Yesterday, the Square Enix online store experienced a huge snafu that provided early access to the upcoming sequel, NEO: The World Ends With You. Anyone who pre-purchased the game’s physical edition, for either the PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch, also received a digital code that unlocked the game. Basically, everyone who did this ended up with two versions of the game — All thanks to Square Enix. And before you ask, yes, this is no longer possible to try.
This was first seen via a ResetERA thread and was promptly mentioned on multiple Twitter posts. Once the knowledge was out, a vast number of people attempted to take advantage of the Square Enix store mishap, and all were successful. That is until the store eventually ran out of game codes to provide to people. Out of both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch codes, apparently, only the Switch codes were useable, while PS4 owners had to wait until the actual release date. The reason being is that the PlayStation Store will not allow you to play upcoming titles until the release date unless they’re classified as review or early access codes. Those who managed to play the game on the Nintendo Switch have been told to play the game in airplane / offline, just in case Square Enix does something to stop them from playing.
Now, while this all might sound great for games, there is also the downside to this. There are a number of spoilers floating around on the web, not to mention multiple game streams that could ruin people’s enjoyment of the game. Obviously, we tell people to stay away from those, but we’re fully aware there are those who wouldn’t. I really hope this doesn’t cause any issues with the games’ sales when it releases this week.
Despite all of this happening, Square Enix has yet to make a formal announcement as to what happened. I’m sure they’re aware of this but likely aren’t sure how they will do damage control. Specifically, will they end up changing everyone who took advantage of this, from the physical edition to digital game codes? If so, will they refund back the shipping fee of $15, which is completely outrageous from the start? Either way, we’ll be watching this space to see what eventually happens.
NEO: The World Ends With You is the follow-up to the cult-classic title, The World Ends With You. The sequel has moved away from the 2D visuals in favorite of 3D visuals, features new characters, but retains the familiar location of the Shibuya district. Be sure to check out our preview of the NEO: The World Ends With You demo, as we came away impressed and can’t wait for the game to be officially released.
NEO: The World Ends With You officially releases on July 27th, 2021, for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
