So the hits just keep on coming for Gamestop, Square, OnLive, and Deus Ex.
GameStop has issued a half-hearted apology, as well as a $50 gift card and a Buy-Two-Get-Three-Preowned deal to anyone impacted by the earlier kerfuffle. GameStop really didn't admit to doing anything wrong, just apologized that customers got caught in the middle of its childish power-play with OnLive. (The full text of the apology is available at the bottom of this article.)
Meanwhile, CNET's Rich Brown speculates that GameStop's move had a Streisand effect, getting way more people interested in OnLive and willing to explore the service than if the coupons had simply gone out without any fanfare. The collective gamer hatred towards Gamestop, says Brown, has cast OnLive into a much more sympathetic light than before.
It remains to be seen if the ire towards GameStop will translate into poor sales for the various AAA titles that are due to be released later this year and in Q1 2012. It is sadly likely that most of the people who buy their games at GameStop rather than from another big-box retailer or online will care that much about this incident to vote with their wallets; particularly if GameStop gets publishers to hook them up with pre-order content as it has in the past. Perhaps if OnLive makes a big spash at PAX Prime the tide could shift and GameStop could find itself being the Blockbuster Video of 2012.
Text of the GameStop apology:
Dear GameStop customer,
Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor's coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor's offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.
For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor.
Sincerely,
Paul Raines
CEO, GameStop
