When Limited Run offers boxed versions of a game, it is often the only one to offer such a physical version. This was not the case for Streets of Rage 4 and the timing of the various announcements caused confusion and frustration on both sides. The controversy has grown enough to push Dotemu to speak on this subject.
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When Limited Run Games announced last January the marketing of several physical editions of Streets of Rage 4, many players located outside the United States rushed to it, despite the costs of importation, thinking that it was the only way to have the game in a box.
When it was revealed only a few days ago that a boxed version would also be offered in Europe, some believed a manipulation of Limited Run to push fans out of the United States to buy.
Follow-up to the announcement of the release of a boxed version of Streets of Rage 4 in Europe, including on Xbox One (which Limited Run does not offer), players have, according to the messages seen on social networks in recent days, canceled their order from Limited Run to get, for a lower price, the European version of the title.
The situation as damaging for Limited Run both in terms of communication and commercially, Dotemu has published a release in which he reviews the situation and apologizes to his American partner and his customers:
Limited Run Games and Dotemu have enjoyed a fruitful partnership for several years and our collaboration on Streets of Rage 4 was planned early in the project. As is often the case during game releases, additional partnerships concerning physical versions have been arranged during development. The latter mainly targeted customers located outside the United States. However, mistakes were made during planning and we apologize. To be clear, Limited Run Games was not involved in the management of other boxed outings or their timing.
We underestimated the demand from fans and made a mistake when it came to managing the timing and delivery of the physical versions. For these reasons, we apologize to Limited Run Games and to the fans (both theirs and ours) and promise that we will do better next time.
We also wish to emphasize that the editions of Streets of Rage 4 proposed by Limited Run Games are unique and offer an exclusive artwork produced by artistic director Ben Fiquet which will not be available elsewhere.
To make things better for those who ordered the game from Limited Run Games, Dotemu and Limited Run Games offer Steam game keys to everyone who ordered the Limited Edition of the game. And all of the Streets of Rage 4 orders will receive a free and unique CD with 15 tracks of the game's soundtrack, including an exclusive remix by composer Tee Lopes.
The confusion arises from the fact that Limited Run Games often has the exclusivity of the physical versions of the games it sells. To prevent this type of problem from recurring in the future, the American reseller would have everything to explicitly state if it has the exclusivity of the boxed versions it offers. Editors / studios should indicate whether they intend to offer boxed versions in a particular territory.
As a reminder, the physical versions of Streets of Rage 4 produced by Limited Run Games will not arrive before 2 4 months. The European version offered by Just for Games will be released on July 24. Obviously, it is possible to get the dematerialized version of the Dotemu game now.
Did you pre-order a boxed version of Streets of Rage 4 from Limited Run Games? If so, have you canceled the consequences of the announcement of the release of a physical version in Europe? What does this situation inspire in you? Let us know in the comments below.
