Something you probably didn't know

[Winterheart_poetry]

Hey guys ,

I just got back from my Game-Mania store to pick up an EA code because SE never sent me one.

He told me something I laughed/cried at, at the same time: retail stores are officially allowed to sell the game (not pre-order) as of today because SE silently moved the official release date to today.

What does this mean? What I understand from that is that there's no such thing as early access, I could've bought the game in the store today and start playing today without pre-ordering or anything. Sooo, I feel bs'ed right now, do you guys know anything that I don't, that would change that feeling?

[Zet_]

I think he was just pulling your leg.

[Winterheart_poetry]

He showed me the boxes that shipped in this morning because I didn't believe him. They're selling the game as of today. (Edit: even their website says "now available").

http://www.gamemania.nl/default.aspx

[xEthan]

Hey guys ,

I just got back from my Game-Mania store to pick up an EA code because SE never sent me one.

He told me something I laughed/cried at, at the same time: retail stores are officially allowed to sell the game (not pre-order) as of today because SE silently moved the official release date to today.

What does this mean? What I understand from that is that there's no such thing as early access, I could've bought the game in the store today and start playing today without pre-ordering or anything. Sooo, I feel bs'ed right now, do you guys know anything that I don't, that would change that feeling?

Even if that is true, registration codes don't go in until August 27th. So holding the box early don't really change anything. We all have the game right now, the only thing you REALLY paying for is the registration key.

[Winterheart_poetry]

@xEthan True true, it's just a marketing stunt to call it "early-access" because anybody who buys the game, pre-order or normal, has access to it as of today. I think they should've just been straight up with it and said "official release 24th of August" instead of depicting it as something exclusive, only available to people who pre-ordered the game.

(Also, I personally would've bought a hard-copy instead of digital if I had known the gamed launched today. They completely undermine the concept of pre-ordering the game by doing this. EVERYBODY can play as of today so why not throw the EA away altogether and launch it officially today, also allowing people to register properly 'n stuff. Would've saved THOUSANDS of unhappy customers.)

[xEthan]

I think you are confused...

This IS early access. If you go buy the game today, you get a pre-order code that you MUST use in order to play these next two days. Buying the physical game (itself without code...) DOES NOT grant you access to play today and tomorrow. If online retailers shipped games and they arrived today, would you be upset? It's only logical to try to get the game out before official launch so people can start registering in waves the day the game is officially launch. You ever hear of the concept soft launch? Open Beta Phase 4 was demo, super soft launch. Today is soft launch.

What I'm saying is... your reacting over nothing. Don't worry, relax. There is no difference buying physical from buying digital right now, even if they handed that box out last week. Well... except being able to install the game without costing bandwidth haha. This is not a single player game where having a disk early is advantageous. We all in the same page.

[Shinikitty]

Due to the nature of the time frame involved in pressing discs, shipping etc, stores will often get the games in a week or more in advance. Stores often take preorders for games that have no special early access or content etc. and even though they have them in store they can't hand them out to customers until midnight of the release date given by the company.

In this case I believe they may be able to hand out the game as everyone who has preordered the game is just having to use their Product key to register for an early access key to activate their account during the early access weekend. So in a sense people can start buying the game in stores and they will just be stuck trying to get the early access like the rest of us.