Whenver something is available in only limited quantities, be it concert tickets, special editions, shoes or collector’s items, you can be certain that scalpers will be there to ruin the fun for everyone. Sneaker fans and concert goers have been dealing with it for years and years, and it’s become an ever-growing issue in the video game space. PS5/ Xbox Series consoles were difficult to obtain for the first three years of its lifespan thanks in no small part to scalers, and they’re apparently still hard at work snapping up collector’s editions of popular games.
The most recen clash between scalpers and normal gamers has been over the Baldur’s Gate 3 collector’s edition, which has apparently received the PS5 treatment. This apparently hasn’t escaped the notice of Larian Studios (makers of Baldur’s Gate 3), as one developer put out a post condemning those who were snapping up the special edition in hopes of turning a massive profit.
Normally this isn’t the type of thign I’d comment on, but it is nice to see that even the makers of these products get annoyed at scaplers too. It doesn’t do anything to stop it , course. No scalper is going to see a tweet and rethink their dastardly ways. Still, it’s nice to see someone besides normal consumers saying something against it.
While I’d never want to see anyone’s life get ruined over a consumer product, I do think it would be fitting if there was always a delay before the main bulk of a product hit the market.
Like, let the scalpers think they’re going to take advantage of the situation and those who would buy from them only to then have the bottom fall out as the market is flooded with product available at the intended price. It’d only take getting burned like that a couple of time to get a bunch of people to knock this garbage off, you know? Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. See you all next time?
What are your thoughts on scapling? Do you think there’s a way to actually solve it? Have you ever been affected by it?
Image from the Baldurs Gate 3 steam page
VIRTUAL BASTION 