The Most Accepted "Scam" In Gaming

What are video game pre-order bonuses, and why have they gone downhill?

Heading into the 2010s, publishers quickly realized that pre-order bonuses were popular not just because people necessarily wanted the reward itself, but also out of fear of missing out.

Developers realized that it didn’t matter if the bonus was physical or digital, so to maximize earnings, developers decided to go the cost-effective route.

At first, digital pre-order bonuses were pretty straightforward. One-time-use digital codes that would give players different perks. Star Wars: The Old Republic gave players digital codes that could be redeemed to access various perks, including access to the game one week before its official launch or “color stones” used to customize their lightsabers.

Usually, these were purely aesthetic, but some games took things a little further, including in-game gear. Mass Effect 2 shipped with the Mattock Assault Rifle, and Borderlands 2 had Golden Guns. But some games took it a little too far. Dead Space 3 notoriously shipped with armor suits and the Negotiator weapon, which made early sections of the game much easier.

Despite some minor controversy, these efforts proved profitable and the trend of a depressing trend of lacklustre, confusing, and, at times, outright misleading pre-order bonuses for major title releases.

In today’s video, we explore how a popular novelty offering bonuses to players excited about an upcoming game ended up being co-opted by companies and monetized into the ground.