GameStop caught removing promotional OnLive codes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
It's a big year for OnLive, with the launch of it's European server in September, the cloud based gaming service will be a lot more accessible to a lot more people. As part of it's campaign, OnLive struck a deal with Square Enix to include a free OnLive copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for every retail PC copy sold.
Now it appears that GameStop have been removing these promotional codes as OnLive is in direct competition with it's own online digitial market service "Impulse" and then selling on the copies as new.
An email sent around the company was intercepted, the email was from Josh Ivanoff, one of GameStop's Field Operations Managers (screenshot below) and stated:
Please immediately remove and discard the On Live [sic] coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution Our desire is not to have this coupon go to any customers after this announcement."
GameStop were then selling the copies on as new, with no information to the customer that the copies have been tampered with. After it was caught doing so, GameStop then pulled Deus Ex: Human Revolution from it's shelves - effectively not selling the product at all.
A lot of people are giving GameStop the evils, but Square Enix responded by saying that GameStop have a right to a "final say over the content of products it sells and adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies." Hmm, I doubt that OnLive would be saying.
A representative for OnLive has bee contacted in regards to the fiasco, and we will update the post if we receive an answer.
