Gamers who bought physical copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution were greeted by an unexpected surprise when they opened their game boxes as they found a free coupon for the Onlive version of the game.
Said promotion was included with all boxed copies of the game's PC version, but GameStop customers missed out on it as the store opted to open the game's boxes and remove/steal the coupon from it before handing it to its purchasers.
Needless to say, GameStop didn't inform its customers or take their permission before doing so.
After customers started complaining, a GameStop employee leaked an internal email from a GameStop Field Operations Manager, with written instructions to employees ordering them to remove the coupons before handing the game to its purchasers.
GameStop didn't deny the allegations as its public relations representative, Beth Sharum, explained that "Square Enix packed the competitor's coupon with our DXHR product without our prior knowledge and we did pull and discard these coupons."
According to Wikipedia: "OnLive is a cloud gaming platform: the games are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and delivered via the Internet. The service is available using the OnLive Game System. A low-end computer, as long as it can play video, may be used to play any kind of game since the game is computed on the OnLive server. For that reason, the service is being seen as a competitor for the console market. All games on the service are available in 720p format. OnLive recommends an Internet connection of 5 Mbit/s or faster, and a 2 Mbit/s connection meets the minimum system requirements."
GameStop also posted a statement on Facebook saying that, "Regarding the Deus Ex: Human Revolution OnLive Codes: We don't make a habit of promoting competitive services without a formal partnership. Square Enix packed the competitor's coupon with our DXHR product without our prior knowledge and we did pull these coupons. While the new products may be opened, we fully guarantee the condition of the discs to be new. If you find this to not be the case, please contact the store where the game was purchased and they will further assist."
