GameStop Backflips; Offers Apology, $50 Game Card

Last week, we covered GameStop's decision to first pull coupons from Deus Ex: Human Revolution from game boxes and the company's subsequent decision to stop selling the game altogether until Square Enix provided it with boxed versions that didn't include a coupon for OnLive's gaming service. Now, GameStop has pulled an about-face and is offering a public apology along with other goodies for gamers who bought a copy of the game and didn't get the OnLive coupon.

The company has sent out the following letter:

Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor's coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor's offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.

For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor.

Sincerely,
Paul Raines
CEO, GameStop

GameStop gets points for offering a nice package, but the company's aggressive practices still leave a bad taste in our mouths. GameStop is essentially apologizing for getting caught, as opposed to admitting they removed a perk another company undoubtedly paid to put in the box in the first place. Some of the fault rests with Square Enix on this one; the free OnLive coupon should've been treated as a perk for buying in some places, with GameStop possibly offering its own unique option instead.