Buy Batman used at GameStop, get free Catwoman code

@darkinchworm

GameStop did the same with the Online Pass for Mortal Kombat.

@SirUrza

just got back in from GameStop and BestBuy and it's too late to reserve the collectors edition :^( ...

THANK GOD FOR GOOGLE!!

http://www.wbshop.com/Batman-Arkham-City-2011VGPS3CE/1000235551,default,pd.html?cgid=PRE

@youngoz Does the WB store version have a pre-order bonus? couldn't find any info on it.

and before people start acting like half-wits like i've seen elsewhere in response to this news: warner brothers (the game's publisher) are MAKING MONEY OFF THIS. it amazes me that anyone would consider otherwise - gamestop isn't ripping anyone off, they're paying for those passes.

@(Unverified) I recognize that, and it leaves me completely unable to rationally respond.

@(Unverified) If Gamestop is paying for it then that only shows the huge profit margins they have, you don't subsidize $10 of pure profit for a loss.

This just shows

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga
yeah... so what? i dont think anyone is arguing that gamestop is losing money on this.

@(Unverified)

NO.. NO... NO!!! i refuse to listen to your logic

(covers ears) LALALALALALA GAMESTOP IS THE DEVIL, GAMESTOP IS THE DEVIL

(rocks self to sleep)

@(Unverified) ...
How is Gamestop losing money? You trade in game for $25....they sell it for $54, ....even with including $10 DLC, they still come out ahead.

They would be crazy to have paid the same for the DLC that the consumer did, believe your common sense... they did not. They prob got huge discount if they paid anything at all.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

You're assuming GS has to pay the full $10 for each code. You don't think they might get some kind of bulk rate?

@(Unverified)

Smart move to buy the passes themselves.

It lets them keep their most profitable part of their business (used sales) and the developers/publishers are getting their cut. Gamestop still gets to make almost pure profit off the used sale.

@Draugdraugr

They were going to keep the most profitable part of their business either way. All this does is help to justify the fact that they weren't going to take any more than $3 off a used copy of a recent release. For $3 off I'd be buying your game new if I was planning to buy it at/near launch.

This certainly isn't "free" since I'm very sure that the cost of the pass is being directly passed to the customer. Gamestop is likely getting some price cut on these not necessarily because they are buying in bulk but because they are selling them automatically at the used POS.

Personally I would much rather be sold 80% of the games I buy without any online bullcrap for $10 less. They apparently have valued the online portions of games (that I will probably never bother with) at $10 so why not sell me a new game without it for 49.99 instead of 59.99. Then let me decide if tacked on multiplayer is going to benefit the predominately singleplayer game they sold me.

At the end of the day GS gets a excuse not to drop their used prices and the gaming industry extorts the used sale tax they feel they are entitled to. Not so much a win/win more of a new statuesque.

@Scuffles

Doesn't effect me either way as I don't shop at gamestop, and I don't buy used, heh.

@(Unverified)

That just makes this whole "online pass" scheme that much crazier.

What's the point!? If everyone's going to get the stupid code regardless of when or how they buy the game, why bother with it at all?

If this is just about getting GameStop to pay publishers $10 for the ability to sell popular games at a $5 discount, why not just do that without making customers fuss around with these stupid codes?

@Chareth Cutestory

Here, here. Methinks I smell a new business model growing...

@Chareth Cutestory

I know why other companies began it. It was a way to deter people from buying used games so that the actual video game companies would make the full potential profit from the people who want the game. However, now that the "brilliant" minds at WB games have decided to let Gamestop buy the passes from them, the model and ideal behind it, is broken.

Let me step back a bit though, the reasoning behind WB doing this, is simple, they can afford the minor loss of potential profit. Arkham City may just have the most commercial/advertising tie ins I've ever seen. "Buy this drink, get free dlc. Buy some stuff from best buy, get some stuff." Etc etc. They've already made plenty of money off of this game and it barely came out.

