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View Full Version : Pre-order DLC From Gamestop

Hemalin
11-29-2008, 04:53 PM
So Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=73068) is selling tokens that will allow you to download The Lost & The Damned content when it's released.


Does someone want to try and explain the point of this to me? It's not like there is some sort of limited supply or anything. You can just buy a card of Microsoft fun bucks so it doesn't matter if you have a credit card. Is it for the poster?

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56136
Iron Past
11-29-2008, 05:09 PM
I'd say the same reason they have preorders of other games. I don't what they do with it, but they use preorders to track information about games and who's buying them. As for why someone would want to preorder it, I guess cause you can treat like it layaway and pay a little at a time.
KingGorilla
11-29-2008, 08:56 PM
Does someone want to try and explain the point of this to me? It's not like there is some sort of limited supply or anything. You can just buy a card of Microsoft fun bucks so it doesn't matter if you have a credit card. Is it for the poster?

Furth vain attempts to sustain a 100 year old business model on life support?

Or, the same attempts of that Dutch cherub near that dam?
BLeeP
11-29-2008, 09:24 PM
Well, as was said in the news the other day, the reason for the existence of these cards are for people who don't have credit cards/don't want to use their credit card online and all they want is this d/l content so they have no use for XBL Points cards. I would guess that Gamestop is just putting them out early because Gamestop is dumb.
Ludoc
11-29-2008, 09:48 PM
This way someone could buy it as a Christmas gift.
Sl1pstream
11-30-2008, 04:39 PM
How is this any different than what Valve is doing? Sure, they include a disc, but it's still the code that matters.
Adam Blue
11-30-2008, 04:46 PM
How is this any different than what Valve is doing? Sure, they include a disc, but it's still the code that matters.

People like to hate on Gamestop because it's cool.
Variable Gear
11-30-2008, 04:48 PM
People like to hate on Gamestop because it's cool.
Well, GameStop is an evil corporation, so it's justified sometimes. This time, not so much. :o
Hemalin
11-30-2008, 05:34 PM
How is this any different than what Valve is doing? Sure, they include a disc, but it's still the code that matters.
Valve sells discs so people with slower connections don't have to download 10 gigs worth of data. Rockstar sells these tokens because... people are too stupid to just buy a points card?
KingGorilla
11-30-2008, 06:56 PM
People like to hate on Gamestop because it's cool.

I hated on Gamestop way before it was cool.
Telefrog
11-30-2008, 07:26 PM
Furth vain attempts to sustain a 100 year old business model on life support?

Or, the same attempts of that Dutch cherub near that dam?

Life support (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/GameStop-Reports-Third-Quarter-2008/story.aspx?guid=%7B82CC1653-B1FD-4735-87B5-DC99A1F0D328%7D)? :confused:

If that's "life support" then please put me on it.
KingGorilla
11-30-2008, 09:55 PM
And a year ago Circuit City and Best Buy were on top of the world with movie sales.

Does anyone really think the retail first business model of games is not going out the door very soon, besides Gamestop's wishful thoughts?
MagGnome
11-30-2008, 10:14 PM
I guess I can see why people would buy these cards. I don't know how large the demand for them really is, but for a game like GTAIV they will probably sell a good amount. A lot of casual users might even think that these cards are needed to get the DLC.

I chuckled when I saw that these are available for in-store pickup. I don't know what the point is of ordering one of these cards online and then driving to the store to pick it up.
KingGorilla
11-30-2008, 10:16 PM
I wonder if EA would ever compare sales of their expansion Rock Band DVDs to digital sales. That is rather close to what is going on here.
Stmfuller
11-30-2008, 10:38 PM
it's not a bad idea.
It's no worse than buying subscriptions to Live or MS points via the cards. And IMO it's much preferred to letting MS have your CC information.
MalReynolds
12-01-2008, 01:47 AM
Christmas gift
Telefrog
12-01-2008, 07:56 AM
And a year ago Circuit City and Best Buy were on top of the world with movie sales.

Does anyone really think the retail first business model of games is not going out the door very soon, besides Gamestop's wishful thoughts?

I guess you'd have to define "very soon". I don't see the retail channel going away as long as a significant portion of the populace is not on broadband internet access. Obviously, publishers would love to get rid of retail altogether if they could but that's just not possible yet. Hell, even Valve can't afford to drop retail for 100% Steam downloads.
Iron Past
12-01-2008, 10:55 AM
And a year ago Circuit City and Best Buy were on top of the world with movie sales.

Does anyone really think the retail first business model of games is not going out the door very soon, besides Gamestop's wishful thoughts?

Like Telefrog said, if you'd like to go through the rest of the globe and install free broadband internet, be my guest, but make my house first on the list.

Also, say goodbuy to used game sales and rentals should anyone move to an all-digitally distributed format, meaning many won't be playing near the amount of games they are now. All in all, for convinience sake it'd be nice to have the option, but for most gamers it would hurt the hobby. What's the point of giving the publishers more money if we can't afford to play the games they make with it?