Mark your calendars and take a picture for the grandkids: A video game petition has actually done something. An outpouring of support from fans of BioShock in an online petition has netted a promise of a collectors edition of the game for both the Xbox 360 and PC from publisher 2K Games.The effort picked up steam earlier in the week, when a 2K staffer noticed the petition requesting a collectors edition of BioShock, based on the fan community's love of the unreleased title's "exceptional story, atmosphere, AI and gameplay."
Said staffer then wrote on the game's official site that higher-ups in the company told her that 5,000 signatures on the petition would convince them to release a (presumably pricier) collector's edition. A message appeared on the site the following day, saying that the goal had been reached in just 5.5 hours. Approximately 18,500 signatures appear on the petition currently. With the limited edition guaranteed, the fan community is now voting on exactly what they want that special package to contain. (As of now, "art print with team's signatures" is being beat out by "upgraded packaging," which has to be a blow to somebody's self esteem.)
So, does this represent a new emphasis on letting fans more directly impact releases? Or is it possible that a limited edition was already in the works and the signing effort was a way to drum up publicity, or deflect any negativity from fans who view collector's editions as nothing more than a cash grab? If 18,000 fans are truly demanding to buy a collector's edition, the move seems to have been a success, no matter what the motives were.