As for Gamestop profiting or not? It's simple...they are profiting all around off of these. GS, as a whole, is a profit machine. Unlike the surprising number of people here who understand what they are doing, most of the general public do not. Soccer moms, "bro" guys who play madden, hot girls who don't know better, and little kids still want to buy used games and have no clue that it's hurting the developers and that the companies we grow to love aren't getting a cent from it. So, like it or not, giving out free passes that they bought for like a 1$ each when they make 54$ off of each sale...is profit that the devs will not get to touch.

@twocows - Yes. Yes it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXZRdeGHEo&feature=related

@Colin

I mean, I'm usually ok with online passes, but the whole point of them was to punish Gamestop's used game monopoly, which doesn't work if Gamestop gets an exemption.

You know what? I can't believe I ever thought this was just devs wanting to get paid. This is corporate greed, plain and simple.

@Colin

lolwut?

How does this affect the consumer in any direct way? Unless your sole goal in life is to ruin Gamestop financially, what you say makes no sense. In fact, Gamestop is actually PAYING for these extra codes, so it isn't "padding their earnings," on the contrary the devs are getting that much more money from all the codes bought to include with used copies.

And no, the point of online passes is not to "punish Gamestop's used game monopoly," it is to make sure that developers and/or publishers can still make at least a little money off of used game sales.

You're so blinded by your hatred of Gamestop that you can't see the bigger picture. I don't always agree with their business practices, but to say this is in any way a bad thing is just silly.

@Colin

The online pass system wasn't created as a punishment, nor aimed solely at Gamestop, not even close. It allowed publishers and developers to get SOME money from the massive used game market that consists of way more companies than just GS. I can't even say this is corporate greed on WBs part, it's their wanting to make money off of the game they published and not watch massive revenue get pocketed by GS/Best Buy/Amazon/Hastings/everywhere else. At least to offset losses a bit until digital console game delivery really takes hold and used games don't come into play.

No one has to like it, but this makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint, and it's really not screwing anyone over, it's just...annoying. Also, why does every Gamestop look like a run down porn shop?

@Mister Darcy

"Also, why does every Gamestop look like a run down porn shop?"

Because a lot of gamers like to see themselves as "underground" even though gaming has long become a widespread hobby. All the same Gamestop is seen as just too mainstream and evil because they have a borderline monopoly on used game sales and they treat their customers like crap and on and on and on...

I have yet to have a bad experience at a Gamestop. That's just me though.

I'm not saying I wholeheartedly agree with everything they do (even though I think that the employees that work at mine are pretty awesome), but people just like to complain.

@Burnflare

I've been going to EB Games for years, and not once have I ever had a problem there. I preordered Mirror's Edge before it came out, and I was supposed to get a bag for the preorder but the store didn't receive the amount they were supposed to. About 3-4 months later I went there again to buy some other game, and they had a bag waiting for me. Apparently they contacted EA and got some more sent over.

As much as I HEAR about the things they do, I myself cannot jump on board since they have been as nice as possible to me.

It's also kind of fun for me to go there because as far as I know I was one of the first people to get a PS3 from that store, and I got the staring eyes from everybody in there when I went to pick it up :D

@Mister Darcy

What I don't understand is why game developers get to do these thing when the furniture buisness doesn't.

"All IKEA furniture has (as we all know) a one-time use code that will lock the legs onto your newly bought desk. However, Ebay has recently announced that all customers purchasing used will be given a free code, which will be printed on their receipt following purchase. We have contacted Ebay for additional information."

@Burnflare

It's not hatred for Gamestop, it's hatred for the fact that Gamestop is the reason we have the massively inconvenient online passes in the first place, and now they're taking a tiny hit on their overhead in order to continue their lucrative used games sales while the consumer gets locked out of content if they rent the game or borrow it from a friend.

Online passes were a direct counter to used games which Gamestop is the biggest pioneer of. But the only people being hurt is small businesses and individual consumers. Not cool.

