While Nintendo of America was the center of a controversy superstorm due to its censorship, Nintendo of Europe is now having its own controversy revolving around Fire Emblem: Fates.
Just yesterday, Nintendo fans who had placed pre-orders for Fire Emblem: Fates – Special Edition through the official Nintendo of Europe store received emails stating that they would not be fulfilled due to a lack of availability. The email reads as follows:
“Dear ______,
Thank you for placing order ******** with us.
We are sorry to inform you that we have had to cancel Fire Emblem Fates – Limited Edition from your order as the item in question is no longer available.
This product sold out on the 1st of April, but due to a technical error was showing on our store again a few days later. Having placed your order during this second period, we are unable to fulfill your order.
We sincerely apologise for the disappointment this may cause and would like to offer you £5 off your next order as a gesture of goodwill.
As an alternative, for the same price as Fire Emblem Fates – Limited Edition we are happy to offer you a new bundle that includes:
• Fire Emblem Fates Birthright (packaged version)
• Fire Emblem Fates Conquest (downloadable content)
• Fire Emblem Fates Revelation (downloadable content)
• Fire Emblem Fates T-Shirt
• FREE pre-order only Fire Emblem Fates Home Menu Theme
You are also able to use your £5 discount when pre-ordering this bundle.”
– E-mail quote retrieved via Reddit
While this email was sent only to Nintendo of Europe customers, those who pre-ordered through GAME have also received calls about their pre-orders being canceled. The e-mail sent out by Nintendo of Europe’s store also offered a compensation package for those who desire a special-edition-like package. The package exchanges the map and artbook for a t-shirt and Fire Emblem Fates home menu for the 3DS, as well as all 3 versions of the game with a £5 discount. It’s not the special edition players were promised, but it’s something.
The immediate culprit of these cancellations is the failure for either GAME or NoE to take down their order pages after the stock was expended. However, this also seems to be a growing trend with the international Nintendo groups as stock of popular video game special editions appear to become scarcer over time.
We can only hope that Nintendo of Europe (and America) will be better prepared for the release of the special edition orders of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.
