Disturbing news came from the retail world Wednesday. Ars Technica reports that GameStop stores are physically opening new copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on the PC and removing a $50 voucher for OnLive. The voucher would allow consumers to play the game for free using OnLive’s game streaming service.
The voucher is an intelligent play by OnLive to promote their service. With the amount of positive press Human Revolution has gotten, in addition to the massive amounts of hype surrounding the game pre-release, OnLive has massive potential to reach new customers with this promotion. Not surprisingly, GameStop is pressured and threatened by digital distribution, and the decision to remove these vouchers should be recognized as nothing less than anti-competitive.
More shocking than the revelation that these vouchers have been disappearing is the fact that the practice has been completely confirmed as true by GameStop HR representatives. Employees were being instructed to open stock before placing them on shelves.
Thursday morning brought a touch of sensibility—GameStop had responded to massive amounts of criticism by pulling all PC copies of Human Revolution from store shelves. Apparently, stock of the game has been ordered that do not contain the OnLive voucher. In fact, in a memo to all GameStop managers, corporate mentioned specifically that the decision to pull out the vouchers was a direct response to the threat OnLive makes against GameStop’s upcoming streaming service currently in development.
So GameStop have covered their tracks for the time being. Despite their bandage, we need to consider the implications of what this company has done. As consumers, we need to take action.
OnLive is a new service. It offers a new method for consumers to receive content. The service has been met with criticism as well as acclaim, but has yet to gather a considerable user base. The promotion with Deus Ex Human Revolution has great potential to help OnLive reach many new users, and it is a promotion that likely cost OnLive corporate a significant sum of money.
GameStop is the nation’s largest brick-and-mortar video game retailer. Not surprisingly, GameStop is feeling pressure from digital distribution platforms such as Steam and Direct2Drive. OnLive presents a clear challenge to GameStop’s revenue. By GameStop refusing to sell product with the OnLive promotion within, they are not only denying OnLive of many potential users, but they are blocking the company from an unquantifiable amount of income.
GameStop has used their size and power to muscle out the little guy, and they’re going to get away with it. GameStop is modifying product. They are deciding what their customers can and cannot have. They are assuming direct control of the product, and as a retailer, this is not their responsibility. Companies that provide product decide what goes into the box, and they make that decision based on careful research, partnerships, and revenue opportunities. Developers having their product tampered with by the retailer should be absolutely livid at this detestable practice, and you as a consumer should be too.
Imagine Newegg doing what GameStop have done—opening your motherboard package to pull out adapters to promote their own brand. Imagine Steam adding promotions to their own games to the package files before you can download and play the game that you purchased. Such behavior from any major retailer is unimaginable, because what GameStop has done is unprecedented. Nothing good can come from a company making a decision like this and getting away with it.
This is a call to arms. I want you to get mad. I want you to be like Howard Beale in Network when he told his viewers that they need to yell “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” As a gamer and consumer, your rights are being infringed upon if GameStop continues to tamper with the products that you pay money for. Do not tolerate this kind of corporate greed. It’s time to speak with your wallets.
If there was ever a time to boycott a company, that time is now. We should not reward GameStop for this behavior with purchases of any products from under their roofs. As consumers, we have a responsibility to protect our rights. As GameStop laughs in our faces unapologetically, it’s time to show them that we do care about where we buy our games, and we do care about how we are treated as consumers. It’s time to walk away without looking back. There are better alternatives, and better retailers that respect consumers.
Besides, if we don’t take a stand against this corporate giant and let them continue to walk over our rights, our future may be no prettier than that of the world of Deus Ex: Human Evolution.
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