@liquidsoap89

same thing, my GameStop is an ok place, they don't bug me with crap and when they (still) try to renew the GameStop Rewards a simple "no thanks" is usually all it takes. Anybody who has done retail knows that companies put utter most importance in rewards programs because it keeps coustumers coming back with incentives, for those people who are fortunate not to ever done retail it would be appreciated if you all S T F U because its just their job.

@Colin

I think you've missed the mark again. The massive used game market is on...well...us (yes, I know, some people don't buy used, enough people do though). It's the same with things like the COD DLC. If no one had purchased the first $15 DLC pack, that price would have dropped like a rock. If everyone only purchased new games, online pass would have no reason to exist.

@Mister Darcy

I whole heartedly agree with you there, but Gamestop was certainly the first to really push the used games market with promotions for trading in and equal shelf space for new and used. I mean, you're absolutely right that this wouldn't have happened if people only bought new, but it's no coincidence that Gamestop started actively building a business around used games.

It boggles my mind that people will pay $54 for a used game at gamestop when they could have gotten it new on release day at an actual reputable retailer for $40-50 instead (and they won't take highly valuable things out of the box and then reseal it as new). But if you want to continue to support a repulsive organization then thats your prerogative, keep paying more for less.

@liquidsoap89
I wish my local one was like that. I've friends who work there who do nothing but talk about how employees steal pre-order bonuses if they're not packaged in the same case with the game. They also kept trying to charge me $30 more for the "Raihou edition" of devil summoner 2.

@Burnflare

You, sir, are a nincompoop. The devs are not getting this money. It's the publishers that make these decisions, and the publishers that get all the money. While you think you're supporting and loving on the creators, you're not. You're padding THQ's coffers, not Relic's, when you buy Space Marine and get that pass, or buy new.

It's true they get SOME royalties, but it's pretty much exactly like the music business: The band gets minimal money, and the record label guzzles down all the record sales and profits. Whilst I do realize that publishers are a necessary evil, they don't simply take their cut and a little extra. They take as much as possible, and make more than the original creators, and even AFTER that, they own the license/property, not the original creators... just like Record Labels.

Whoever sits here spouting that this is for the devs is an EFFING. MORON. This is the greed of the companies, attempting to destroy used games, resales, and rentals. They're trying to monopolize an entire industry, and remove all competition.

They want EVERY. PROFIT. EVER. They don't want to share with the rentals (even if they get money from them), they don't want to give the devs the riches they deserve. They want to strangle us gamers with cut content sold as $10 Day 1 DLC, rip out side quests that were originally in the game for additional DLC, and keep choking us until they've milked every last green drop out and games crash just like in 1983.

@singleandlovinit

I know walmart and bestbuy don't do day 1 $40 new releases.. so what are you talking about?

@Colin I'm sorry dude but the only thing I get from your comments is "waaa Gamestop sucks". So, GS capitalized on the fact that people are willing to buy used games at a slightly cheaper price ($10 on a newer game if you have their rewards card). Big deal. Used sales is where GS get most of their profits, and no one can really blame them for liking money...since that's really the point of a business ANY business. The free online pass for used copies hurts no one, so what are you complaining about?

Online passes are on the devs and publishers and no one else. No one forced them to implement them. And all the people you are rallying for (renters, people who borrow games from friends) still fall into the same category of people who purchase games used in the dev/publishers eyes since they justify online passes by saying they need to do it because they don't make money off those games but still have to maintain the servers and all that jazz. And whether you bought it used, borrowed it from a friend, or rented it you're still taking up the same space on their servers without giving them any money.

@Colin So it's okay for publishers to be greedy but not gamestop? lol.

@Xero Theory

I don't think I can be any clearer. Gamestop was the first large chain to heavily push used game sales, cause it's a lucrative market only tiny brick and mortar stores were capitalizing on. That's a solid fact. If you remember correctly, Best Buy and Wal-Mart only started doing trade ins because Gamestop was making so much money from it. And the fact that Gamestop was making so much money from it was why EA originally started doing the online pass, which was very hostile to consumers but most people sucked it up and accepted it because EA had to recoup losses from used sales somehow. But now the biggest pioneer for used game sales gets to keep selling used games while other businesses and customers get left with shitty quasi-DRM.

