The last time the retailer yanked boxes of a game from the shelves and returned them to the distributors, it was The Elder Scrolls Online, shortly before that title announced its buy-to-play conversion. Now the same thing is happening, only this time it’s boxes of WildStar. As go Australian EB Games outlets, so goes the rest of the world. You laugh, you mock, but can you be sure it isn’t true?
In all seriousness, there’s no smoking gun proving that this does herald a business model shift, and there are plenty of potential causes for pulling the boxes from shelves. But after what happened the last time, the rumor does have a bit of extra weight.
Afternoon update: Carbine has now announced a Mystery Box Promotion for WildStar. According to the developer post, all standard-edition boxed copies of the game will come with codes for a random mount, hoverboard, or costume. The promotion does not apply to digital copies or collectors edition copies of the game, and the special items are not account-wide. Gametime from the boxes stacks, according to the studio. Guest passes are no longer offered.
[Source: Games.on.net; thanks to Kieran, Dante, and Clay for the tip!]
