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GameStop Vs. OnLive: Deus Ex Edition

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GameStop Vs. OnLive: Deus Ex Edition

Published: by Cheat Code Central Staff | Leave a comment

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PC gamers who purchased Deus Ex: Human Revolution through brick-and-mortar retailer GameStop might have been a bit miffed that their brand new game had been opened, especially if they’d preordered it. This is standard GameStop policy, though, to gut a copy of new titles so that the empty case can be placed on the wall, disc and any registration codes or bonus content slips safely tucked away where those without scruples cannot touch them. What isn’t standard GameStop policy is the removal of such bonus content from said cases, withholding it from paying customers.

Yesterday, Square Enix and OnLive announced a joint promotion in which copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution purchased at retail would include a free OnLive version of the title. For those unaware, OnLive is a cloud-based gaming service, streaming gameplay to your computer. It allows any computer, Mac or PC, with the requisite power to stream high-definition video to run high-end PC games or, alternately, to stream these games to a standalone OnLive console, attached to one’s TV.



GameStop, however, has purchased both Spawn Labs and Impulse, which do streaming tech and digital distribution respectively. Says public relations representative Beth Sharum, “Square Enix packed the competitor’s coupon with our DXHR product without our prior knowledge and we did pull and discard these coupons.” It seems fairly intuitive to put the two thoughts together and conclude that GameStop saw this action, on Square Enix’s part, as a threat to their upcoming streaming service, forcing them to give away a coupon for a competitor’s product. In the end, however, it’s only the consumers who pay the price for these sorts of corporate machinations and, at a time when GameStop’s profits are already dipping, can they really afford further bad press?

By Shelby Reiches

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