Gaming Heads ordered by Sony to destroy *all* PlayStation merchandise (including paid-for orders)
- Thread starter Undrey
- Start date
I mean, even if that was the case.. just for PR you'd want the paid for products to be shipped. It's not like there's a financial harm to Sony if they are.
This type of approach also looks like the bigger company is just abusing it's disproportionate power in a contract dispute, regardless of who is in the right here.
Usually, even if contracts fall through or are breached, there's some amount of leeway one can give.
As someone who regularly negotiates these deals, it sounds like someone somewhere majorly fucked up and violated a clause in the contract and/or it lapsed and no one noticed.
I mean it could also be the case that the contract lapsed, no one noticed, then Sony signed with someone else to be the exclusive provider, which would mean these would need to be halted and destroyed, no questions asked.
There's a TON of grey area.
I mean it could also be the case that the contract lapsed, no one noticed, then Sony signed with someone else to be the exclusive provider, which would mean these would need to be halted and destroyed, no questions asked.
There's a TON of grey area.
This reads like Playstation found a company that's willing to pay more for the license and is willing to screw over a longtime partner for some extra cash.
It would make sense that they need all existing product to be destroyed so that there isn't any conflict between the old partner and the new one.
Playstation can make good games but they are incredibly scummy as a company.
It would make sense that they need all existing product to be destroyed so that there isn't any conflict between the old partner and the new one.
Playstation can make good games but they are incredibly scummy as a company.
You generally cant just axe these kinds of contracts cause you feel like it, you often need X amount of notice, which is usually 30 days or more, unless there is a breach of contract.
This is my guess on what happened. Sony found a "better" partner to work with, signed a deal with them, and forgot to wait for the contract with Gaming Heads to expire before making the new deal.
Clearly we don't know the whole situation, so Im not sure why any sides need to be picked. If Gaming Heads had a valid, active contract they'd have legal recourse against Sony, but that doesn't appear to be something they mention in their statement, which his odd.
Sure, but because there's a ton of grey areas, there's usually a way to work things out - if the parties are interested in doing so.
Shipping paid for merch doesn't seem like an insurmountable issue, even if another company got rights now.
This sure sounds a lot like Gaming Heads took money for orders and is now trying to keep the money for orders that aren't going to be fulfilled. Why would Sony be responsible for the refunds, and not Gaming Heads? Wouldn't Gaming Heads be asking Sony for royalty payments back, and Gaming Heads be refunding the customers who paid them directly?
Isn't a way out if there was an exclusivity license somewhere else and/or contract breach, which is what my gut is telling me here.
I also find it weird that they are saying customers are paying royalties, I'm not an expert, but I don't think this is how that works. Gaming Heads pays royalties or licensing fees or whatever and they recoup those costs within the price of the item(s) being sold. When you guy buy a Star Wars figure, there isn't some process splitting your actual 20 bucks between Hasbro and Disney. You also wouldn't email Judy Smith @disney.com or some shit for a refund/replacement. You'd contact Hasbro or whoever you bought it from for things like that.
It really just seems like this company is trying to direct fan anger at Sony (and one person in particular) for a decision they don't like.
It really just seems like this company is trying to direct fan anger at Sony (and one person in particular) for a decision they don't like.
There's definitely more to this. If it was as simple as Sony found a different partner and is terminating the contract, then the toy company would say that since it still casts Sony in a bad light. Sony just told them to destroy all merch, even paid for items, and didn't give a reason? Not buying that.
The fact that Sony is providing refunds sounds like Sony has terminated the contract for some reason. I bet something is going bad on the backend and Sony doesn't want to do business with them.
that's really scummy if it turns out Playstation(Sony) profited off the royalties and is now preventing the company who made merchandise from even shipping the products to people who paid. Playstation should reimburse the company including any of their royalties revenue to the company if that's true
Unless there's something really heinous on the part of Gaming Heads being looked over here, surely it's grounds for a lawsuit if they're not reimbursing for pending orders on product that they're being told to destroy. Something doesn't add up here.
