GameStop tries to make peace with disgruntled consumers after Deus Ex coupon scandal

By Adam Rosenberg Published August 26, 2011

deus-ex-human-revolution-4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Video game retailer GameStop has had a little trouble this week as news came to light of the company pulling coupons for a free OnLive copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution that Square Enix packed into all PC copies of the game. The retailer argued that OnLive competes directly with a game streaming service that GameStop is currently working on, and that news of the coupon emerged too late for any other action to be taken.

Whether or not you agree with the justification, the coupon removal happened and large numbers of people were outraged. GameStop is acting now to win back the confidence of its customers, offering up a $50 gift card and a free used game with the purchase of any two others, according to Joystiq. To take advantage of the offer, you’ll need to bring your copy of the receipt into the store.

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GameStop is issuing e-mails to its customers laying out the situation and making the offer; you’ll need to bring along a copy of that e-mail as well. In it, CEO Paul Raines writes, “We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.”

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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