EB Games Claims Sam & Max Is Canceled. They're Full Of Crap.
We are all well aware of my general dislike for GameStop and EB Games, mainly because of the high-pressure sales/pre-order environments they have become. However, the following story is going onto my ever-increasing list of reasons not to shop there. One of the regulars in Telltale Games' forums reported a rather disturbing rumor: apparently the retail version of Sam & Max Season 1... at least, that's what EB Games told him when they called to let him know that his preorder of the game wasn't going to be honored.
I got a call from EB this morning informing that my Sam & Max: Season One pre-order was cancelled because they got word from the publishers that it was no longer being made.
Another reader reported a similar story, stating that "the manufacturer" was no longer planning to release the game, and that the store wouldn't be able to fulfill the order. Before we go any further with this story, let's establish the following fact: EB Games is not telling the truth. For some unknown reason, they're not only not carrying the game but are also claiming that it was canceled. Oh, and the game isn't listed on their website anymore, either.
Telltale staff members were quick to squelch the rumor before it made its way across the internet and legions of angry fanboys stormed their offices; they made a point of assuring everyone that despite EB Games and GameStop's mysterious removal of the game from their stores (they're both owned by the same company, remember?) other major retailers like Amazon.com are still accepting pre-orders. Not only that, but the game is being physically published by Dreamcatcher Interactive, so it's a safe bet that large chain stores will carry it as well.
Alright, all of you GameStop and EB Games employees who blasted me last time I criticized your stores' tactics: let's hear your rabid defenses regarding this latest marketing masterstroke. Personally, I'm just on pins and needles and can't wait to hear what you're going to say.
Retail version canceled? [Telltale Forums]
Boy of Tomorrow
Posted to Video Games on 1 July 2007
· Comments (8)
Other stuff like this: eb games, gamestop, retail, rumored cancellation, sam & max, telltale games, wtf?
all you need is love, Boy of Tomorrow. All you need is love...
But then that disappearance of sam and max is pretty mysterious...
My guess: whoever is behind gamestop is having some beef with the game here. sounds logical to me.
You're kind of petty...
"Rabid defenses"? Most people just said the same, reasonable defense. "It's my job." and "They fire us if we don't." ALSO, the fact that people pointed out that those guys held on to something for you until closing, didn't really register with you...
Anyway...
Personally, I think EB might be full of crap on this one too, I dunno. Not really part of the company anymore, but I think it's possible they just don't wanna carry it. Or the guy above might be right too.
"Reasonable defense" my ass, I worked there for many a moon and let me tell you, that job is definately not your "I'm going to live off of this job" job. At most people getting paid at less than six dollars an hour, and only Managers and Assistant Managers making any sort of decent money, it's not a job you have to have to eat. I'd really like to see the person who can survive on 5.76 an hour.
Yeah they "make" you try and sell their godawful magazine and preorders, but unless there was a DM or you just had an anal manager it is not as enforced as you make it out to be. No, they won't fire you for not selling preorders or subscriptions, I know because I worked there and I think I may have never sold a preorder, and maybe one subscription. I was never even threatened with being fired, I just ended up quitting because it's a shitty job.
The only thing I could think of for the reason of saying it's canceled, is that they hope you put the 5 bucks into a DIFFERENT pre-order with them and have to spend the money with them anyway.
Is EB and GS now choosing what games to carry and which to not now? Because it used to be the once place where you can get any game that comes out. If they're doing 'selective stock' now, that's pretty crappy, especially since me and my friend like the unusual games that don't fall in general sections.
EB/GS has always been about selective stock. ie: you could always walk out with a copy of Dirge of Cerberus, but you had to hope and pray for a copy of Okami. GTA? sure. Disgaea 2? yeah, we got three when it came out and none since.
this is why I go to the local game store between my house and the closest eb. I have no trouble getting a new game, the day it comes out, I don't need to pre-order anything, and I am never shilled for any of the other crap I have come to expect from the EB/GS chain.
My defense? Hmm...simple. I'm about to quit. I'm going back to school! No more gamestop no more reserves no more subscriptions blahblahblah. I get to leave the horrible and join with the mass amounts of people who are NOT employees of Gamestop! I owe, at least partly, to you, for your last Gamestop post too. Made me realize just how pathetic I am for working at gamestop. Seriously, if you work at gamestop, you should quit, or shoot yourself right now. I faced those 2 options. Got pretty close to killing myself, but decided to quit instead.
So EB screws up it's catalog listing again.
And we care why, exactly? They do this all the time. It's hardly a damn conspiracy.
To Cesaroth:
Really?! You must have had much better managers than I had... They were constantly breathing down my neck about crap like that and I was pretty damn sick of it. But I couldn't really do anything about it.
I actually got less and less hours to work the less pushy I was. It was annoying.
Man... thinking about it again though, hahaha, I hated the management, I hated the customers, the only thing that got me through it was abusing the "Take whatever used game you feel like for a week" thing they let me do.