EB Games Australia is Pulling The Elder Scrolls Online From Store Shelves

faefrost

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Jun 2, 2010
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Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Because it's not just EB. Bethesda removed the 6 month subscription option. Which is a sign that this is all something at the publisher level, not the retailer. And Occum's Razor applies. By this point we know this patern well. Subscription MMO is a near total washout, or fails to get anywhere near the numbers needed to recoup obscene overblown development costs. The first step is to go F2P and lay off much of the back end staff. At that point some games will stabilize into a profitable niche, such as LotRO and SWTOR, and many will continue their death spiral to cancelation. Sadly I think TESO is of the later category. It has many of the same issues as Warhammer Online.
 

PinkiePyro

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Sep 26, 2010
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I would assume its the its dying route I played it in the limed access beta while they were stress testing the servers and in short it was a generic MMO turd with a thin vineer of the elder scrolls charm
 

Sanunes

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2011
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faefrost said:
Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Because it's not just EB. Bethesda removed the 6 month subscription option. Which is a sign that this is all something at the publisher level, not the retailer. And Occum's Razor applies. By this point we know this patern well. Subscription MMO is a near total washout, or fails to get anywhere near the numbers needed to recoup obscene overblown development costs. The first step is to go F2P and lay off much of the back end staff. At that point some games will stabilize into a profitable niche, such as LotRO and SWTOR, and many will continue their death spiral to cancelation. Sadly I think TESO is of the later category. It has many of the same issues as Warhammer Online.
The big difference between ESO and Warhammer Online is that EA had the license agreement between them and Games Workshop expire so they were legally no longer allowed to use anything Warhammer related with the game, where Zenimax Online owns the Elder Scrolls license.
 

Ten Foot Bunny

I'm more of a dishwasher girl
Mar 19, 2014
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Remus said:
If EB is anything like Gamestop in the U.S., their PC rack is about the size of one of those condom machines in the gas station restroom.
That's the best description I've ever heard! :D I bow to you.

I don't go to Gamestop for any game, due to their abject need to open every package as it enters the store. I like my games unmolested by human hands before I open the package thank you.
Do they really do that at your local Gamestop? If you buy a new game from the store that I go to, they always pull a shrink-wrapped copy out from behind the counter. The only unwrapped games are, obviously, the used ones.
 

Ten Foot Bunny

I'm more of a dishwasher girl
Mar 19, 2014
807
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one squirrel said:
Gotcha, gamergaters!

Ha, first you complain about games being pulled from stores based on fearmongering and lies!
Now you are saying nothing at a game being pulled from stores because it doesn't sell well!

Time to post a witty onliner to point out this ironic turn of events!
Er... you DO realize that the two posts you quoted were joking about people who would call this a case of censorship? Neither one was seriously putting forth that proposition.

Or is your post sarcastic as well? o_O Maybe I'm the one picking the short straw now. lol
 

Sight Unseen

The North Remembers
Nov 18, 2009
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Ten Foot Bunny said:
Remus said:
If EB is anything like Gamestop in the U.S., their PC rack is about the size of one of those condom machines in the gas station restroom.
That's the best description I've ever heard! :D I bow to you.

I don't go to Gamestop for any game, due to their abject need to open every package as it enters the store. I like my games unmolested by human hands before I open the package thank you.
Do they really do that at your local Gamestop? If you buy a new game from the store that I go to, they always pull a shrink-wrapped copy out from behind the counter. The only unwrapped games are, obviously, the used ones.
Game Stop has been known to have their own shrink wrapping machines in their back room and to open the cases if they feel the need to. I remember a few years ago, I think with a Rock Band game, that there was a big controversy because Gamestop were opening the cases and removing the paper with the code to port the songs from this Rock Band game ( I think it was Lego Rock Band) to Rock Band 2/3 and then resealing the cases as if they were unopened.

EDIT: Source for a similar story involving Deus Ex codes: http://kotaku.com/5834002/gamestop-policy-open-your-games-steal-your-codes-sell-them-like-new

This story is even worse because they removed free codes for On Live from the Deus Ex: Human Revolution cases, because they saw OnLive as a competitor and didn't want to give them the free business, even though this was part of the deal that Square Enix had made with OnLive. Pretty fucking shady.
 

Sanunes

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2011
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Sight Unseen said:
Game Stop has been known to have their own shrink wrapping machines in their back room and to open the cases if they feel the need to. I remember a few years ago, I think with a Rock Band game, that there was a big controversy because Gamestop were opening the cases and removing the paper with the code to port the songs from this Rock Band game ( I think it was Lego Rock Band) to Rock Band 2/3 and then resealing the cases as if they were unopened.

