Final Fantasy 15’s coveted Ultimate Collector’s Edition, which only saw 30 thousand copies printed, disappeared from the Square Enix store just minutes after its listing went live. Evidently, plenty of the edition’s copies went to scalpers, who have already begun reselling with steep mark-ups.
Several Ultimate Collector’s Editions have sold for as much as £420 (plus £30 shipping) in the UK. That’s about $650 U.S, approximately a 240 percent markup on the edition’s original $270 price tag.
One eBay seller has sold three editions for this price, which suggests scalpers were able to purchase multiple copies of the edition to resell. This led many outraged fans to fire on the Square Enix store’s regulations, and to demand action from Square itself.
In a statement to Eurogamer, Square Enix Europe provided a summary of tweets from FF15 Director Hajime Tabata addressing the shortage and scalpers.
“The people placing abnormal orders that suggest possible purchases for the purpose of reselling will be told that they will be dealt with severely in conformity with the agreement,” Tabata said.
Tabata added that Square is “currently investigating if there are ways we can somehow increase production.” Printing and selling additional copies of the edition would stunt its rarity, but also allow fans to pick up a copy of their own, not to mention dodge scalpers.
FF15’s Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes blu-ray versions of the newly announced Brotherhood anime and Kingsglaive movie, a steelbook case, large Play Arts Kai Noctis statue, 192-page art book, original OST and more.
The game’s $90 Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, includes the Kingslaive blu-ray, decorative case and in-game content. At the time of writing, PS4 and Xbox One Deluxe Editions are available for pre-order.
Source: Eurogamer
