Let's Talk Games

[seanpnels]

Firstly, thank you Kyle for the thought out response. I appreciate you taking the time to communicate with and help the people posting in this thread.

However, I have to agree with the other posters. We know through communications from Bioware that EA/BW have given retailers the go-ahead to break the street release date, and ship the game early, to avoid players being locked out of the game after 12/19. We've seen that as of yesterday, Amazon has agreed to ship the game early, and have been told that high-level discussions are ongoing with various other retailers to come to similar agreements.

Given the information above, we can conclude that the decision to not ship the game early lies solely with Best Buy. From beginning to end, BB has mismanaged the entire preorder (and now release) process for SWTOR; from unusable pre-order codes, to players who pre-ordered through BB now potentially being locked out of the game for anywhere from several days, to weeks due to holiday shipping.

I can only speak for myself, but I will most definitely not be purchasing from Best Buy in the future. This whole process has left a sour taste in my mouth. I will entrust my orders (and money) to another company that will listen to its customers, and do what's right to make good in situations such as this. While I am but one person with little to no effect on BB's quarterly sales numbers, I surely cannot be the only one that has come to this same decision. You've really dropped the ball this time, guys...

-S

[krshankman]

Also, if Amazon can ensure that its customers will have product in hand on Monday, BestBuy should be able to do so as well.

This includes in-store pickup!  Currently I will have to wait 10+ hours after I get cut off from the early access to when I'll be able to walk through the doors of my local retailer.  Please allow us to pick up our Collector's Editions on Monday.  Paying a premium for the extra goodies in the CE should not come with a penatly.

Please pass this info up the food chain!

[pro24]

Bioware is looking out for you guys! I don't think they are as evidence by the mass riots on the forums. Stop trying to spin it Fox news ways. This is a total debacle and one of the worst launches in MM history. Buyer Beware..

[Kyle-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

UPDATE!

I've got some good news!

I was just advised that due to concerns from those of you who preordered the physical version of the game being at a competitive disadvantage to those who preordered (and therefore pre-loaded) the digital version of SWTOR, EA has made the decision to extend the Early Access for all preorder customers through Wednesday, 12/21, meaning those of you with physical preorders will not face a gap in play at midnight in order to pick up and load the disc for the game.

This has just been posted on the official SWTOR forums as well:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=28618

Hello everyone,

While we've worked closely with our retailers in the launch territories to ensure copies of Star Wars: The Old Republic are available from our launch date of December 20th, we understand that for those of you who’ve pre-ordered, there may be a concern about getting your copy on time. We’ve heard you want a 'grace period' where you can continue to play without having to enter a final product registration code (AKA 'game code').

We've been listening, and after doing another deep review of our platform infrastructure, we're taking action. Today, we're announcing a two day grace period for Star Wars: The Old Republic customers.

This means that everyone who pre-ordered and is in the Early Game Access program has forty-eight hours from launch in which to enter their product registration code, which will be found inside the physical Standard and Collector's Editions of the game; for digital editions of the game from Origin.com, the registration code will have been emailed to you after December 16th and will arrive before December 19th at 11:59PM EST. After December 22nd 12:01AM EST, you will be required to have a valid payment method and a product registration code registered to your account to continue to play. We strongly recommend that you register your product code as soon as you are able to do so (rather than waiting until the last minute) to ensure a seamless entry into the game, a smooth experience on the account website and to collect any special gifts and items you may be entitled to based on the version of the game you purchased.

We understand that for some, your copy of the game may still arrive on or after December 22nd. Unfortunately, we cannot extend the grace period any further. We suggest you contact your retailer to discuss shipping options, if this is a concern.

You may be wondering if your 30 days of game time (included with your purchase of the game) will be affected by the grace period. The answer is no. If you redeem your product registration code during the grace period, and add a valid payment method to your account, you will begin your billing cycle from then, and you will be entitled to 30 days of game time. If you redeem your product registration code before December 20th, your billing cycle will begin on December 20th at 12:01AM EST (the official launch date and time of the game).

We know this has been an issue for some of you, and we apologize for the concerns. We're looking forward to welcoming all of you to the official launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic!

Thanks,

Ray and Greg

[Frenemy]

Thank you for the update, Kyle!

[Kyle-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

In other news...

I have also just been advised that we will be shipping BestBuy.com pre-orders to arrive by Monday!  Some of you may already be seeing "Your order has shipped" emails so keep an eye on your email/order status if you wish to keep close track on where yours is at.  We sensed a disturbance in the force with our customers and are taking measures to ensure you have no gap in playtime.

Sorry for the rollercoaster ride everyone but I hope this comes as good news!

[Kyle-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

As another note...

The servers for the actual game will not be turned on until midnight on Monday (going into Tuesday) so even if you receive your game disc early, know that full gameplay will still not be turned on earlier than midnight, as originally planned.

[Mephsito]

and that is being said why ? to combat amazon who actually gives a care about their clients.....

[Frenemy]

Again, thank you Kyle (and BB) for listening to your customers.  Good will goes a long way.

[nwrjmwill]

I got an e-mail today saying my order has been shipped. So I kind of feel bad for coming down in bestbuy. Maybe in the future if we could just get some more consistent answers it might help things go smoother