Xenoblade Chronicles 3 fans left disheartened by pre-order service

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 pre-orders went live yesterday (June 30.), but many fans left empty-handed.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 pre-orders went live yesterday (June 30.), but many fans had to wait several hours in order to secure a copy and others were left empty-handed.

Xenoblade Chronicles was a series that didn’t look like it was going to make it. Despite outstanding reviews, the original failed to break half a million when it was initially released. Word spread by those who played it, and the JRPG became a cult classic with copies selling for way above their original retail price.

The increasing popularity of the series meant that when Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced in February 2022, fans were ready to pre-order the next entry. The release date was moved forward to July 29. and physical copies were available to purchase sooner than anyone anticipated. 

The series’ biggest fans were hoping to get their hands on the collector’s edition, which includes the physical game, a steel book and an art book. Depending on State tax, this edition retails for around $100. Pre-orders are already sold out but you can register interest for the second print on the Nintendo website.

As with any pre-order, not everyone will be able to get the game they want. However, even those who managed to get the game in their basket have reported that they had to wait more than five hours in some cases, just to successfully complete their purchase. This was due to the store’s server being overloaded, leaving many fans disgruntled at Nintendo’s lack of forethought.

Some editions sold by scalpers have already appeared on eBay, with the average resale price around $250. However, Nintendo has tried to discourage those who would be interested in taking this route. Those who sign up for the second wave of editions will still receive their copy of the game on the day of its release, with the outer box and accompanying extras arriving separately sometime in Fall.

If you are interested in what Nintendo has coming, you should check out the biggest announcements from the most recent Nintendo Direct.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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