Independent Game Shops Have to Wait for Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 Release Is Delayed for Some Shops

Red Dead Redemption 2 is set for an October 26 release, but some independent game shops will have to wait until November. And since most customers will likely download the game or visit retailers like Best Buy or Gamestop instead of waiting, many shop owners are worried about lost revenue.

Characters with Beards - John Marston - Red Dead Redemption-min

“I’m telling you: Gamers don’t like to wait,” said shop owner Zach Gieg, who spent over $3,300 on advertising the game, which many of his customers preordered two years ago. “We have a very loyal customer base, per se, but I don’t think I’d want to wait for a week. It’s ridiculous. They’re gonna download it or go elsewhere and buy it at a big box retailer.”

Gieg estimates that customers would have bought more than 1,000 copies between his four stores, which is about $60,000 in lost sales. Even GameFly isn’t going to be getting the game on time.

“Our supplier has indicated that we will not receive the game prior to its release date,” they told customers. “At this time, we do not expect to ship PS4 discs before Wednesday, November 7th. We understand Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very popular game and apologize for this delay.

Some retailers claim that the delay is due to a supply problem, while others are skeptical, claiming that they have never experienced anything like this before. Daniel Mastin, who runs Video Games New York, believes that there might be fear that local stores will break the street date.

“They want a distribution chain they control,” he said.

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