GameStop Criticized Over Misleading Gamers About Pokémon Add-On

 

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GameStop criticised after they fail to tell Pokémon Sword and Shield players the true nature of the new Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta add ons.

Pokémon Sword and Shield (SS) announced a new event on Nintendo handheld platforms, where the players could add a new Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta. The players needed to visit GameStop for free codes and enter it into the in-game activation link. The promotion of the Shiny Zacian and Zamazenta is free. The event took place on October 22nd, across multiple media platforms.

Despite that, multiple accounts from players of the Pokémon game have reported being misled by the GameStop employees. The GameStop centres would mislead the gamers by stating a minimum transaction to be made before availing of the offer. Pokémon Sword and Shield was released on 15th November 2019 as a core base for the Eighth (8th) generation of Pocket Monsters. After the Alola region, the Pokémon game is based in the new Galar region. The region hosts three challenges:

1.  Pokémon League
2.  Gym Challenge
3.  Champion Cup

Collectively the entire challenge is named Galar League. The details and the challengers can be referred from Bulbapedia. You can also find details regarding their corresponding Pokémon from Serebii.net.

Also read: Back 4 Blood: Everything You Need to Know About Fun, Annoyance, and Mutations

 

What happened at the GameStop Centre?

After the event’s announcement, Pokémon SS players across North America rushed to the GameStop stores nearest to their location. Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta for Pokémon sword and Pokémon Shield, respectively, had been much awaited since the game’s initial launch in 2019 on Switch. Pandemic pushed back most of the updates by 8 months. Several gamers reported being confused by the nature of the announcement after they had made their visit to the GameStop centre. Contrary to website details, GameStop employees coerced the players to transact a minimum amount before getting access to the in-game codes. 

The Pokémon Company had made the announcement loud and clear on their Official website that said, “There’s no purchase required for this promotion, but the offer is only available while supplies last, so don’t delay. Head over to GameStop to claim your Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta!” But the gamers taking a visit to the GameStop have given a different story altogether. Numerous North American Sword and Shield players, as per the instructions, made a minimum purchase first in order to avail the free codes.

 

Community Reacts to the GameStop Issues

Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net, reached out to social media regarding events at GameStop. He reported GameStop employees’ “false claim.”

“Already seen people report that some Gamestop stores in the US are trying to make the false claim that you need to buy something to get the Zacian code,” Joe added.

“To clarify, you don’t need to buy anything. Don’t let them do this to you.“

It seems like the issue is happening to the northern neighbours of the United States too. Reddit users from Canada have also stated about a similar Modus Operandi. EB Canada, a division of GameStop, misled the players in the same way as GameStop America. There is definitely a pattern emerging here. One of the users posted on Reddit regarding their experience at EB America. They had to buy a booster pack for $5 to get codes for Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta for Pokémon Sword and Shield. Eventually, quite a lot of people pointed out the excerpts on the official Pokémon website that stated, “there’s no purchase required for this promotion.”

What does the future hold at GameStop America!

Here we are now. Stuck at no official statements from GameStop or Nintendo, or Pokémon Company over that matter. The event is outrageous, to say the least. The scam is the name of the game. This is not the first time GameStop has wrapped itself in controversy. Wall Street betted against GameStop stocks which led to the massive decline in company stock values. 

During last year’s lockdown, GameStop America violated the pandemic sanctions by opening stores 24/7 across multiple states in the USA. Massive criticism followed after they incited negative communal values. They finally decided to close down all stores based on the pandemic norms by October 2020. Right now, though, we are pretty sure about long Boardroom visits for GameStop executives. An announcement might be coming eventually. But, the question remains as to how the employees would be brave enough to pull this off if the executives do not allow them?

Much to the dismay of every Pokémon gamer, there is only one solution. Just take a cop with you on your next visit to GameStop after doing thorough research. If you are a Pokémon game fanatic, you should check out our Ultimate Beginner’s guide for Pokemon Unite.