My take on this. (Destiny)

by Funkmon , Wednesday, June 24, 2015, 19:16 (3446 days ago) @ unoudid

And I did it for the bonuses. Having unlockable bonuses ensures I will not ever pre order a game. It is why I didn't get a PS4 for Destiny, too. I knew I would get that stuff eventually, so I thought "eh, no biggie," and stayed within my ecosystem.

So yes, 343 has stuck to their principles, which I applaud. They will probably lose a ton of preordery sales they could have had, though.

343 has gone up in my estimation because of that, BUT, preorder bonuses are good for business.

Which is better. Guaranteed pre-order sales and then subsequent returns, or just straight sales?

The reason I ask, is because it's very easy to return an unopened game for full retail cost after you get your pre-order bonuses on a receipt or emailed to you for launch. And is this why we see units shipped a lot of times instead of units sold?

Who keeps the bonus then returns the game?

"Hey guys, check out this 9 digit code on the Gamestop receipt I have framed!"

"That's for Borderlands 2. You don't even have that game."

"Yeah, I returned it unopened. But look at this cool code!"