Germany Bans Pre-Orders for Video Games Without a Specific Release Date

[AlTech]

Germany has just banned pre-ordering products including video games which don't have a specific release date.

 

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Germany has just made a major change to way video game pre-orders are handled within its borders. According to the German news site Heise (helpfully translated by Eurogamer), the Higher Regional Court of Munich has banned retailers for offering pre-orders for products without a release date. The ruling was made following 2016 complaints about Samsung Galaxy S6 pre-orders, but it applies to all products, including video games. Düsseldorf Consumer CEO Wolfgang Schuldzinsk clarified what the ruling means…

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In other words, no more pre-orders on products or games that are “coming soon,” or worse, have no release window whatsoever. Of course, this ruling only applies to Germany, with the US, UK, and other countries allowing folks to pre-order everything from Death Stranding to Cyberpunk 2077. But you never know – perhaps other jurisdictions will follow Germany’s lead and also tighten up pre-order regulation.

 

 

It would be nice for other countries to follow suit. Ultimately banning pre-orders for products would be great.

 

So yeah, what do you guys think?

 

Source: https://wccftech.com/german-bans-pre-orders-no-release-date/

[Evanair]

I wonder how this would apply to things like Kickstarter

[Froody129]

Enforcement is going to be interesting

[Guest]

Definitely a good idea. Finally a sensible law regarding purchasing video games in Germany.

[ARikozuM]

I don’t mind preorders being available as long as a set date is available. Then again, I’ve only preordered games that I know are good like Pokemon (Black and its sequel were shit and I was right for not preordering). 

[MotionFlex]

It's nice but I cannot see it changing anything. All a company has to do is give some date and just keep pushing it back until they're ready to release.

[WereCat]

19 minutes ago, Evanair said:

I wonder how this would apply to things like Kickstarter

Hmmm.

Technically... That's funding and not preordering.

[TigerHawk]

Star Citizen, anyone?

Does that even count as a preordering? It's kind of an alpha beta thing going on......I don't even know. I just know its going to be like 10+ years before its ever "released" still.

[tikker]

Yes please, more of this. I don't see the need to ban pre-orders comletely, but I do agree that without a tangible release date you should not take pre-orders.

[ARikozuM]

11 minutes ago, TigerHawk said:

Star Citizen, anyone?

Does that even count as a preordering? It's kind of an alpha beta thing going on......I don't even know. I just know its going to be like 10+ years before its ever "released" still.

At least it’s playable unlike BF3 pre- and post-beta.

[Marcel Kipka]

What about all the early access games on steam that are alfa/beta and don't have a release date, isn't that technically pre-ordering the game but you can play it while it's being developed?

A major annoyance I have is that most of these "games" that we play big tournaments on for $$$ are in beta and I think that shouldn't be allowed at all in my opinion.

[PlayStation 2]

Again, are people too stupid to use their brains on early purchasing that governments have to interfere?

[shermantanker]

33 minutes ago, TigerHawk said:

Star Citizen, anyone?

Does that even count as a preordering? It's kind of an alpha beta thing going on......I don't even know. I just know its going to be like 10+ years before its ever "released" still.

I would put money it it being pushed to a 1.0 release in a late 2021 or 2022 window. The development pace has picked up substantially over the past 1-2 years now that most of their back-end is in place. Haven't backed it myself, but I watch their press events a few times a year, and it is looking pretty good what they are doing.

[Sauron]

Why not just ban them outright? Preordering digital goods makes no sense whatsoever and if it gets banned at least they'll stop gating content behind the preorder.

23 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Again, are people too stupid to use their brains on early purchasing that governments have to interfere?

Yes, as clearly demonstrated by how much publishers insist on promoting them.

[Clanscorpia]

Why would you ban them? Its not like preordering hurt anyone. Why get the government involved into something it doesnt need to be? Like seriously, what benefit comes from the government banning preorders. 

[Dabombinable]

They should be banned for any non physical, non limited run product. Period

[Clanscorpia]

55 minutes ago, Dabombinable said:

They should be banned for any non physical, non limited run product. Period

Why? Whats the purpose of banning an item you dont like

[Dabombinable]

40 minutes ago, Clanscorpia said:

Why? Whats the purpose of banning an item you dont like

We are talking about digital items with no set release date. Digital items that may be years away from being released. Digital items that do not have any limitation to the number of copies available.

[Christophe Corazza]

So Sony games are getting banned then... got it.

[Christophe Corazza]

19 years too late, Germany.

 

[Castdeath97]

What if publishers just make a bullshit release date and miss it because of “delays”?

[Drak3]

That's pretty fucking stupid.

 

So, about right for Germany's current government.

[asus killer]

5 minutes ago, Christophe Corazza said:

19 years too late, Germany.

 

young people have no patient, what's wrong in waiting 15 years for a game. Please! 

That was needed to release a master piece.

[asus killer]

by one side i get the idea to protect costumers. On the other side isn't this just playing on all that is wrong with videogames today? making studios have a fixed date and go with it will probably end in the same as result as having EA forcing a release date for an unfinished product for money.

[Beskamir]

Laws like this exist for the sole purpose of ensuring consumers can't make mistakes. Thus from that perspective I don't like these kind of laws... consumers should be allowed to make mistakes.