GameStop's Glittering Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Legendaries Promotion Continues to Encounter Problems
Towards the end of September, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced a partnered giveaway with the gaming retailer. Through October 15th, Glittering versions of the legendary mascots from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were offered at physical GameStop stores in the United States and at EB Games outlets in Australia and New Zealand. Participating local stores in other countries such as France and Japan were also added in the campaign.
Initial Problems and Code Shortages
Nonetheless, the giveaway got off to a rocky start—enthusiasts stated that their local stores had run out of codes in the days leading up to the giveaway. Currently, about halfway through the promotional period, GameStop has replenished the codes, but chances are your local store has depleted its stock again.
Because of high demand, the first wave of complimentary Shiny Koraidon and Miraidon codes were snapped up rapidly.
Saturday, October 4th, GameStop announced a replenishment of codes via social media. The company's statement noted that they had collaborated with The Pokémon Company to make more codes available, but there's a catch. "Pokémon has given us a limited number of receipt codes, approximately 50 per store."
Scalping and Resale Problems
Initially, stores were given fifty codes, though they were rapidly depleted. Despite the promotion limiting codes to a single code per individual, some online auction posts surfaced with several codes available. This has continued for the new round of codes. A prominent response on social media commented, "These codes right?" alongside screenshots of online sales for the codes, with at least one having multiple available.
Varied Outcomes for Players
Certain fans managed to obtain codes over the weekend from their nearby shops, while some had no such luck. "Waiting on 3rd chance now. Just called my GameStop. They’re out of codes (again)," a fan remarked, before other players came forward and gave them extra codes for the shiny legendary Pokémon.
Mystery Surrounding Distribution
Why the Shiny box legendaries weren't earned through a Tera Raid battle or distributed digitally via Mystery Gift is still unclear. At present, you'll have to head to your nearest retailer and hope they still have codes left if you desire a Shiny Koraidon or Shiny Miraidon.