EDIT: Source for a similar story involving Deus Ex codes: http://kotaku.com/5834002/gamestop-policy-open-your-games-steal-your-codes-sell-them-like-new

This story is even worse because they removed free codes for On Live from the Deus Ex: Human Revolution cases, because they saw OnLive as a competitor and didn't want to give them the free business, even though this was part of the deal that Square Enix had made with OnLive. Pretty fucking shady.
They have been doing garbage like that for years, I remember reading articles about people losing out on the Collector's Edition of World of Warcraft because they created games with those account keys.
 

ThunderCavalier

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Nov 21, 2009
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Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Source?

Not because I doubt you, but because I'm admittedly a lazy bastard and because I'd like to read this for myself.
 

Remus

Reprogrammed Spambot
Nov 24, 2012
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ThunderCavalier said:
Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Source?

Not because I doubt you, but because I'm admittedly a lazy bastard and because I'd like to read this for myself.
[link]http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2014/12/04/the-road-ahead---december-4[/link]
Feel free to read at your leisure
 

ThunderCavalier

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Nov 21, 2009
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Remus said:
ThunderCavalier said:
Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Source?

Not because I doubt you, but because I'm admittedly a lazy bastard and because I'd like to read this for myself.
[link]http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2014/12/04/the-road-ahead---december-4[/link]
Feel free to read at your leisure
Thanks again, and sorry for being too lazy to use Google. :D
 

Sight Unseen

The North Remembers
Nov 18, 2009
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ThunderCavalier said:
Remus said:
ThunderCavalier said:
Sight Unseen said:
Why don't we listen to the official statement from EB Games saying that this is a standard post-holiday recall instead of this anonymous "source" claiming that ESO is somehow being singled out as a "special" recall among a bunch of other games. Until we have actual evidence, I'd appreciate the Escapist staff not claiming that rumours from anonymous sources qualify as actual news.

I know everyone here is all aboard the ESO hate train to Free-To-Play-Ville but could we please wait for the body to be dead before you start fitting it for a coffin and tombstone? Update 6 is just around the corner and the console version isn't even out yet (but still in development) I VERY much doubt that they'd go F2P BEFORE those two potentially massive sales boosters launch.
Source?

Not because I doubt you, but because I'm admittedly a lazy bastard and because I'd like to read this for myself.
[link]http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2014/12/04/the-road-ahead---december-4[/link]
Feel free to read at your leisure
Thanks again, and sorry for being too lazy to use Google. :D
It was someone else who replied to you with the helpful link :p

Anyway, hope that link answered everything you were looking for. Feel free to ask if you want more info about anything :)
 

Joccaren

Elite Member
Mar 29, 2011
2,601
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Elfgore said:
It's funny you mention useless boxes being sold. My former place of employment has two TOR disks and even a Legend of Conan disks for sale. One guy tried to buy one and I just nudged him saying it was free online.

Anyway, I don't know what's happening here. Probably not a good sign for ESO.
Oh yeah, you have no idea how many DD:O boxes I've seen in EB games. Even in the last 6 months.
Free to Play has nothing to do with them withdrawing stock from shelves. If they can sell a free to play game, they will.

But yeah, not a good sign for ESO if its starting to collapse back in terms of how to purchase it.
 

Aaron Sylvester

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Jul 1, 2012
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If ESO goes F2P there will be massive backlash from a big part of the community. Many people are convinced that the subscription "ensures good quality", and going F2P = the end of everything.

I know some people who bought ESO purely because it had a subscription. Now that's a scary thought.
 

Small Moon Rabbit

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Oct 22, 2014
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So... I hated the beta... well maybe hate is to strong, I just found it a little bland and really buggy. However I bought the game on sale last week and to be fair, I'm quite enjoying it at the moment. Many of the bugs have been fixed and as long as you take it for what it is, an MMO, there is fun to be had. Personally I'd have preferred multiplayer Skyrim using something like the Minecraft business/server model, but as MMOs go, its really quite good now.

As for FTP, I don't know. My bet would be Buy-To-Play. It always should have been BTP. Guild Wars seems to be doing well as BTP and Subscriptions just don't fly with most gamers nowadays, especially console peasants. It makes sense for the old boxes to be removed from the shelves even if they are still going to sell boxes, the old boxes would have warnings about subscriptions on them. My speculation would be they are going to continue to sell digital boxes, release the console version and go BTP at the same time.
 

Pandabearparade

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Mar 23, 2011
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There's no real chance of Zenimax shutting the game down entirely. It costs a lot to develop an MMO, they aren't pulling the plug so long as they can still milk it for more money.