In what’s bad news for people who like to pre-order their games, Amazon has pulled listings for a number of upcoming game console titles. As reported by ComicBook, “the majority” of pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have now been removed.
The company has yet to announce the exact reason for the unprecedented move, but a safe bet would be that it’s related to COVID-19 and the global pandemic. For a few weeks now, Amazon has been adjusting the delivery times of non-essential items to ensure that important goods can get to peoples’ homes as fast as possible during lockdown. Though it’s possible that the pre-order removal is down to this, there could also be another reason: delays.
A number of video games and even movies have now faced hefty delays due to the pandemic. Though some outlets are choosing to release their media content digitally (new movie Trolls World Tour skipped the cinema and went straight to digital release), others are withholding their goods “indefinitely” (The Last of Us Part 2, sob). It’s possible that Amazon is just preparing for more game delays – or maybe the company knows something we don’t (cue the conspiracy music).
If my pre-orders have to be put on hold so people can get their essentials sooner, I’m fine with that.
— TheDriskolEstateShow (@driskolestate) April 22, 2020
One user responded to the news writing: “If my pre-orders have to be put on hold so people can get their essentials sooner, I’m fine with that.”
Meanwhile, the developer of the upcoming game, Moving Out, cheekily replied: “Guess everyone should buy @MovingOutGame then right :)”
At the time of writing, Amazon has yet to reveal exactly why the pre-orders have been pulled.
How do you feel about Amazon’s decision to remove video game pre-orders?
Featured Image Credit: Amazon