Pre-order bonuses are shitty. I know that there are those who inexplicably side themselves with the major corporations trying to nickle ‘n’ dime the consumer, defending their shoddy business practices by explaining how “companies have to make money!” whilst throwing their wallets at games prior to their release in order to get their hands on a different color for their in-game gun, but as we see more and more content being kept away from paying customers in order to entice people to lay their money on the line before a game’s release, these bonuses are becoming more pervasive and more indefensible.
Pre-ordering in 2015 is an unreasonable option anyway given the myriad of games we’ve seen that have struggled with insurmountable launch day problems, yet pre-order bonuses are still something we’re frequently asked to buy into. However, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided‘s new “augment your pre-order” system is the grossest example of a company luring consumers into pre-purchasing their game since Evolve.
In the trailer for the pre-order bonuses it is revealed that those who order the game prior to its release date will be placed on a three-tier program, with each tier bringing with it a selection of exclusive content, concluding in an exclusive mission and the ability to bring its release date forward by 4 days. The trailer is being downvoted to Hell since being uploaded by Machinima, with it currently sitting at 59 likes compared to a whopping 2,544 dislikes.
Watch the trailer below, and prepare to shake your head incredulously:
It’s a complicated system, but essentially it boils down to asking players to pre-order the game now in order to receive the most amount of exclusive content for the game when it releases on February 23rd, 2016. This is likely being used to convince more players to not cancel their pre-order when its release date rolls around, by having already given them an array of exclusive content for the game. Not only is it a lamentable move on behalf of publishers Square Enix and developers Eidos Montreal, then, but it also stands to make us a little bit worried regarding the quality of the game, as putting a system in place specifically designed to persuade people against canceling their pre-orders suggests a lack of confidence in it.
This represents pre-order bonuses reaching their loathsome zenith, with the amount of content being locked away from customers who choose not to risk their money by pre-ordering having reached extortionate levels. Imagine taking a trip to the theater, only to find that a few scenes were missing from the version of the film you watched as you hadn’t pre-booked your ticket? That’s the same principle here, only consumers are actively willing to defend the practice for some inexplicable reason.
Hopefully enough of a stir is caused that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided‘s customizable pre-order bonus system will be the last of its kind.
