Lorry theft means all of GAME’s Splatoon Special Editions just vanished
Stolen truck results in a whole lot of angry customers not getting their Wii U game pre-orders
Releasing on Friday, Splatoon is the rare new significant Wii U game, not to mention Nintendo’s first original Wii U entry in a long time. But for anyone who ordered the Special Edition from GAME – well, we’ve got some terrible news.
Eurogamer reports that a lorry carrying all of GAME’s stock of the Splatoon Special Edition release was stolen en route from Nintendo Europe to the retailer’s UK warehouse. The limited release was apparently the bulk of what was found on the truck.
What’s so special about the Splatoon Special Edition? It contains the rare Squid Inkling Amiibo, which isn’t sold separately – unlike the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy figurines. All three figurines can be touched to the NFC reader on the Wii U GamePad to unlock exclusive single-player challenge stages. It’s almost like downloadable content, albeit activated by a smart toy.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Nintendo is going to produce more units to fill this sudden need. In an email to customers, GAME explained, "Due to these extraordinary circumstances, we will unfortunately not be getting replacements for these missing items." Nintendo also confirmed the theft to Eurogamer, adding, "We are unable to honour pre-orders for this item in GAME."
GAME is offering substitutions of the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy figurines, as well as a £10 discount on the order and speedier shipping to make up for the missing Squid Inkling. Somehow, we have a feeling the Nintendo die-hards won’t be satisfied.
Be sure to read our Splatoon review from earlier today for our full verdict on Nintendo’s unique, paint-flinging spin on the squad-based online shooter.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
