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Why Selling Out Is Never OK

Why Selling Out Is Never OK

Rumors are everywhere in the gaming industry. We’re always hearing about how X game is in development, Y developer is having issues, Z publisher is engaging in some shady practice, and so on. Everyone is always gossiping about something. And today, one of the topics is Red Dead Redemption 2 . More importantly, it has to do with Red Dead Redemption 2’ s supply issues.

Yes, Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, but it already allegedly has a supply and demand problem. Have you checked the Amazon listings for the game? The Xbox One is listed as available for pre-ordering, but the PlayStation 4 version is unavailable. Supposedly, people who contact Amazon are being told the site already sold out of its quota.

You read that right. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that doesn’t even have a release date yet. Rockstar hasn’t even revealed details about gameplay. Oh, and by the way, this is a game from a developer known for selling millions of copies of its games in a single day. Yet somehow, Amazon is already sold out of its PlayStation 4 allotment. It is ridiculous and, if true, unacceptable. Nothing about this game has been revealed yet. We are still at a stage where it could even be delayed, perhaps even into 2018. Yet supposedly all of one retailer’s copies on a particular platform are spoken for?

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that, if it does appear in 2017, will probably be most people’s game of the year. It will sell millions. Grand Theft Auto V sold about 11.21 million copies within the first day it was released. If demand could be met for that, then it’s crazy to think that one retailer could apparently already be out of this game. The only way this could possibly happen is if there’s some sort of intentional monkeying around with early estimates, which seems unlikely as Rockstar has always been good about getting its games out there.

Why Selling Out Is Never OK

In an era where Nintendo Switch systems and PlayStation VR headsets can sometimes have a hard time staying on store shelves, we don’t need more news alluding to shortages. It is 2017. There are all sorts of systems, technologies, and agencies in place to gauge interest. Companies should always be aware of what customers want and, unless a product is specified as a limited edition at the outset, meet demand. We shouldn’t be hearing anything about Red Dead Redemption 2 selling out at this stage, even if it is only a temporary situation or rumor.

Fortunately, if this situation is accurate, there is plenty of time for it to be remedies. Perhaps Amazon only has an early estimate of how many copies it will sell before Rockstar starts releasing real information. Maybe we’ll see an increase in the initial shipment numbers once pre-orders open up everywhere and stores start getting overwhelmed. Perhaps people will go ahead and turn to digital copies, to make sure the game is always handy. This Red Dead Redemption 2 issue is one that isn’t a huge problem just yet, and hopefully things will be fixed by the time we, know know, actually have a launch date.

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