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PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch SHOCK ban: No more game Pre-Orders in Germany, but is UK next?
GAME platforms have urged government minister not to ban video game pre-orders.
They spoke out after it was revealed Germany is bringing in an all-out ban on web retailers offering pre-orders of big titles with unspecified release dates.
It means shops can't offer pre-orders with phrases such as "coming soon" or "available soon" any more.
Instead, they must indicate the latest date by which the product will be delivered – or not offer a pre-order at all.
With fears growing that Britain could follow suit, the founder of a top cloud gaming platform has called on ministers to allow the status quo for both the sake of the shops and gamers themselves.
Egor Gurjev, of Playkey.net, fears a clampdown on pre-ordering a game could ruin its chances of being a hit with fans.
He said: "A huge part of any latest AAA release is the atmosphere generated through devoted fans being able to pre-order their most anticipated games.
"The idea that lack of announced date somehow affects the costumer in a negative way is flawed.
"The law can have a negative impact on many hardcore gamers who enjoyed following news and announcements around their favorite releases and enjoyed the option to pre-order their long awaited titles, regardless of the date being announced or not."
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Gurjev also added: "Additionally during the development stage it can be almost impossible to determine the precise dates of the release beforehand as many unpredictable things could occur during early stages as well as the testing stage that could affect the release dates considerably.
"From the business perspective publishers also use pre-order information and statistics to establish the excitement around a title and whether itll be a success.
"Each publisher, especially the ones with huge AAA releases, have a strong community support.
"This is fuelled by additional content, announcements and the opportunity to get hands-on unique editions which coincide with pre-orders.
"Looking at a larger picture, the power to decide whether or not preorders are allowed should remain with the consumer.
"In reality it is still a smaller pool of fans who order their favourite upcoming releases months in advance, but ultimately it should remain their prerogative to do so."
A consumer protection group raised the issue with the German courts, which issued the ruling earlier this month.
Customers should know when they can expect a delivery after a pre-order, the Higher Regional Court of Munich said.
The ruling came about after a consumer protection claim was made against German retailer Media Markt over the pre-order offer for a smartphone Samsung Galaxy S6 in August 2016.
But the ruling applies to all products, including video games.
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