
Too bad I live in China without any Gamestops

sander_dutch

In store credit is fine with me. just goes to another game. but if haze would actually come out, i would gladly take them up on their offer

ArmyofJuan

By a game and forget to return it/return it too late for the offer to be good? I knew there was some sort of trick involved, just like that FREE TACO offer from Taco Bell (Offer only good between 2-5PM, after lunch and before dinner).

Pezdispenser

So this is happening for US now?
I'm down. If I don't like it, I get my money back. If I like it, I return it, wait a week for a used copy to come in, and use the store credit towards the used one with 10% off using the Edge card.

mywhitenoise

notice the "in store credit" part
I don't consider that a real refund

NCSUgamer