10 Ways The Video Game Industry Takes Advantage Of Its Biggest Fans
7. Dividing Content Into Pre-Order Bonuses
Giving players access to bonus content for pre-ordering a particular game wouldnt be the worst practice in the world, if it didn't rely so heavily on brand exclusivity. Offering a few extra weapons or in-game items to players who commit themselves to a purchase prior to release is perfectly acceptable. However, divvying that content up between several different distributors and preventing those who took the initiative to pre-order from having access to all available content is a terrible way to under-appreciate your most diehard fans.
Perhaps the worst example of this came from Square Enix, who actually attempted to release several varying pre-order packs themselves for the upcoming Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, each incomplete and lacking in some way or another - asking fans to pre-order in a way would 'boost' the other packs in unison. The publishers essentially asked players to augment" their own pre-orders, forcing them to pick and choose what content they wanted, never getting the full amount, whilst being denied the rest.
It was later canned for being so utterly ridiculous and unfair, remaining in retrospect as a truly strange way to treat your customers.