Was gonna go "Sony is big bad!" like the rest of the thread but turns out Gaming Heads are a shady company that scams people off of their money, so... *shrug*
Every time I've negotiated one of these contracts its been a 30-90 day "breakup period" to wrap up business unless there is a breach of contract/the contract is not renewed. Its extremely common for there to be these kinds of clauses on the merch side of things.
For it to just suddenly end means something happened that broke that flow or someone really fucked up the business end.
Gonna wait on this one. With customer reviews of Gaming Heads being as terrible as they are, from multi-year delays with barely an update to cutting off contact when people have paid for merchandise and not providing any refunds, along with the Twitter post having the tact of a teenager and including an internal Sony employee email address. Entirely possible Sony is also being scummy in this situation, but it's giving me "something is off" vibes.
If this was the case, Gaming Heads would just sue Sony for breach of contract and not try to screw over their customers. I doubt Sony just signed a deal with someone else without realizing that they already had one with Gaming Heads.
it's obviously a conspiracy
sony doesn't want the audience to remember the time when Ratchet was cool and when kratos could jump
sony doesn't want the audience to remember the time when Ratchet was cool and when kratos could jump
If Playstation breached the contract that blatantly, I have a hard time believing Gaming Heads wouldn't put that in their statement. I mean, they even throw their Playstation liason/contact's email in there and ask their fans to contact her, yet at the same time don't seem to want to talk about any specifics for why this is going down.
"In this The Last of Us day…"
Woof.
I'd love to hear the actual cause for this.
Woof.
I'd love to hear the actual cause for this.
Or maybe Gaming Heads did something stupid and got the plug pulled.
It's why I'm inclined to think that Gaming Heads fucked up somehow and is trying to save face by asking their customers to blast some person's email at Sony that has nothing to with refunding their money. It seems like a scummy tactic.
Yup. When I worked for GameStop they'd regularly just be like "these aren't selling, DESTROY THEM" instead of, like, donating stuff.
It's a weird legal/tax thing. My understanding is that if a company is going to write off some degree of product in their finances because it didn't sell or something, they have to destroy it to prove that they are truly no longer making money off of it. It's like how old comics/magazines get their front covers ripped off before being sent back or destroyed, discontinued products that have overstayed their welcome get tossed, etc. In this case it could double/also be that Gaming Head screwed up and aren't legally allowed to be selling them at all.
You can't ship out products you took preorders on if the contract is no longer valid, whether that's because it lapsed or one side cancelled/broke it, you'd be asking to be buried in lawyers after that. You'd be selling something you don't have the license/right to sell.
The only solution is destroy them.
Eh, let's wait for more info before thrashing either Gaming Heads or Sony, lest we find ourselves in another Hellena Taylor stupid-fest.
Gonna just wait until I hear why Sony has ordered this because all this letter wants the reader to do is send a tidal wave of crap at a single individual working at the company.
My gut says breach of contract, and not something like "we found someone better".
Obviously "wait for the whole story", but that's the prediction.
Obviously "wait for the whole story", but that's the prediction.
This definitely feels like one of those stories that's gonna swing HARD soon, yeah
Considering anecdotes of some people waiting SEVEN years for Tomb Raider statues, Im going to laugh hard if it turns out this company hasn't had active licenses for these Sony properties since like the PS3 days.
Is there any indication as to when they started taking preorders for these Kratos/Jak/TLOU statues?
Is there any indication as to when they started taking preorders for these Kratos/Jak/TLOU statues?
Why are they charging for product's they haven't shipped yet? If I was a customer of theirs, I would be wondering why I've been charged for something that hasn't been put in a box and sent to me.
Orders placed and ready to ship do not count
They dont count as sold until it leaves the warehouse dock via freight carrier
They dont count as sold until it leaves the warehouse dock via freight carrier
A lot of these types of companies work off of the business model of paying up front before the product is made or available for release so they can allocate how many items need to be made.
See: LimitedRunGames
Naming that person is a desperation move. I'm pretty sure they royally fucked up, can't offer refunds because they can't afford to and decided to toss their Sony rep under the bus. I have a feeling this is a temporary diversion tactic to hide the fact that they are going out of business guns akimbo style.