Sure, people buying a used copy of Batman from Gamestop get a code, but people who want to lend their game to a friend or sibling, or sell their game in online classifieds, or trade it into their local store instead of Gamestop, or do anything but keep it or trade it into Gamestop get screwed over.

Yes, this is great for Gamestop customers who buy used. Not so much for everyone else.

@Colin You side stepped the point my friend. People who rent borrow trade etc. are no different than people who buy used from gamestop or anywhere else. The only difference is they don't have the bargaining power on their side like GS does. The renters and borrowers and traders don't give anything back to the company (GS is paying the company for the OP's) so why would things be different for them now? It wouldn't because all those people are still playing their games without giving them money. So EVERYTHING now is the same for those who don't buy from GS as it was before, so stfu. This doesn't hurt anyone, at all.

Also, GS may have been the first major retailer to do used games, but there were places to do it before them like CD Land and even Blockbuster and Movie Gallery used to sell used games too. Gamestop isn't the first, they were just the first group of major retailers to partner up and go national. I'm not a huge fan of GS, and apparently you aren't either, but I guarantee you've bought a couple used games from them in your life time and that you use someone's trade in service that wouldn't be around if GS hadn't been so successful.

Just think about this, this site is usually extremely anti gamestop, and yet not very many people are sharing the same sentiment you are. Either this is good news for you if you shop at GS or you could careless if you don't shop there. It doesn't hurt anyone or change anything for others. Finally, this doesn't even mean that this type of thing will be common. As of now it's just a one time deal with WB, and if GS doesn't feel it's worth it it won't be around in the future.

@Xero Theory

I didn't think I was sidestepping, but ok. Rentals and loans aren't on the same as a used sale. If I borrow a game from any source, there's still a chance I will end up buying it (Alan Wake, Red Dead and the original Arkham Asylum are all games I wouldn't picked up if my friend hadn't loaned them to me first), and renting and borrowing aren't as aggressively marketed as Gamestop's used sales are. It's nowhere near the impact GS and its competitors has.

Of course none of that matters, really. You're right, nobody is directly hurt by this. The damage was done long ago when online passes were first put into use, which was caused by the explosion of used games, which was most definitely caused by Gamestop, no matter how many tiny stores were doing trade ins first. No other chain aggresively markets like GS does, and no other chain counts used games as the number one revenue source. I just take issue with the fact that Gamestop trade ins are exempt from the online pass system. It's a straight up monopoly.

@Andrew12h gamestop is paying 'the devs' (the publishers, actually) for those codes so calm down.

@arucious

If the rental companies wanted to keep up, they'd be working out a deal for passes that last a week or something. Don't get mad at GameStop for playing the game. It's a business, not a charity.

@gordogg24p None of the systems support infrastructure for time based codes. Microsoft and Sony (and others) would have to spend a massive amount of time and money creating a system that would support that. So, no, it's not that rental companies just need to get on the phone. They (and their customers) are being treated like dirt.

@IndigoHawk But in reality renters and borrowers fall into the same category in the publishers eyes. The whole excuse for these online passes is because when GS or anywhere else sells the game used, the publisher doesn't get any of the profit but still has to pay to maintain the servers for all those people who didn't give them a dime. And if you rent or borrow you are just the same as someone who buys a used game since you're putting data on their servers that they have to maintain without you giving them any (or very little) money right?

Also, it seems strange that Sony and Microsoft ''aren't capable of doing something like that" since they allow 'season passes" which are only good for a certain amount of time and I've rented games through Gamefly that allowed me to have a 48 hour trial of the online features and then asked me after that time if I wanted to buy the online pass. In short, I call BS on your whole point.

@Burnflare Doesn't matter what they do. They still suck.

They could give a million dollars to charity, they're still an awful company that should be destroyed.

If BP did something for charity would that make you think differently of them? It shouldn't.

@hami83

That is a very cynical and narrow-minded view, and I'm sorry you think that way.